The Sources of Happiness in Preadolescence and Adolescence: A Multi-Method and Multi-Informant Perspective

Flavia Izzo (), Edoardo Saija (), Susanna Pallini (), Salvatore Ioverno (), Roberto Baiocco () and Jessica Pistella ()
Additional contact information
Flavia Izzo: Sapienza University of Rome
Edoardo Saija: Sapienza University of Rome
Susanna Pallini: University of Roma Tre
Salvatore Ioverno: University of Roma Tre
Roberto Baiocco: Sapienza University of Rome
Jessica Pistella: Sapienza University of Rome

Child Indicators Research, 2024, vol. 17, issue 3, No 1, 953-983

Abstract: Abstract Research on happiness in preadolescence and adolescence has been limited regarding the sources of happiness. The present study aims to explore such sources in preadolescents and adolescents through a multi-method and multi-informant approach. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 77 family triads: children (age range: 11–19; M = 13.90, SD = 2.70; 61% female), mothers (M = 47.50, SD = 4.35), and fathers (M = 50.53, SD = 5.30). The triads were asked to define happiness from children’s perspective, describe what makes children happy, and indicate children’s levels of happiness. Using quantitative data, preadolescents exhibited higher individual happiness levels than adolescents, and fathers reported higher levels of children’s happiness than mothers. Through Thematic Analysis, five primary sources of happiness emerged: Social relationships, Family relationships, Personal interests, Achievement, and Entertainment. Social relationships was the most recurring theme across the narratives of both preadolescents/adolescents and parents. The second most recurring theme was Personal interests for preadolescents/adolescents and Family relationships for parents. Parents notably more frequently mentioned Achievement than children. Males displayed a higher propensity to report the Entertainment theme than females, while females reported the Family relationships and Social relationships themes more frequently. Preadolescents exhibited a higher occurrence of the Entertainment and Family relationships themes than adolescents. Regarding the concordance of themes between children and their parents, low overall levels of agreement were observed, all below 40%. The highest levels of concordance were found between mothers and fathers rather than between parents and children. The results could provide valuable insights to parents and educators on how to help youth promote their happiness.

Keywords: Happiness; Preadolescent; Adolescent; Parents; Multi-informant (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2024
References: View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations:

Downloads: (external link)
http://link.springer.com/10.1007/s12187-024-10113-w Abstract (text/html)
Access to the full text of the articles in this series is restricted.

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:spr:chinre:v:17:y:2024:i:3:d:10.1007_s12187-024-10113-w

Ordering information: This journal article can be ordered from
http://www.springer. ... f-life/journal/12187

DOI: 10.1007/s12187-024-10113-w

Access Statistics for this article

Child Indicators Research is currently edited by Asher Ben-Arieh

More articles in Child Indicators Research from Springer, The International Society of Child Indicators (ISCI)
Bibliographic data for series maintained by Sonal Shukla () and Springer Nature Abstracting and Indexing ().