Personal Well-Being Index-School Children Research Articles

Smartphone Addiction among Adolescents in Southern Italy and Correlation with Other Risky Behaviors.

Addiction to smartphone is defined as the disability to cease using the device despite the physical, psychological, or social consequences. The diagnosis of this disorder is increasing exponentially among teenagers, even more so after Corona Virus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. This study aims to analyze the risk of mobile phone addiction among teenagers in Italy and its relationship with other risk behaviors, such as drug consumption and emotional well-being, following the COVID-19 pandemic. A cross-sectional observational study was conducted in Catania, Sicily, during 2022. The study sample comprised 342 students from a secondary education center that answered to a validated Italian version of the Smartphone Addiction Scale Short Version (SAS-SV) accessing through computers and mobile devices. Subjective Wellbeing was measured with the Personal Wellbeing Index-School Children (PWI-SC). Also, they completed the NIAAA Brief Alcohol Use Screener. Our results showed that 30.1% of students who participated in the survey were classified with a smartphone addiction. Besides, most of the participants used the Smartphone for social networks (86.0%). Regarding the other aspects measured, the mean self-perceived well-being score measured with the PWI-SC was 55.5, and 36.2% of participants were categorized as "high risk" for depression. Finally, four out of ten participants were at "moderate or high risk" of an alcohol use disorder. Our results suggest that the use of mobile phones is increasing in adolescents, an age group also exposed to social and health problems.

Subjective wellbeing of autistic adolescents and young adults: A cross sectional study.

Subjective wellbeing (SWB) represents an individual's perception of wellness that is supported by homeostatic mechanisms. These mechanisms are proposed to be maintained by low negative affect and high positive affect, although less is known about these mechanisms and SWB in autism. The current cross-sectional study aimed to compare patterns of positive affect, negative affect (Positive Affect and Negative Affect Scale), and SWB (Personal Wellbeing Index-School Children) between autistic (n = 53) and non-autistic (n = 49) individuals aged 10-22 years (Mage = 13.97, SD = 3.13). Between-group t-tests revealed that compared with same-age peers, autistic participants scored lower SWB overall (p < 0.001). In both groups average SWB scores fell into the higher range, however, autistic participants were three-times more likely to fall below this range when compared to non-autistic participants. Negative affect had a higher intercept in the autistic sample, but no difference in slopes were observed. A hierarchical multiple regression revealed that diagnosis, positive affect, and negative affect significantly predicted SWB in our sample. Between-group t-tests found no significant difference in positive affect or negative affect across age between the autistic and non-autistic samples. In autistic participants, positive affect increased across age as SWB decreased, whilst negative affect remained stable, a pattern inconsistent with homeostatic SWB. The current study is overall consistent with the homeostatic explanation for SWB within autism; however, we identified potential differences between autistic and non-autistic participants in the contribution of positive affect and negative affect to homeostatic protect mood across development.

Expressive Textile Arts and Fashion-based Intervention for Youth with Emotional Distress: A Pilot Study

Recent years have seen increased interest in early intervention in and prevention of mental health difficulties during adolescence. In this pilot study, a structured expressive textile art and fashion based (ETAFB) intervention was conducted to evaluate the beneficial effects on personal well-being and social interaction of youth with emotional distress. A one-group pretest-posttest pilot study was conducted among 18 youth with emotional distress. All the participants attended four sessions of ETAFB intervention. All the participants were subjected to a preintervention test and a 4-week postintervention test using the Personal Wellbeing Index – School Children (PWI-SC), 12-item General Health Questionnaire (GHQ-12), and Social Interaction Anxiety Scale (SIAS). The study findings revealed that the ETAFB intervention was associated with significant improvements in some of the measurements. This information provides the groundwork for a further study to investigate the effect of the ETAFB intervention on the relationship between youth well-being and facilitators.

Mediation of Problematic Use in the Relationship Between Types of Internet Use and Subjective Well-Being in Schoolchildren.

