Lower Subjective Well-being Research Articles

Exploring variations in subjective well-being among Norwegian retirees: A growth mixture modelling approach.

This study aimed to identify subgroups of Norwegian retirees with similar trajectories of subjective well-being (SWB) across the retirement transition and to explore how various factors influence these SWB trajectories. The study employed growth mixture modelling to analyze longitudinal data, exploring the trajectories of life satisfaction, positive affect and negative affect in retirement transition. It also examined the influence of factors such as demographic, living arrangement, pre-retirement work conditions, individual characteristics and available resources on these SWB trajectories. Contrary to the hypothesised three distinct SWB trajectories in retirement, the results more strongly support a single group solution for life satisfaction and positive affect. For negative affect, a two-group solution, consisting of one group with stable low and another with stable high negative affect, was preferred. The study identified several predictors of SWB trajectories. The findings suggest that retirement is a neutral life event with stable SWB trajectories. However, several factors significantly influence whether retirees experience higher or lower SWB in retirement. The findings of this study provide updated insights into the heterogeneity of the retirement experience, as well as highlight important factors for retirement SWB.

Using genetic variations to reveal the complex relationships between vegetarianism and well-being, depressive symptoms and neuroticism.

The relationship between vegetarianism and mental well-being remains a debated topic in traditional observational studies. Recent studies have revealed the genetic factors in vegetarianism. We aimed to use genetic variations to explore the potential causal relationships between vegetarianism and mental well-being, offering insights from a new perspective. We conducted the inverse variance weighted approach as the primary analysis to explore the bidirectional genetic associations between vegetarianism (N = 442,589) and depressive symptoms (N = 180,866), neuroticism (N = 170,910), and subjective well-being (N = 298,420). The analysis used the summary data from the largest genome-wide association studies (GWAS). We also performed sensitivity analyses to ensure the robustness of the findings, accounting for potential heterogeneity and pleiotropy. Genetically predicted vegetarianism showed positive causal relationships with depressive symptoms (odds ratio [OR], 3.26; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.03-10.31; p = 0.044) and neuroticism (OR, 6.72; 95% CI, 2.29-19.74; p = 5.31 × 10-4), as well as a negative causal relationship with subjective well-being (OR, 0.20; 95% CI, 0.05-0.77; p = 0.019). Additionally, depressive symptoms were found to have a causal influence on vegetarianism (OR, 1.01; 95% CI, 1.00-1.02; p = 6.87 × 10-3). No significant heterogeneity or pleiotropy was detected. Vegetarianism is causally correlated with negative mental well-being, reflected in an increased risk of depressive symptoms and neuroticism, as well as lower subjective well-being. Further research should explore the underlying mechanisms in broader populations.

Why are City Residents Less Happy than the Rest of the Population in Developed Countries? Studying the Urban-Rural Happiness Gap in Denmark Using Blinder-Oaxaca Decomposition

AbstractIn Denmark, and in developed countries in general, urban residents tend to report lower subjective well-being than rural residents. This difference has been referred to as a happiness paradox as cities historically have pulled in residents from the countryside in what has become known as the rural exodus. This paper explores the urban-rural happiness gap in Denmark. Using the Danish Rural-Urban Survey administered in 2011/2012 (n = 2000), the paper compares the respondents who live in the five largest cities in Denmark (Copenhagen, Aarhus, Odense, Aalborg, and Esbjerg) to the respondents who live in other parts of the country. The residents in the five largest cities report significantly lower life satisfaction than residents in the rest of the country. In contrast to evidence from other developed countries, this urban-rural happiness gap is found to be consistent across groups in the Danish society, e.g., across age, education, and employment groups. Further, the results show that the urban-rural happiness gap loses its statistical significance - and the two groups display similar satisfaction levels - when adjusting for several important factors. Decomposition analyses reveal that differences in urban-rural characteristics explain up to 94% of the urban-rural happiness gap. Of these urban-rural characteristics, lower access to nature amenities, lower bonding social capital, lower rates of retired people, and higher rates of non-native residents in the five largest cities in Denmark were found to account for up to 37%, 22%, 14%, and 9% of the urban-rural happiness gap, respectively.

