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Youth Developmental Assets and Perceived Life Satisfaction: Is There a Relationship?

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Abstract

This study explored associations between youth developmental assets (i.e., support by parents/other adults; accountability to adults; empowerment; school support; values regarding risk behaviors; quantity of other adult support; empathetic relationships) and adolescents’ perceptions of overall life satisfaction. Public high school students (N = 3,477) completed a self-report questionnaire. Analyses were conducted to examine relationships between developmental assets and perceived life satisfaction while controlling for socioeconomic status. Results indicated that significant (p ≤ .05) associations were established for perceived support by parents/other adults for all four race/gender groups, self and peer values regarding risk behavior for black females, quality of other adult support for black males and white females and life satisfaction for adolescents. Significant (p ≤ .05) associations were also established for perceived support by parents/other adults for White males and Black males, accountability to parents/other adults for White females, quality of other adult support for White males and Black females and for empathetic relationships for all four race/gender groups. Results suggest that perceived life satisfaction is related to youth developmental assets, although moderated by gender and race differences. Further research is necessary to identify the particular characteristics of youth and specific aspects of adolescent life satisfaction associated with youth developmental assets in order to develop gender appropriate and culturally sensitive health promotion programs.

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Acknowledgment

This study was supported through funds provided by the General Assembly “County Grants Fund Program for Adolescent Pregnancy Prevention Initiatives,” administered by the South Carolina Department of Social Services. The following AAHB Survey items, 48, 49, 50, 51, 52, 53, 54, 55, 56, 57, 59, 60, 61, 62, 63, 67, 69, 70, 71, 73, 85, 86, 88, 89, 90, 91, 92, 93, from the Search Institute Profiles of Student Life: Attitudes and Behaviors, copyright 1996, Search Institute, Minneapolis, MN, were used with permission.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Health Promotion, Education & Behavior, Arnold School of Public Health, University of South Carolina, 800 Sumter Street, Room 216, Columbia, SC, 29208, USA

    Robert F. Valois

  2. Family & Preventive Medicine, School of Medicine, University of South Carolina, Columbia, SC, 29208, USA

    Robert F. Valois

  3. Department of Community Medicine, School of Medicine West Virginia University, Morgantown, WV, 26506-9100, USA

    Keith J. Zullig

  4. School Psychology, Department of Psychology, University of South Carolina, Columbia, SC, 29208, USA

    E. Scott Huebner

  5. Biostatistics, Department of Epidemiology & Biostatistics, Arnold School of Public Health, University of South Carolina, Columbia, SC, 29208, USA

    J. Wanzer Drane

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  1. Robert F. Valois
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  2. Keith J. Zullig
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  4. J. Wanzer Drane
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Correspondence to Robert F. Valois.

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Valois, R.F., Zullig, K.J., Huebner, E.S. et al. Youth Developmental Assets and Perceived Life Satisfaction: Is There a Relationship?. Applied Research Quality Life 4, 315–331 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11482-009-9083-9

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