Subjective well-being is a broad category of phenomena that includes people’s emotional responses, domain satisfactions, and global judgments of life satisfaction. This research investigates how schoolchildren’s subjective well-being is affected by the different types of technology use, in personal contexts, and, concurrently, whether these effects are different when the use of technology is problematic. The central hypotheses are as follows: (1) the use of the Internet affects the subjective well-being of schoolchildren negatively only when this use is problematic and (2) the effect on subjective well-being is different according to the type of Internet use. To respond to the objectives of the research, a survey was applied to 15-year-old adolescents (2,579 cases), distributed in 330 public schools, beneficiaries of a government program for the delivery of personal computers and Internet for a year. The different uses of the Internet were measured using frequency scales by type of activity (social, recreational, and educational). Problematic use scale measured the perception of negative consequences of the intensity of Internet use on a daily basis. Subjective well-being was measured by the Personal Well-Being Index-School Children (PWI-SC). Subsequently, for analytical purposes, three simple mediation models were created, whose dependent variable was PWI-SC, while its independent variables were Internet use scales differentiated by purpose (social, recreational, and educational) and problematic use as a mediating variable, as well as attributes of the subjects and their social environment, which were incorporated as control variables. The main results show that only if Internet use is expressed as problematic does it negatively affect subjective well-being. On the contrary, when the use of the Internet is not problematic, the effect is positive and even greater than the simple effect (without mediation) between these two variables. This finding is relevant, since it allows us to provide evidence that suggests that, when studying the effect that the intensity of the Internet, firstly, one must consider the mediating effect exerted by the network’s problematic use and, secondly, that not all types of use have the same impact. Therefore, it is useful to enrich the discussion on subjective well-being and social integration of schoolchildren in the digital age.

Measuring Well-Being Among School-Aged Children: Seeking a Developmentally Appropriate Qualitative Approach

Subjective well-being as a new field of social science research is calling for unique and innovative metrics and research methods. Studying the well-being of children introduces additional hurdles for data collection and research. The current field-favorite survey, the Personal Wellbeing Index–School Children (PWI-SC), asks participants to rate their “happiness” on a rating scale for seven domains of well-being and overall satisfaction with life. Current literature in the field of developmental and family science informs on the cognitive capabilities of children throughout their development and suggests that children in middle childhood may lack the ability to express abstract ideas (happiness) in a concrete format, such as a rating scale. Using comparative analysis of the PWI-SC and personal interviews, data from 33 participants aged 6–10 suggests that the PWI-SC is invalid and unreliable when used alone for participants under the age of 10. Furthermore, some of the language used in the PWI-SC provokes tangential but inaccurate impressions in a majority of participants, acting as a barrier for gathering information about specific domains of well-being. To increase the reliability and accuracy of subjective well-being studies with children in middle childhood, researchers should consider the use of qualitative measures such as personal interviews in conjunction with quantitative such measures as the PWI-SC.

Subjective Well-Being of Children in Care: Comparison Between Portugal and Catalonia

The subjective well-being (SWB) of children in out-of-home care is crucial to assess their potential quality of life today and in the future. This study aims at comparing SWB of children in residential care and in foster families in two European territories or jurisdictions: Portugal and Catalonia (Spain). This study used a sample of 551 children, aged between 11 and 15, being 39 in foster care and 145 in residential care in Portugal, and 41 and 326 respectively in Catalonia. SWB was measured with the Personal Well-being Index-School Children (PWI-SC9) and other variables were evaluated, such as happiness with the placement, relationship with carers, satisfaction with school, and perceptions about themselves and their lives. Results indicate that children in residential care have a lower SWB, as well as lower scores in most of the other variables, compared to children in the foster care groups in the two territories. These results should challenge public policymaking for children to change from an attitude dominantly favourable to institutionalisation to a more successful approach based on family foster care. This can provide the opportunity for children in out-of-home care to grow up with higher SWB and, probably, a better life trajectory.

New Evidences about Subjective Well-Being in Adolescence and Its Links with Neurocognitive Performance.

The main purpose of the present work was to study the neurocognitive endophenotypes of adolescents at risk for low personal wellbeing. The sample included a total of 1588 adolescents from stratified random cluster sampling; derived from this sample, a group of high-risk (n = 84) and a control group (n = 84) were selected. The personal well-being index–school children (PWI–SC), the University of Pennsylvania computerized neuropsychological test battery for children (included 14 tasks assessing five neurobehavioral domains: executive functions, episodic memory, complex cognition, social cognition and sensorimotor speed), and the strengths and difficulties questionnaire (SDQ) were used. Adolescents with low personal wellbeing showed statistically significant impairments across the different neurocognitive domains. In particular, adolescents at risk showed lower accuracy scores on executive function and complex cognition and lower speed scores on episodic memory, complex cognition and social cognition scores. The results of the present study contribute relevant information about the nature of neurocognitive impairments associated with subjective wellbeing and allow implementing preventive treatments.

