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Gender Differences in Psychological Well-Being in Emerging Adulthood

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Abstract

Gender is recognized as an important social determinant of health, but past research on gender differences in psychological well-being have not produced conclusive results. This study investigated gender differences in eudaimonic well-being and life satisfaction in emerging adulthood. A cross-sectional study with a sample of 1990 emerging adults (50% males) from the Spanish general population was conducted. Participants were assessed through five questionnaires. Results showed that women scored higher than men in purpose in life and personal growth. Hierarchical multiple regression analysis revealed that the most important predictors of emerging adult men’s and women’s eudaimonic well-being and life satisfaction were higher self-confidence and lower negative self-evaluation. Other significant variables in the eudaimonic well-being of both women and men were higher score in the masculine/instrumental trait, higher emotional social support, higher educational level, and higher score in the feminine/expressive trait. Furthermore, higher instrumental social support was associated with eudaimonic well-being in females. Other predictors of women’s and men’s life satisfaction were higher score in the feminine/expressive trait, less age, higher educational level and higher instrumental social support. In addition, higher emotional social support was associated with life satisfaction in males. The results suggest that gender is important in the psychological well-being of people in emerging adulthood, although self-esteem and instrumental social support are, in both emerging adult women and men, the most important predictors of psychological well-being.

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The authors have had full control of all the primary data and are willing to allow the journal to review their data if requested.

Funding

This work was supported by the Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness of Spain [grant reference PSI2015-65963R, MINECO/FEDER, UE].

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Clinical Psychology, Psychobiology and Methodology, Universidad de La Laguna, La Laguna, Spain

    M. Pilar Matud, Juan Manuel Bethencourt, Ignacio Ibáñez & Demelza Fortes

  2. Department of Personality, Assessment and Psychological Treatments, Universidad de Valencia, Valencia, Spain

    Amelia Díaz

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  1. M. Pilar Matud
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  2. Juan Manuel Bethencourt
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Contributions

M. Pilar Matud conceived the study, conducted statistical analyses and interpretation of the data, and drafted the manuscript; Juan Manuel Bethencourt participated in conceiving the study, helped to draft the manuscript and critically revised the manuscript; Ignacio Ibañez participated in data collection, in statistical analyses and interpretation of the data; Demelza Fortes participated in data collection and helped to draft the manuscript; Amelia Díaz participated in data collection, in interpretation of the data and critically revised the manuscript. All authors read and approved the final manuscript.

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Correspondence to M. Pilar Matud.

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The study was approved by the Ethics Committee on Animal Research and Well-Being of the University of La Laguna (study approval number 2015–0170).

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Matud, M.P., Bethencourt, J.M., Ibáñez, I. et al. Gender Differences in Psychological Well-Being in Emerging Adulthood. Applied Research Quality Life 17, 1001–1017 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11482-021-09943-5

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