Subjective Well-Being of Parents and Childless People in Older Age in Germany

AbstractThe growing number of older childless individuals in Western societies has raised concerns about their subjective well-being. In this study, we scrutinize the subjective well-being of parents and childless individuals aged 60 years and older. We examine subjective well-being as a multi-dimensional construct encompassing life satisfaction, positive affect, and negative affect. Based on the value-of-children approach, we hypothesize that childless individuals experience lower subjective well-being than parents and that the disparity in well-being differs with age, gender, and the quality of the parent-child relationship. For our analysis, we use data from a nationally representative sample of adults aged 60 years and older (n = 10,682) drawn from the German Ageing Survey. Our findings from random effects regression models show that childless individuals report lower life satisfaction, less positive affect, and more negative affect than parents. These associations are larger for men than for women but do not vary significantly across age groups. Furthermore, our results suggest that the benefits of parenthood strongly depend on the quality of the parent-child relationship. Childless people report lower subjective well-being than parents with a close emotional bond with their children, but similar or even higher subjective well-being than parents with an emotionally distant parent-child relationship. In sum, our study indicates that childless people experience, on average, lower well-being across all three dimensions of subjective well-being in older age. However, under specific circumstances, childless individuals may fare better than parents.

Traffic Accidents: The Contrasting Roles of Life Satisfaction and Anxiety

AbstractIt is well established that people with low subjective wellbeing have heightened traffic accident risk. However, the roles of particular mental states, including overall evaluative subjective wellbeing and specific forms of mental distress such as depression or anxiety, have not hitherto been disentangled. Using an official representative population survey, we show that different forms of mental distress are associated with single versus multiple accident prevalence within a year. Anxiety (a lack of calmness) is strongly associated with having an accident. By contrast, conditional on having had at least one accident, overall life satisfaction is more strongly associated with having multiple accidents than are anxiety, depression or overall mental health. The relationship is n-shaped so that people with moderately low wellbeing have the highest multiple accident probability. These results are robust to the exclusion of respondents for whom reverse causality may be present and to the inclusion of variables representing other risky behaviours and representing social isolation. The findings imply that specific forms of intervention are likely to be needed to reduce accidents for people with moderately low subjective wellbeing who may engage in habitual risky behaviours that result in multiple accidents.

Demographic and socio-economic inequalities in subjective wellbeing: analysis of repeated cross-sectional health surveys in England 2010-2019.

Good subjective wellbeing (SWB) is a key societal aspiration. The study of SWB determinants is of increasing interest. The present study aimed to examine national inequalities in SWB, and trends in these inequalities, for England across five demographic (sex and age) and socio-economic (educational level, household income and living alone) characteristics. The relative index of inequalities (RII) and slope index of inequalities (SII) were calculated from repeated cross-sectional data from the Health Survey for England from 2010 to 2019 (excluding 2017 and 2018 as our outcome variable was not collected in these years), in a total of 90 236 participants aged 16+. SWB was assessed using the Warwick-Edinburgh Mental Well-being Scale (WEMWBS), treated as a dichotomous variable with high and low levels of SWB>40 and≤40, respectively. There were significant inequalities in SWB by income (RII from 1.086 to 1.116), educational level (RII from 0.893 to 0.941) and between people living alone or not (RII from 0.908 to 0.937). The RII and SII trends were not statistically significant. Higher socio-economic status could play a protective role for SWB, and people in the most deprived socio-economic positions may be at higher risk for low SWB. These associations have remained stable over time.

Exploring the impact of subjective well-being on medication adherence: A cross-sectional study among individuals with multiple chronic diseases

