Trajectories of students’ well-being in secondary education in Germany and differences by social background

2019 ◽  
Vol 29 (5) ◽  
pp. 960-965 ◽  
Author(s):  
Max Herke ◽  
Katharina Rathmann ◽  
Matthias Richter
Keyword(s):  
Secondary Education ◽  
Family Structure ◽  
Low Income ◽  
Parental Education ◽  
Well Being ◽  
School Type ◽  
Subjective Well Being ◽  
Important Indicator ◽  
12Th Grade ◽  
Over Time

Abstract Background Subjective well-being (SWB) is an important indicator of quality of life, but prior research mostly analyzed adolescents’ subjective well-being in cross-sectional studies. There is a lack of studies examining changes in subjective well-being throughout adolescence using longitudinal panel data. This study examined trajectories of subjective well-being of adolescents in Germany throughout secondary education and differences by socioeconomic position, gender and family structure. Methods We use the German National Educational Panel Study and combine data from annual survey waves of two of its cohorts. These were first surveyed in 2010 and cover 5th to 10th and 9th to 12th grade level. Using growth curve modelling based on multilevel models, differences in levels and trajectories of subjective well-being overall and differentiated by school type, parental education, household income, gender and family structure were identified. The analyses include 34 504 observations of 12 564 students. Results Subjective well-being decreased from 5th to 12th grade. Students attending lower track schools showed lower subjective well-being, but also a lesser decrease over time. Students living in low-income households or in single-parent or step-families showed lower subjective well-being. Female students showed higher subjective well-being than males in 5th grade, but also a higher decrease over time, leading to lower subjective well-being than males by 12th grade. Conclusion This study provides a comprehensive picture of subjective well-being throughout secondary education. Adolescents’ subjective well-being is linked to social factors regarding family and living conditions as well as school features. Overall, disadvantaged adolescents experience longer periods of lower subjective well-being, thus accumulating the effects of worse psychosocial health opportunities over time.

scholarly journals Time trends of socioeconomic inequalities in adolescent smoking in Okinawa, Japan, 2008–2016: a repeated cross-sectional study

2021 ◽  
Vol 26 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Minoru Takakura ◽  
Masaya Miyagi ◽  
Akira Kyan
Keyword(s):  
Time Trends ◽  
Parental Education ◽  
Cross Sectional Study ◽  
Socioeconomic Inequalities ◽  
School Type ◽  
Sectional Study ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Japanese Adolescents ◽  
Index Of Inequality ◽  
Over Time

Abstract Background Smoking among Japanese adolescents has decreased noticeably. However, little is known whether the decreasing trend in adolescent smoking can be seen across all socioeconomic status (SES) groups. This study aimed to examine trends in socioeconomic inequalities in smoking among Japanese adolescents between 2008 and 2016. Methods We conducted a repeated cross-sectional study using data from three surveys of high school students in Okinawa, Japan, in 2008, 2012, and 2016. The study participants consisted of 7902 students in grades 10 through 12 (15–18 years). Smoking was assessed as current cigarette use. SES indicators included familial SES (parental education and family structure) and student’s own SES (school type). To evaluate absolute and relative inequalities, prevalence differences (PDs) and ratios (PRs) between low and high SES groups were estimated. The slope index of inequality (SII) and relative index of inequality (RII) were also calculated. Results Smoking prevalence among boys and girls significantly declined from 11.5% and 6.2% in 2008 to 4.7% and 1.9% in 2016, respectively. Similar decreasing trends in smoking were found among most of the SES groups. The PDs and SII for parental education in boys and family structure in girls decreased over time while those for school type persisted among boys and girls. The PRs and RII for school type in boys increased while those for other SES indicators among both sexes remained stable over time. Conclusions Smoking among Japanese adolescents has been declining and time trends of socioeconomic inequalities in smoking varied by absolute and relative measures. Further policies and/or interventions to reduce smoking inequalities should focus on the context of schools, especially in vocational high schools.

scholarly journals Subjective Well-Being as a Potential Policy Indicator in the Context of Urbanization and Forest Restoration

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (6) ◽  
pp. 3211
Author(s):  
Takuya Takahashi ◽  
Yukiko Uchida ◽  
Hiroyuki Ishibashi ◽  
Noboru Okuda
Keyword(s):  
Forest Restoration ◽  
Forest Policy ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Indirect Measurement ◽  
Subjective Well Being ◽  
Important Indicator ◽  
Forest Ownership ◽  
Forest Ecosystem Services ◽  
Forest Managers

The enhancement of human well-being is one of the ultimate goals of resource management; however, it is not explicitly considered by forest policy indicators. Our previous studies examined how Japanese citizens in the Yasu River watershed of the Shiga Prefecture perceived subjective well-being related to forests (forest SWB). We found a negative correlation between forest SWB and forest ownership, suggesting dissatisfaction with the low profitability of forest ownership. Based on this result, in this paper, we argue that forest SWB can be an important indicator for policymaking in the context of urbanization and forest restoration and can complement existing forest indicators focusing mainly on physical and objective properties. First, we propose that a direct measurement of well-being (e.g., forest SWB) is preferable over an indirect measurement (e.g., GDP), for policymaking processes related to forests. Second, forest SWB can reflect the quality of our interactions with forests, which is important in urbanized societies which tend to have reduced experiences with nature. Third, forest SWB could identify inequalities between the users of forest ecosystem services and forest managers. Overall, forest SWB can be a holistic indicator to capture a variety of perspectives held by citizens.