Beyond Clinical High-Risk State for Psychosis: The Network Structure of Multidimensional Psychosis Liability in Adolescents.

ObjectivesThe main goal of the present study was to analyze the network structure of schizotypy dimensions in a representative sample of adolescents from the general population. Moreover, the network structure between schizotypy, mental health difficulties, subjective well-being, bipolar-like experiences, suicide ideation and behavior, psychotic-like experiences, positive and negative affect, prosocial behavior, and IQ was analyzed.MethodThe study was conducted in a sample of 1,506 students selected by stratified random cluster sampling. The Oviedo Schizotypy Assessment Questionnaire, the Personal Wellbeing Index–School Children, the Paykel Suicide Scale, the Mood Disorder Questionnaire, the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire, the Prodromal Questionnaire–Brief, the Positive and Negative Affect Schedule for Children Shortened Version, and the Matrix Reasoning Test were used.ResultsThe estimated schizotypy network was interconnected. The most central nodes in terms of standardized Expected Influence (EI) were ‘unusual perceptual experiences’ and ‘paranoid ideation’. Predictability ranged from 8.7% (‘physical anhedonia’) to 52.7% (‘unusual perceptual experiences’). The average predictability was 36.27%, implying that substantial variability remained unexplained. For the multidimensional psychosis liability network predictability values ranged from 9% (estimated IQ) to 74.90% (‘psychotic-like experiences’). The average predictability was 43.46%. The results of the stability and accuracy analysis indicated that all networks were accurately estimated.ConclusionsThe present paper points to the value of conceptualizing psychosis liability as a dynamic complex system of interacting cognitive, emotional, behavioral, and affective characteristics. In addition, provide new insights into the nature of the relationships between schizotypy, as index of psychosis liability, and the role played by risk and protective factors.

Health promotion and students’ well-being in secondary schools in Catalonia

Objective: The aim of this study was to analyse the views of different members of the school community regarding the health and well-being of young people and health promotion in schools. Design: Case study design was used, in which the Personal Wellbeing Index–School Children’s Questionnaire was administered to young people, and focus groups were held with other members of the school community (students, teachers, families, tutors and stakeholders). Setting: Five secondary schools in Catalonia (Spain). Method: Sequential triangulation between methods. Quantitative methods evaluated the students’ perception of health and well-being, while qualitative methods described school community perceptions of health promotion in school. Results: The results revealed a generally good perception of health among young people. Reported perceptions of health were lower among students in the later years of secondary education. Findings suggest that health promotion actions do not always translate into healthy behaviours among young people. Lack of resources and school overcrowding are key contextual factors influencing the promotion of health. Conclusion: Findings advance knowledge related to health education during the secondary years of schooling. In addition, they provide professionals with relevant data for developing and implementing health and well-being actions to include as part of a holistic curriculum.

The Subjective Well-Being of Portuguese Children in Foster Care, Residential Care and Children Living with their Families: Challenges and Implications for a Child Care System Still Focused on Institutionalization

Most studies with children in out-of-home care highlight the problems and challenges associated with residential or foster care, and few have investigated the well-being of these children. The aim of this study is to compare the subjective well-being (SWB) of children hosted in institutions and in foster families with the well-being of children living with their families. We used a sample of 422 children, aged between 11 and 15, being 39 in foster care, 145 in residential care, and 238 living with their families in the general population. We measured SWB with the Personal Well-being Index-School Children (PWI-SC9) and we evaluated the impact of several variables in this index. Results indicate that children in residential care have a lower SWB in all variables compared to foster care and general populations groups. These outcomes should challenge children’s public policies to change from a dominant positive attitude toward institutionalisation to a more successful approach based on foster care families. This approach will provide the opportunity for children in out-of-home care to grow up in a family, and improve their SWB, which can probably ensure a better life trajectory.