BackgroundMedication non-adherence is a significant barrier to optimal treatment goals. The study explores the association between subjective well-being (SWB) and medication adherence among Lebanese individuals with multiple chronic diseases and identifies additional factors that may influence adherence in this population. MethodsAn exploratory, cross-sectional study was conducted for three months at six community pharmacies. Adherence was assessed using the Adherence to Refills and Medication Scale Arabic Lebanese Version (ARMS-A). The SWB was measured using the Arabic Scale of Happiness (ASH), Love of Life Scale (LLS), Arab Hope Scale (AHS), and Satisfaction with Life Scale (SWLS). Spearmen's Rho correlation analyzed the association between ARMS-A and SWB constructs. Binary logistic regression identified predictors of adherence among individuals with chronic diseases and on multiple chronic medications. ResultsOf 400 participants, 106 (26.5 %) with a 95 % CI, 0.22–0.31, were adherent. Lower medication adherence (reflected in higher ARMS-A scores) was associated with lower SWB (p = 0.01). Multivariate analysis showed that lower education (OR=2.21, 95 % CI, 1.01–4.81), lack of a specific diet (OR = 1.64, 95 % CI, 1.01–2.69), and frequent hospital and/or emergency visits (OR=3.29, 95 % CI, 1.75–6.17 for 2 visits; OR = 2.71, 95 % CI, 1.43–5.14 for ≥3 visits) significantly increased the odds of non-adherence to chronic treatment. However, higher income (OR = 0.06, 95 % CI, 0.01–0.38), healthcare provider occupation (OR = 0.42, 95 % CI, 0.21–0.48), and having diabetes mellitus (OR = 0.59, 95 % CI, 0.36–0.96) correlated with better adherence. ConclusionA significant portion of participants failed to adhere to their prescribed chronic medications, influenced by multicomplex socioeconomic, psychological, and health-related factors. These findings demonstrate the need for culturally-tailored, pharmacist-led interventions to improve medication adherence and overall health outcomes.

Informal employment and subjective well-being in urban China: do employment sector and working time flexibility matter?

PurposeThis paper tests if there exists a subjective well-being gap between informal workers in the informal and formal sectors in urban China, and explores the mechanisms behind such differences.Design/methodology/approachThe author develops a simple theoretical model to analyze the effects of the employment sector and work time flexibility on workers' happiness and conducts a descriptive study to examine the relationship between employment type and subjective well-being using the China General Social Survey (CGSS) 2010, 2013, 2015 and 2017 datasets, a nationally representative sample.FindingsThe results show that only dependent informal work in the formal sector impairs workers' happiness, while the effect of independent informal work is not statistically significant. The potential mechanisms suggest that independent informal workers have higher working time flexibility and can work more hours to increase their earnings, which increases their subjective well-being. However, it is difficult for dependent informal workers to earn more by working more hours due to poor working time flexibility.Originality/valueThis study indicates that informal workers in the formal sector have lower subjective well-being in urban China and deserve more attention from policymakers. The author also suggests that increasing working time flexibility and encouraging self-employment can contribute to the welfare of informal workers.

Sociodemographic and Psychosocial Factors Affecting the Psychological Well-being of Preoperative Surgical Patients

PurposeThis study aimed to determine the subjective psychological well-being levels and sociodemographic and psychosocial factors affecting the psychological well-being of preoperative surgical patients. DesignThis was a cross-sectional study. MethodsThis study was conducted between January 15, 2021 and July 15, 2021. The sample consisted of 236 surgical patients in a public hospital in the Thrace region of Turkey. Data were collected using a personal information form and the five-item World Health Organization Well-Being Index (WHO-5). The data were analyzed using numbers, percentages, mean, standard deviation, independent samples t test, one-way analysis of variance, Tukey's multiple comparison test, and linear regression analysis. FindingsParticipants had a mean WHO-5 score of 10.76 ± 6.21, indicating low subjective psychological well-being. Economic status, chronic disease status, history of surgery, having been on psychiatric medication or receiving professional psychological support, tobacco use, experiencing a significant life change in the last 3 months, and reporting experiencing frequent stress in everyday life were significant predictors of WHO-5 scores. ConclusionsPreoperative surgical patients have low subjective psychological well-being, and their sociodemographic and psychosocial factors affect their psychological well-being.

