Factors influencing life satisfaction of Norwegian adolescents: A cross-sectional study from Ungdata.

Abstract

Background: Life satisfaction, an integral part of subjective well-being, is based on our cognitive assessment of our life's aim and achievement (1, 2). Previous studies have assessed life satisfaction primarily among adults, but there is a paucity of studies among adolescents (3-5). Also, research among adults involves factors such as job satisfaction, workplace ties, married life, and having children (6), which are irrelevant to adolescents. This study, therefore, investigated the factors influencing the life satisfaction of Norwegian adolescents and the gender-specific predictors of life satisfaction to provide a snapshot of adolescents' well-being in Norway.

Methods: The national youth survey, Ungdata, was used in this cross-sectional study. 139 841 Norwegian adolescents from lower and upper secondary schools participated in this survey in 2021. In this study, a total of 136 498 adolescents who scored on the life satisfaction scale were included. The Cantril Scale of 0-10 was used to assess life satisfaction. Based on the same scale, the mean life satisfaction was calculated. STATA/MP 17.0 was used to perform the analysis, and SPSS version 28.0 was used for generating bar diagrams and line graphs. Multiple linear regression was used to assess the effect of all the factors on life satisfaction. Furthermore, a gender-stratified multiple linear regression analysis was carried out to identify the gender-specific life satisfaction predictors among boys and girls.

Results: Most Norwegian adolescents were found to have an average level of life satisfaction with a mean Cantril Scale score of 7.08 on a scale of 0-10. A statistically significant association was found between life satisfaction and the independent variables, including educational level, family wealth, satisfaction with parents, friends, school, and living environment, engagement in physical activity, engagement in organized training, and bullying at a 5% significance level while the association with engagement in unorganized training was not statistically significant. The interaction between gender and life satisfaction was statistically significant. Norwegian boys had higher life satisfaction than adolescent girls. Loving parents and school dissatisfaction were the key influencers of life satisfaction among Norwegian adolescents.

Conclusion: The factors such as gender, educational level, family wealth, satisfaction with parents, friends, school and living environment, engagement in physical activity and organized training, and bullying thus influenced the life satisfaction of Norwegian adolescents.

Keywords: Life satisfaction, Cantril Scale, adolescents, Ungdata