Factors Influencing the Subjective Well-Being of Adolescents in out-of-Home Care. A Mixed Method Study

Children’s subjectisuppleve well-being (SWB) constitutes an important component in the understanding of their quality of life and refers to the opinions and evaluations made by children themselves about the main aspects of their lives, and their satisfaction with these life aspects. This research focused on children whose SWB has been little investigated. In Spain, 38% of children in out-of-home placements are in residential care, 46% in kinship care and 16% in non-kin foster care. The aim of this study was to analyse SWB among adolescents in care, considering the type of placement in greater depth and how it correlated with several explanatory variables. We adapted the International Survey of Children’s Well-Being questionnaire for adolescents in care aged 12–14 years old, including 3 psychometric scales on SWB: Overall Live Satisfaction, the Students’ Life Satisfaction Scale, and the Personal Well-being Index—School Children. The response rate was 58% (N = 700). Multiple regressions were used, an open question was also included and categorical content analysis was done. Results indicated that adolescents in foster care (kinship and non-kinship) reported better SWB in all life domains than those in residential care. Variables, such as the number of placements, the amount of time spent in the last placement, a previous failed foster placement and satisfaction with caregivers had an impact on adolescents’ SWB. Links between these results and those obtained in the qualitative analysis were particularly notable as regards relationships with the people who lived with them, placement instability, and lower life satisfaction among adolescents in residential care.

A Rasch Analysis of the Personal Well-Being Index in School Children.

The personal well-being index-school children (PWI-SC) is designed as a cross-cultural instrument to measure subjective well-being among high school-aged children. Several published cross-cultural studies have confirmed adequate psychometric performance in terms of reliability, validity, and measurement invariance. This study adds to this literature by applying the Rasch approach to estimate invariant comparison in a cross-cultural context, applied to both Australian and Portuguese high school students. Participants were an age- and gender-matched convenience sample of 1,040 adolescents (520 cases in each group, 51.54% male) who ranged in age from 12 to 18 years (M = 14.25 years, SD = 1.71 years). It is found that both Portuguese and Australian data fit the Rasch measurement model, with excellent levels of reliability at a country level. However, when all of the data were combined, a slight misfit was found. This was resolved by removing some issues with item thresholds in standard of living among the Australian data and splitting the data by country on health. This allowed both Australian and Portuguese cases to differ on the health item. We conclude that the PWI-SC is unidimensional, with some evidence of mild, but acceptable local dependency. This study further supports the cross-cultural validity of the PWI-SC and the use of this measure in the Australian and Portuguese context but also indicates a potential direction that development of the PWI-SC might proceed.

Dificultades emocionales y comportamentales en la adolescencia: relación con bienestar emocional, afecto y rendimiento académico

El propósito de este estudio fue examinar las dificultades en el ajuste emocional comportamental y su relación con el bienestar emocional, el afecto positivo y negativo y el rendimiento académico en una muestra representativa de adolescentes no clínicos. La muestra la conformaron un total 1.664 de participantes (M = 16.12 años; DT = 1.36, rango 14-19 años), seleccionados mediante muestreo estratificado por conglomerados. Los instrumentos empleados fueron el Strengths and Difficulties Questionnarie (SDQ), el Positive and Negative Affect Schedule for Children (PANAS-C), el Personal Wellbeing Index–School Children (PWI-SC), un cuestionario ad hoc de rendimiento académico y la Escala Oviedo de Infrecuencia de Respuesta. Los resultados mostraron que el 7,7% de los adolescentes manifestaron posible riesgo de mala salud mental. Las dificultades emocionales y comportamentales correlacionaron de forma negativa con el bienestar emocional subjetivo y Afecto Positivo y de forma positiva Afecto Negativo. Además, los alumnos con un peor rendimiento académico informaron de mayores dificultades en ajuste emocional y comportamental. Estos resultados son convergentes con los encontrados en trabajos previos y tienen claras implicaciones, tanto a nivel sanitario como educativo, de cara a mejorar la promoción del bienestar emocional y prevención de los problemas psicológicos en este sector de la población.