Mindful Parenting and Subjective Well-Being in Parents of Children with Neurodevelopmental Disorders

Parenting children with neurodevelopmental disorders presents unique challenges. These challenges can impact the well-being of parents, leading to higher levels of stress, anxiety, and depression, which ultimately can lower subjective well-being. This study aims to investigate the relationship between mindful parenting and subjective well-being using a correlational quantitative approach. Data were collected through questionnaires measuring mindful parenting and subjective well-being. The participants in this study were 106 parents of children with neurodevelopmental disorders. Data analysis was conducted using the product-moment correlation technique. The results indicated a positive correlation (r = 0.413, p 0.05) between mindful parenting and subjective well-being, suggesting that higher levels of mindful parenting are associated with higher subjective well-being in parents. These findings highlight the potential of mindful parenting interventions to support the well-being of parents in families with children with special needs. Future research should use larger and more representative samples to enhance the generalizability of the findings. The implications of this research include the development of mindful parenting programs and policies to support families facing the challenges of raising children with neurodevelopmental disorders.

Gender role attitudes and fertility intentions: the mediating role of parental sacrifice and the moderating role of subjective well-being

Gender role attitudes have been shown to play a critical role in individuals’ fertility intentions. However, the underlying mechanism is unclear. The present study examined whether parental sacrifice mediates the relationship between gender role attitudes and fertility intentions, and whether subjective well-being plays a moderating role. A sample of 446 Chinese adults aged 18 to 45 (Mage = 32.78, SDage = 5.63, 60.93% female) completed the Gender Role Attitude Scale, Parental Sacrifice Scale, Index of Well-Being, and Fertility Attitude Scale. Multiple regression analyses showed that traditional gender role attitudes positively predicted fertility intentions, while egalitarian gender role attitudes negatively predicted fertility intentions. Moreover, parental sacrifice was found to partially mediate the relationship between gender role attitudes and fertility intentions. Additionally, subjective well-being was identified as a moderator of the mediating effect of parental sacrifice. Specifically, for individuals with low subjective well-being, parental sacrifice played a partially mediating role. However, for individuals with high subjective well-being, the mediating effect of parental sacrifice was not significant, and gender role attitudes directly influenced fertility intentions. This study adds to our understanding of the connection between gender role attitudes and fertility intentions of adults, providing important information for policymakers and professionals aiming to promote fertility intentions.

A - 34 Differences in Symptom and Well-Being Report at Initial Post-Injury Concussion Medical Evaluations

Abstract Purpose To investigate differences in subjective symptom report and percentage ratings of subjective well-being (SWB) at initial post-injury concussion medical evaluations in professional football players. Method A retrospective, quasi-experimental design was used for the study. Participants included Canadian Football League players who underwent initial locker room post-injury medical evaluations. CFL concussion protocol requires any player suspected of a concussion to undergo a full evaluation including SCAT5. There were 2 groups including 43 players subsequently diagnosed with concussions who were compared with 22 players not diagnosed with concussion. Data included total symptom score from the SCAT5 and SWB (ratings out of 100%). T-tests and descriptive statistics evaluated differences between groups. Results At baseline, there were no significant differences on ratings of SWB between groups. In contrast, there was a significant difference in ratings of subjective well being between concussed players (M = 75.5%, SD = 19.5) and non concussed players (M = 92.7, SD = 7.7); t(63) = [3.8], p = [0.1]. Furthermore, significant differences on total symptom report from the SCAT5 were identified between concussed players (M = 16.9, SD = 15.4) and non concussed players (M = 3.5, SD = 5.7); t(63) - [3.9], p = [<0.01]. The sensitivity was 85% with a specificity of 63% using a post-injury SWB score of 75%. Conclusions Results indicated that at initial post-injury concussion evaluations, players subsequently diagnosed with concussion have lower SWB. Further research is needed to determine whether this metric would be helpful in the diagnosis of concussion.

