ADOLESCENTS PERCEIVED QUALITY-OF-LIFE - AN EXPLORATORY INVESTIGATION

This study investigated the psychometric properties and correlates of a life satisfaction measure with an adolescent sample. A total of 222 students from Grades 8, 10, and 12 of a school district in the southeastern United States completed the Students' Life Satisfaction Scale (SLSS), demographic questions, and selected personality measures The reliability of the SLSS was found to be acceptable for research purposes The factor structure of the SLSS and relations with other measures of well-being were consistent with predictions. Adolescents' life satisfaction reports also converged significantly with external parent ratings. Individual differences in global life satisfaction were not associated with age, grade, or gender but were associated moderately with socioeconomic status. Measures of family-related self-concept were greater predictors of life satisfaction than peer and academic self-concept measures across three levels of adolescence (early, middle, and late). Implications of the findings for further research and the promotion of well-being among adolescents are discussed.