Sense of Community and Life Satisfaction in Chilean Adolescents

This study aims to contribute to the understanding of life satisfaction in Chilean adolescents, integrating dimensions regarding the relationship between the individual and their community environment. Specifically, this study examines the contribution that variables such as sense of community have on life satisfaction, examining the association between sense of community and overall life satisfaction. During the 2014/2015 school year, 438 adolescents between 1st and 4th year of their high school from 7 municipalities in 3 regions of Chile participated in the study. The instruments used were the Sense of Community Scale, and the Personal Well-being Index – School Children (PWI-SC). The analysis included descriptive and multivariate analyses. The main results indicate that the sense of community is significantly associated with life satisfaction, even when controlling for demographic variables. In addition, the two sense of community subscales were also associated with life satisfaction. These preliminary findings support the hypothesis that the perception of community variables influences the assessment that adolescents have on their lives. The discussion includes the implications for future research and community psychology in developing countries.

Suicidal ideation in a community-derived sample of Spanish adolescents

IntroductionSuicide is a current public health problem and among the main causes of mortality in adolescents and young adults. The main goal of this study was to analyse suicidal ideation in a representative sample of Spanish adolescents. Specifically, the prevalence rates of suicide ideation, the psychometric properties of the Paykel Suicide Scale (PSS) scores, and the socio-emotional adjustment of adolescents at risk for suicide were analysed. Material and methodsThe sample consisted of 1664 participants (M=16.12 years, SD=1.36, range 14–19 years), selected by stratified sampling by clusters. The instruments used were the PSS, the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire, the Personal Wellbeing Index-School Children, and the Oviedo Infrequency Scale. ResultsThe results showed that 4.1% of the sample indicated that they had tried to commit suicide in the previous year. Statistically significant differences were found according to gender but not according to age in the PSS mean scores. The analysis of the internal structure of the PSS showed that the one-dimensional model presented excellent goodness of fit indexes. This model showed measurement invariance across gender. The reliability of the scores, estimated with ordinal alpha, was 0.93. Participants who reported suicide ideation showed poorer mental health status and lower life satisfaction compared to the non-suicide ideation group. ConclusionsSuicidal ideation is present during adolescence and is associated with poor subjective well-being and increased emotional and behavioural problems. PSS seems to show adequate psychometric behaviour to assess suicidal ideation in adolescents. These findings have clear implications, both in health and education systems, to improve the promotion of emotional well-being and prevention of psychological and psychiatric problems in this sector of the population.

Cognitive empathy moderates the relationship between affective empathy and wellbeing in adolescents with autism spectrum disorder

Background: Individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) reportedly have reduced cognitive empathy (CE), yet intact levels of affective empathy (AE) when compared to typically developing individuals. To date, no research has examined the implications of this empathic imbalance on personal wellbeing (PWB). Method: Twenty four high-functioning adolescents with ASD (Mage = 13.21, SD = 2.83, 14 males) and 24 non-clinical control adolescents (Mage = 13.10, SD = 2.73, 15 males) took part in the present study. CE and AE were measured using the interpersonal reactivity index, while PWB was assessed via the personal wellbeing index-school children. Results: Participants in the ASD group scored significantly lower than the control group on measures of CE and AE. Moderated regression analyses revealed that for the ASD group only, CE appeared to moderate the relationship between AE and PWB. Specifically, when CE was low, the relationship between AE and PWB was significant and negative. However, when CE was high, the relationship between AE and PWB was significant and positive. Conclusions: CE appears central to the PWB of those with ASD. Only when CE is high were participants able to experience the positive relationship between AE and PWB. Interventions that target the cognitive dimensions of empathy may improve PWB.

Suicidal ideation in a community-derived sample of Spanish adolescents.

Suicide is a current public health problem and among the main causes of mortality in adolescents and young adults. The main goal of this study was to analyse suicidal ideation in a representative sample of Spanish adolescents. Specifically, the prevalence rates of suicide ideation, the psychometric properties of the Paykel Suicide Scale (PSS) scores, and the socio-emotional adjustment of adolescents at risk for suicide were analysed. The sample consisted of 1,664 participants (M=16.12 years, SD=1.36, range 14-19 years), selected by stratified sampling by clusters. The instruments used were the PSS, the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire, the Personal Wellbeing Index-School Children, and the Oviedo Infrequency Scale. The results showed that 4.1% of the sample indicated that they had tried to commit suicide in the previous year. Statistically significant differences were found according to gender but not according to age in the PSS mean scores. The analysis of the internal structure of the PSS showed that the one-dimensional model presented excellent goodness of fit indexes. This model showed measurement invariance across gender. The reliability of the scores, estimated with ordinal alpha, was 0.93. Participants who reported suicide ideation showed poorer mental health status and lower life satisfaction compared to the non-suicide ideation group. Suicidal ideation is present during adolescence and is associated with poor subjective well-being and increased emotional and behavioural problems. PSS seems to show adequate psychometric behaviour to assess suicidal ideation in adolescents. These findings have clear implications, both in health and education systems, to improve the promotion of emotional well-being and prevention of psychological and psychiatric problems in this sector of the population.

