Abstract
Extant literature suggests that family stressors co-occur with elevated adolescent psychopathology. Few studies have examined the relationship between family stressors and life satisfaction, a positive indicator of mental health. The current study explored the relationships between specific family stressors (i.e., low socioeconomic status, disrupted family structure, cumulative major life events, and perceived interparental conflict) and adolescents’ life satisfaction in a sample of 181 middle school students. Participants completed psychometrically sound self-report measures of the aforementioned constructs. Results from a simultaneous regression analysis indicated that the four forms of family stress accounted for 37 % of the variance in life satisfaction; experiencing major life events (β = −0.31, p < .05) and perceiving interparental conflict (β = −0.41, p < .05) emerged as unique predictors of life satisfaction. Implications and directions for future research are discussed.
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Chappel, A.M., Suldo, S.M. & Ogg, J.A. Associations Between Adolescents’ Family Stressors and Life Satisfaction. J Child Fam Stud 23, 76–84 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10826-012-9687-9
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10826-012-9687-9