Marital satisfaction and subjective well-being of adolescents who marry due to premarital pregnancy

Marital satisfaction is an essential aspect of family life. Individuals who experience satisfaction in their marriage tend to exhibit positive emotions leading to happiness, which is associated with their subjective well-being encompassing their overall life satisfaction. Every individual naturally desires subjective well-being in their lives, including adolescents who marry due to unplanned pregnancies. Therefore, the aim of this research is to investigate the relationship between marital satisfaction and subjective well-being among adolescents who married because of unplanned pregnancies. The research methodology employed in this study is quantitative, with a total sampling technique used to select 64 adolescents who married due to unplanned pregnancies as participants. The data analysis method utilized in this study is the Pearson product-moment correlation. The analysis results reveal a correlation of r = -0.356 with a significance level of 0.004 (p < 0.05), indicating a significant relationship between marital satisfaction and subjective well-being. The positive direction of this relationship suggests that lower marital satisfaction corresponds to lower subjective well-being, and vice versa

The Influencing Mechanism of the Communities’ Built Environment on Residents’ Subjective Well-Being: A Case Study of Beijing

There is a consensus toward quantitative environmental design in the information age, but the content and specific practices of its quantification have yet to be systematically studied. To enhance residents’ subjective well-being through environmental design, this study includes 847 valid questionnaires across four types of communities and identifies different types of resident groups using correspondence analysis. Then, this study compares the differences in the built environment and subjective well-being using one-way ANOVA and analyzes their impact via regression analysis. The results indicate that residents in old communities have the highest subjective well-being (3.93/5) and built environment assessments, and residents in policy housing communities have the lowest subjective well-being (3.37/5) and built environment assessments. A resident’s subjective well-being is more influenced by two types of built environment factors: architecture and landscape and the human–land relationship. Age, education level, public place usage, and the community’s overall evaluation also significantly affect residents’ subjective well-being. In the information age, quantitative design is the inevitable direction of future design. Through quantitative research, targeted design strategies can be proposed to serve community residents better in their communities and provide references for communities in other developing countries.

Commute and built environment: What matters for subjective well-being in a household context?

Much of prior research has shown a growing interest in determinants of subjective well-being (SWB). However, relatively less research has explored the causal effects of commute and built environment (BE) on SWB, and there is little knowledge regarding how these connections differ between household members. The study examines both cross-sectional and longitudinal connections between commute, BE, and SWB, as well as the variations in these connections between couples, by analyzing longitudinal survey data of dual-earner households from Chinese cities. The results indicate that the increase in commute duration results in lower SWB. Shifting to active modes is shown to increase SWB. Nonetheless, shifting in the opposite direction shows no significant effect. All BE changes are correlated with the husbands' SWB changes, whereas only changes in neighborhood categories and neighborhood density appear to matter for wives. The findings indicate that planning strategies can complement transport policies aimed at enhancing SWB.

Academic Stress and Subjective Well-Being among Adolescents on Islamic Boarding School in Rural Aceh

Subjective well-being (SWB) is something that is directly related to what a person thinks and how they feel about their life. SWB is one of the important things for adolescents, it could influence the learning process, social, and emotional relationships. However, adolescents who have low SWB will easily experience depression, fatigue and anxiety. This research aims to determine the relationship between subjective well-being and academic stress in adolescents at one of the Islamic boarding schools in Aceh, Indonesia. A cross-sectional study was conducted on adolescents in an Islamic boarding school in Aceh Province, Indonesia. There were 169 respondents were taken by using a simple random sampling technique. Data were collected using the Scale of Positive and Negative Experience (SPANE), Satisfaction with Life Scale (SWLS), and Educational Stress Scale for Adolescents (ESSA). The results of the Chi-square test analysis showed a relationship between academic stress and subjective well-being in adolescents (p-value 0.030). Therefore, academic stress is an important aspect to pay attention because it can affect adolescents' subjective well-being. It is suggested that community health centers and Islamic boarding schools to increase the involvement of adolescents in peer counsellor programs so that adolescents can have good stress management and improve stressors through health promotion.

Bimodal diurnal preference in undergraduate students is associated with negative health and sleep outcomes

ABSTRACT The bimodal preference is a fourth diurnal preference proposed by re-scoring the Morningness-Eveningness Questionnaire. The present work aimed to describe the prevalence of the bimodal preference in a sample of undergraduate students and to characterize the bimodal type in terms of their health and sleep-related outcomes. A web-based cross-sectional study conducted between September 2018 and March 2021 (convenience sampling method). The sample was composed of undergraduate students who completed an electronic form that included the Morningness and Eveningness Questionnaire, the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index, the Self-Compassion Scale, the Epworth Sleepiness Scale, the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale, and the World Health Organization Subjective Well-Being Index. The final sample consisted of 615 students (82% female, mean age: 23.4 ± 6.5 years), of whom 108 (18%) had positive bimodality indexes. Bimodal subjects comprised 48 students, 8% of the total sample. Bimodal subjects had poorer subjective sleep quality, more daytime sleepiness, lower subjective well-being, greater anxiety and depression symptoms, and lower self-compassion than morning and/or intermediate types; they did not differ from evening types. The description of bimodal diurnal preference in this population may be of interest for the design of academic policies more in line with the circadian reality of students.