Understanding the typologies of child subjective well-being: A cross-country comparison

Comparative international studies on children's happiness and life satisfaction using child-centric measures are gathering much interest. The aim of this exploratory study is to expand the literature in this area by examining the typologies of children's well-being across various domains of their lives. The present study utilizes data from ten countries that participated in the first wave of the International Survey of Child Well-Being (ISCWeB). Latent Profile Analysis was utilized to identify the latent classes extracted from the Personal Well-being Index—School Children (PWI-SC). We then examined how children's overall life satisfaction and happiness differ across classes using ANOVA. We found the 6-class model to be the best fitting model. Children were identified to be in classes entitled, “high satisfaction overall,” “high overall satisfaction but low satisfaction for outside activity” “medium satisfaction overall,” “low satisfaction with health and safety,” “high satisfaction with health and low satisfaction with safety and ability,” and “low overall satisfaction.” Findings from ANOVA analysis suggest that classes significantly differ in terms of their overall life satisfaction and happiness. The implications of the study findings are discussed.

Socio-Economic Status and Well-being among Early Adolescents

McAllister (2005) defined Well-being as “The absence of illness or pathology with subjective and objective dimensions” and states that Well-being can be measured at individual or societal level, accounting for the elements of life satisfaction that cannot be influenced by economic growth. Socio-Economic Status (SES) is defined as the hierarchy of social positions which describes a person’s social standing or class (Graetz, 1995) and gender refers to the array of socially constructed roles and relationships, personality traits, attitudes and behaviours that the society ascribes (Moser, 2003). The impact of Socio-Economic Status on Well-being studies the perception of the individual towards his/her Well-being in terms of their stand in the socio-economic strata of the society. There are no significant studies in this area of research correlating Socio-Economic Status, gender and Well-being of early adolescents and hence the study would be of importance. This research focuses on the measurement of the impact of Socio-Economic Status and gender on the Well-being of early adolescents, aged between 14-16 years. A purposive sample consisting of 200 adolescents (n=200), 100 boys and 100 girls from government and private schools in South India would be selected for the study. The Socio-Economic Status Scale (SESS) and the Personal Well-being Index- School Children (PWI-SC) will be used to measure Socio-Economic Status and Well-being respectively. The obtained data would be analysed using mean, t-test, and one-way ANOVA. The Socio-Economic Status is expected to affect the Well-being of children in terms of their personal as well as environmental conditions. The perception of Well-being is expected to be higher among girls than boys. The study will provide an insight of how the Socio-Economic Status of the family and gender will affect the perceived Well-being of the early adolescent. The study will serve as adequate data in understanding factors affecting Well-being and in devising ways of improving the basic needs of adolescents. It can help in the formulation of policies towards adolescents, in designing their educational curriculum, etc. It can also help in the designing of intervention for ‘at-risk’ adolescents.

The Validity of Subjective Wellbeing Measurement for Children: Evidence Using the Personal Wellbeing Index—School Children

Research is scarce concerning the validity of subjective wellbeing measures for children aged 12 years and less. There are even fewer subjective wellbeing data for children with complex backgrounds and personal circumstances and those experiencing socio-demographic disadvantage. This study compares the psychometric properties of the child and adult versions of the Personal Wellbeing Index. Participants were 1761 ‘at-risk’ children aged 10–12 years, and 2000 geographically representative Australian adults. While there was sufficient fit with a one-factor structure, the reliability estimates were lower in the child sample and the incidence of response bias was significantly higher. Collectively, these findings suggest caution in the use of subjective wellbeing measures with children.