Adolescent Life Satisfaction Before Young Adulthood: The Role of 'Shyness' and 'Self-Efficacy'

Abstract

The aim of this study was to examine the correlation between shyness, perception of general self-efficacy, and life satisfaction in young adolescents. The study participants included 489 freshman students living in Turkey and studying under different faculty at public universities in Ankara (184 female; 37.6% and 305 male; 62.4%). The subjects ranged in age between 18 (n = 207; 42.3%) and 19 (n = 282; 57.7%) years. Study data collection included the Shyness Scale (Cheek and Buss 1981), the Perception of General Self-efficacy Scale (Schwarzer and Jerusalem 1995), and the General Life Satisfaction Scale (Diener, Emmons, Laresen and Griffin 1985). The data obtained were examined through Correlation analysis, simple linear regression analysis, multiple linear regression analysis and the sobel test. The results of the study showed that there was a moderately significant negative correlation between shyness and perception of general self-efficacy, moderately significant negative correlation between shyness and life satisfaction and moderately significant positive correlation between the perception of general self-efficacy and life satisfaction. Finally, the level of shyness and perceptions of general self-efficacy significantly predicted life satisfaction. The findings of the present study may contribute to a better understanding of the relationship between shyness, perception of self-efficacy and "life satisfaction. The results are discussed in the context of the current literature on these topics.