The Impact of Social-engagement, Social-support and Self-esteem on Life Satisfaction in UK Youth: A Sequential Explanatory Mixed Methods Study

Abstract

Significant changes in adolescent physiology and psychology have been linked to a decline in adolescents sense of well-being. Thats why its so important to study what makes people happy in order to help teenagers flourish. The purpose of this research is to demonstrate the value of a correlational design and thematic analysis in revealing the underlying mechanisms at play in teenage social connection, self-esteem, and life satisfaction through the use of a mixed-methods sequential explanatory display. Our predictions that self-esteem (26%), social-support (1%) and social-engagement (1%) each accounted for a significant portion of the unique variance on the Satisfaction with Life Scale are supported by data from the Seventh-Sweep Study-Wave 7 Dataset (N=759). The quantitative results are corroborated by a thematic analysis of social-media and newspaper comments (N=126), which reveals that young people with high self-esteem are more likely to have positive school and social connections, use coping techniques, and express their true selves. Low self-esteem, on the other hand, may have detrimental effects on happiness, such as the promotion of psychological disorder and risky behaviours as well as underpinning academic and social isolation. Therefore, it may be beneficial for adolescents well-being to place an emphasis on school connectedness, social support, and positive self-perception.