Abstract
The concept of well-being is complex and is in common use not only in the area of health but also in the field of human development. Well-being depends on both the individual and the environment, and during childhood and adolescence, the environmental factor can be decisive. Family, school, and peers are widely recognized as significant contexts for successful development, but romantic context is also undoubtedly important. Romantic relationships constitute a new dimension in the adolescent’s social life, but little attention so far has been paid to their importance in well-being. Defined as developmental tasks, they have been associated both positive and negative outcomes, although their impact on well-being has not yet been clarified. This study uses a eudaimonic approach to evaluate four dimensions of psychological well-being: self-acceptance, positive interpersonal relationships, autonomy, and life development, and has a two-fold objective: (1) to analyze adolescents’ levels of psychological well-being and their stability over time, and (2) to analyze the association between romantic relationships and adolescents’ psychological well-being. Using a longitudinal design, we analyzed data from a sample of 747 adolescents from Andalusia (Spain) between 13 and 17 years old (50.5% girls, mean age wave 1 = 14.55, SD = 0.84). The results revealed medium to high levels of psychological well-being, which remained stable throughout the time of the study, and an increase in wave 2 only in positive interpersonal relationships dimension. The Structural Equation Modeling analysis showed romantic relationships as a predictor of psychological well-being, having a positive link with positive interpersonal relationships and with life development, and a negative link with autonomy and self-acceptance. These results are discussed in terms of the need to use approaches focused on the specific characteristics and evolution of well-being during adolescence, as well as on the importance of considering romantic relationships as developmental assets which have the potential to influence well-being during these years.
Highlights
Psychology has traditionally conceptualized individuals in terms of psychopathology, dysfunction, and failure (Seligman and Csikszentmihalyi, 2000)
In both wave 1 and 2, the highest values corresponded to life development, and the lowest to autonomy (Table 2); the only significant differences were found in positive interpersonal relationships, which increased in time 2 [t (670) = −2.26, p = 0.024]
The results indicated mediumhigh values of well-being in all dimensions; in both wave 1 and 2, boys and girls had the lowest scores in autonomy, and the highest scores in self-acceptance and in life development (Table 2)
Summary
Psychology has traditionally conceptualized individuals in terms of psychopathology, dysfunction, and failure (Seligman and Csikszentmihalyi, 2000) It has been focused on repairing damage following a disease model of human functioning, paying little attention to the building of positive qualities (Seligman and Csikszentmihalyi, 2000). Different perspectives have emerged and advocate understanding it from a broader and more balanced perspective, considering that optimal functioning during adolescence is more than the absence of problems, difficulties or pathologies (Lerner et al, 2005; Seligman, 2008) These include positive psychology, which considers the potential of adolescents to achieve a healthy and successful development, adopting a well-being-oriented approach (Seligman et al, 2009)
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