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Life Satisfaction in Junior Secondary School Students in Hong Kong: A 3-Year Longitudinal Study

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Abstract

The present longitudinal study examined life satisfaction and the related socio-demographic, family, and positive youth development correlates in junior secondary school students in Hong Kong. Results showed that adolescents perceived life satisfaction decreased in their junior secondary school years. Several socio-demographic correlates of life satisfaction were identified from the results of mixed effects ANOVAs and multiple regression analyses: girls showed higher life satisfaction than did boys; adolescents in non-intact families had lower life satisfaction than did adolescents in intact families; adolescents experiencing economic disadvantage showed relatively lower life satisfaction. Results also showed that both family functioning and positive youth development had generally positive predictive relationships with adolescent life satisfaction over time.

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Acknowledgments

The preparation for this paper and the Project P.A.T.H.S. were financially supported by The Hong Kong Jockey Club Charities Trust. The authors wish to express their gratitude to the reviewers of the original manuscript for their constructive comments.

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  1. Department of Applied Social Sciences, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hunghom, Hong Kong

    Daniel T. L. Shek & Ting Ting Liu

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Shek, D.T.L., Liu, T.T. Life Satisfaction in Junior Secondary School Students in Hong Kong: A 3-Year Longitudinal Study. Soc Indic Res 117, 777–794 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11205-013-0398-4

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