Partners’ Educational Pairings and Subjective Well-Being in China: An Analysis Using the Diagonal Mobility Model

2021 ◽  
pp. 0192513X2110380
Author(s):  
Xiaohang Zhao ◽  
Skylar Biyang Sun
Keyword(s):  
Low Income ◽  
Sex Role ◽  
General Social Survey ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Mobility Model ◽  
Subjective Well Being ◽  
Psychological Benefits ◽  
Educational Homogamy ◽  
The Difference ◽  
Chinese General Social Survey

Using pooled data from the Chinese General Social Survey in 2010, 2012, 2013, and 2015, this study investigated the relationship between partners’ educational pairings and subjective well-being among Chinese. Diagonal mobility models were employed to avoid conflating the effect of each partner’s education and the effect of the difference in education between partners. The findings reveal that regarding the well-being consequences of partners’ educational pairings, the hypothesis of satisfaction with marrying up outweighs the hypothesis of educational homogamy advantages and the hypothesis of sex roles. Specifically, for both women and men, persons marrying up in education are more likely to feel happy than their educationally homogamous counterparts. Moreover, educational hypergamy confers more psychological benefits to women in high-income communities than those in low-income communities. In addition, the earnings difference between partners plays a part in men’s SWB. Husbands who earn less than their wives are more likely to be unhappy than those whose earnings are 1–1.5 times those of their wives, suggesting that sex-role norms are at work. Our study contributes to a deeper understanding of the well-being consequences of educational heterogamy.

Irrational happiness beliefs and subjective well-being of undergraduate students: A longitudinal study

2021 ◽  
Vol 5 (1) ◽  
pp. 65-72
Author(s):  
Murat Yıldırım
Keyword(s):  
Negative Affect ◽  
Positive Affect ◽  
Undergraduate Students ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Subjective Well Being ◽  
Future Studies ◽  
Affective Components ◽  
The Impact ◽  
First Time ◽  
Over Time

Identifying factors that influence well-being are fruitful for improving the knowledge held about the correlates and predictors of well-being in both practice and theory. This research for the first time aimed to investigate whether irrational happiness beliefs, a newly presented construct, contribute to the affective components of subjective well-being over time. The sample included 103 undergraduate students (88 females and 15 males) whose ages varied from 18 to 29 years (M = 19.39 ±1.62). Participants completed measures of irrational happiness beliefs, positive affect, and negative affect both at Time 1 and Time 2 over three months apart. The findings showed that irrational happiness beliefs were significantly negatively related to positive affect only at Time 1. However, the research failed to provide evidence regarding the value of irrational happiness beliefs in predicting positive and negative affect over time. The results suggest that the impact of irrational happiness beliefs upon well-being may occur momentarily not over time. Implications and limitations of the findings are discussed and directions for future studies are provided.

4. Living: here and there

2018 ◽  
pp. 50-69
Author(s):  
Philip N. Jefferson
Keyword(s):  
Health Education ◽  
Family Structure ◽  
Labour Market ◽  
Developing World ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Developed Countries ◽  
Five Dimensions ◽  
The World ◽  
Qualitative Characteristics ◽  
Over Time

What it means to live in poverty depends on where in the world you are. Developed countries have their own brand of poverty that differs qualitatively from that in the developing world. ‘Living: here and there’ compares and contrasts five dimensions of life that underpin our notion of well-being: family structure, health, education, assets (financial and non-financial), and the environment. The focus is on qualitative characteristics that seem to persist over time, although some data are included in order to provide broader context. The consequences of family structure, health, education, assets, and the environment often manifest themselves in the labour market.

scholarly journals The influence of daily spiritual experiences and gender on subjective well-being over time in cancer survivors

2019 ◽  
Vol 41 (2) ◽  
pp. 159-171
Author(s):  
Myriam Rudaz ◽  
Thomas Ledermann ◽  
Joseph G. Grzywacz
Keyword(s):  
Life Satisfaction ◽  
Cancer Survivors ◽  
Well Being ◽  
The United States ◽  
Moderating Effect ◽  
Subjective Well Being ◽  
Spiritual Experiences ◽  
Daily Spiritual Experiences ◽  
Over Time

Cancer survivors are at risk for poor subjective well-being, but the potential beneficial effect of daily spiritual experiences is unknown. Using data from the second and third wave of the Midlife in the United States (MIDUS) study, we examined the extent to which daily spiritual experiences at baseline moderate the association between subjective well-being at baseline and approximately 10 years later in cancer survivors ( n = 288). Regression analyses, controlled for age, educational attainment, and religious/spiritual coping, showed that daily spiritual experiences moderated the association between life satisfaction at baseline and follow-up. Specifically, high spiritual experiences enhanced life satisfaction over time in cancer survivors with low life satisfaction at baseline. Also, daily spiritual experiences moderated the association between positive affect at baseline and follow-up, though this moderating effect was different for women and men. No moderating effect emerged for negative affect.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document