Determinants of life satisfaction among race groups in South Africa

Recently, with the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, several lockdown and stay-at-home regulations have been implemented worldwide. In this regard, loneliness has been identified as the signature mental health consequence of this pandemic. The aim of this study is to explore the associations among loneliness, hopelessness, depression, ego-resilience and life satisfaction in a random sample of young adults (N = 337) at a university in the Western Cape of South Africa. Parallel and serial mediation analysis supported the hypothesis that loneliness is associated with hopelessness, which in turn is associated with depression, and that ego-resilience mediates the association between all the negative indices of psychological well-being and life satisfaction. These findings suggest that mental health interventions that boost ego-resilience and target loneliness may help in dealing with the mental health consequences of COVID-19.

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Life satisfaction and internal migration intention in South Africa

African Population Studies ◽

10.11564/31-1-1032 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 31 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Chukwuedozie K Ajaero ◽

Nicole De Wet

Keyword(s):

South Africa ◽

Life Satisfaction ◽

Internal Migration ◽

Migration Intention

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The Determinants of Life Satisfaction in a Low-Income, Poor Community in South Africa

Mediterranean Journal of Social Sciences ◽

10.5901/mjss.2014.v5n13p163 ◽

2014 ◽

Cited By ~ 4

Author(s):

D.F. Meyer ◽

S.H. Dunga

Keyword(s):

South Africa ◽

Life Satisfaction ◽

Low Income

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A looming mental health pandemic in the time of COVID-19? Role of fortitude in the interrelationship between loneliness, anxiety, and life satisfaction among young adults

South African Journal of Psychology ◽

10.1177/0081246321991030 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 008124632199103

Author(s):

Tyrone Pretorius ◽

Anita Padmanabhanunni

Keyword(s):

Mental Health ◽

South Africa ◽

Life Satisfaction ◽

Young Adults ◽

Satisfaction With Life ◽

Self Report ◽

Satisfaction With Life Scale ◽

Mental Health Crisis ◽

Health Crisis

This study investigates loneliness, anxiety, and life satisfaction among a sample of young adults in South Africa during the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as the role of fortitude in the interrelationship between these variables. Fortitude refers to the psychological strength to manage stress and stay well, and it is derived from positive appraisals of self, family, and support from others. Participants included 337 young adults who completed four self-report questionnaires: the UCLA Loneliness Scale, the State-Trait Anxiety Scale, the Satisfaction with Life scale, and the Fortitude Questionnaire. Stepwise regression analysis was performed to determine the direct, indirect, mediating, and moderating role of fortitude on psychological outcomes. The results demonstrated unprecedented levels of anxiety, loneliness, and reduced life satisfaction among the sample. These levels were significantly higher than those encountered in previous studies in other contexts, as well as in studies of similar populations conducted during the COVID-19 pandemic. Women reported higher levels of psychological distress than men. The results confirmed the mediating role of fortitude; however, they also suggested that the predictors (loneliness and anxiety) are the mediated pathways and fortitude is causally antecedent to loneliness and anxiety. These findings suggest a looming mental health crisis among young adults in South Africa and identify potential targets for intervention efforts. A strengths-based approach that focuses on enhancing individuals’ appraisals of coping and support may serve to build fortitude and potentially mitigate adverse mental health outcomes.

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The effect of cigarette smoking on subjective well-being in South Africa and its implications for tobacco control

Journal of Economic and Financial Sciences ◽

10.4102/jef.v13i1.451 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 13 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Gorton Wilmans ◽

Naiefa Rashied

Keyword(s):

South Africa ◽

Life Satisfaction ◽

Cigarette Smoking ◽

Tobacco Control ◽

Well Being ◽

Psychological Effects ◽

Subjective Well Being ◽

Control Policies ◽

Tobacco Control Policies ◽

The Relationship

Orientation: The effect of cigarette smoking on health and economic well-being has been widely studied. Its effect on subjective well-being measures, such as life satisfaction, has received less scholarly attention.Research purpose: This study tested the effect of cigarette smoking on life satisfaction amongst smokers in South Africa as a precursor to assessing the effectiveness of traditional tobacco control methods.Motivation for the study: Taxation has long been the primary tool for tobacco control in South Africa; however, the psychological effects of cigarette smoking are not considered when selecting tobacco control tools.Research approach/design and method: The study applied an ordered probit regression to a panel of five waves of the National Income Dynamics Study (NIDS) data to test the relationship between cigarette smoking and life satisfaction in South Africa.Main findings: Smoking was found to negatively affect an individual’s likelihood of reporting higher satisfaction with life relative to non-smokers, a finding that is in line with the limited literature on the subject and with the findings of similar studies that used objective measures of well-being. Furthermore, the current tobacco control framework is not as effective as expected as smoking prevalence is fairly constant, notably amongst the poor, despite large increases in excise duties on cigarettes over time.Practical/managerial implications: The study’s main finding promotes the case for reassessing the approach taken to formulating tobacco control policies and for implementing alternative tobacco control policies that consider the psychological effects of cigarette smoking. As smoking cessation is shown to increase the likelihood of reporting higher life satisfaction, measures aimed at cessation (such as broad-scale smoking bans) could prove more successful than taxation.Contribution/value-add: This study contributes to the limited literature regarding the relationship between subjective well-being and cigarette smoking in the developing world. The study provides insight to whether standard tobacco control policies should be applied generically without accounting for the relationship between cigarette smoking and subjective well-being.

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