The worst off in Europe - country differences and trends over time in (low) life satisfaction

In recent years, policymakers and researchers have shown increased interest in subjective well-being across countries. While previous research primarily focused on country averages, measuring the distribution of subjective well-being through standard deviation has become more frequent. This article introduces a new approach to assess subjective well-being: focusing on the “worst off," or the group with the lowest levels of well-being. Based on several ethical and political theories, this measure is deemed the most relevant when assessing well-being levels in society. The study constructs new measures of low subjective well-being (the bottom 10%) to evaluate differences across countries, changes over time, and associations with economic growth, using data from 33 European countries from 2002 to 2018. The findings indicate significant variations in well-being for the worst off across countries, with improvements observed in almost all countries studied, particularly in Poland, Germany, and the Czech Republic. Improvements are generally larger for the worst off compared to the general population. Furthermore, both GDP per capita and financial satisfaction are positively associated with the subjective well-being of the worst off, both over time and when countries are compared cross-sectionally. The implications of these findings for future research and benchmarking quality of life are discussed.

Variety Is the Spice of Life: Diverse Social Networks Are Associated With Social Cohesion and Well-Being

Both homophily and heterophily are observed in humans. Homophily reinforces homogeneous social networks, and heterophily creates new experiences and collaborations. However, at the extremes, high levels of homophily can cultivate prejudice toward out-groups, whereas high levels of heterophily can weaken in-group support. Using data from 24,726 adults (M = 46 years; selected from 10,398 English neighborhoods) and the composition of their social networks based on age, ethnicity, income, and education, we tested the hypothesis that a middle ground between homophily and heterophily could be the most beneficial for individuals. We found that network homophily, mediated by perceived social cohesion, is associated with higher levels of subjective well-being but that there are diminishing returns, because at a certain point increasing network homophily is associated with lower social cohesion and, in turn, lower subjective well-being. Our results suggest that building diverse social networks provides benefits that cannot be attained by homogeneous networks.

Latent profiles of emotion regulation among university students: links to repetitive negative thinking, internet addiction, and subjective wellbeing.

Recent years have seen a deterioration in the mental health of university students and notable surge in the need for psychological support. Due to its links to psychopathology and high-risk behaviors, difficulty in emotion regulation frequently serves as a transdiagnostic dimension. This cross-sectional study used a person-centered analytical approach (latent profile analysis; LPA) to identify groups of Portuguese university students with similar profiles of emotion regulation difficulties (N = 261; Mage = 22.5 ± 1.2 years; n = 213 female) and describe how these groups differ in their presentation of repetitive negative thinking, internet addiction, and subjective wellbeing. The analyses identified four latent profiles: 14.5% of students showed global dysregulation (the Low Emotion Regulation Profile), 23% were moderately dysregulated with elevated problems in goal-directed behavior (the Moderate Emotion Regulation Profile), 8% showed specific difficulties with low emotional awareness and clarity (the Low Insight Profile), and 54.4% showed adaptive emotion regulation (the High Emotion Regulation Profile). As anticipated, the Low Emotion Regulation Profile had the lowest subjective wellbeing and the highest prevalence of repetitive negative thinking and internet addiction. Students with a Low Insight Profile also showed low subjective wellbeing, but less repetitive negative thinking compared to the Low Emotion Regulation Profile. Our findings suggest that interventions aimed at improving health and wellbeing among university students should consider each student's unique set of emotion regulation difficulties, rather than focusing on particular strategies. Further research may help determine whether emotion regulation profiles can serve as predictive indicators of varying mental health trajectories and subjective wellbeing in university students.