Factors associated with schoolchildren's general subjective well-being

Based on a conceptual model of well-being in school, this study was aimed at exploring factors associated with schoolchildren's general subjective well-being. Classroom data for the School Health Promotion Survey were gathered in 1998 (n = 39 886) and in 1999 (n = 47 455) among eighth and ninth graders (aged 14.3-16.2 years) from 458 secondary schools in different parts of Finland. The dependent variable was the General Subjective Well-being Indicator (GSWI), based on the Raitasalo-modified 13-item Beck Depression Inventory. The independent variables (total 56) included background (grade, socioeconomic status, social cohesion, recreation and health behaviors) and school context (school conditions, social relationships, means for self-fulfillment and health status). The analysis utilized multivariate linear regression modeling. The final model accounted for 22% of boys' and 25% of girls' GSW variation. 'Means for self-fulfillment' (R2 = 0.11 boys, R2 = 0.15 girls), and social relationships in school (R2 = 0.09 boys, R2 = 0.10 girls) and outside school (R2 = 0.09 boys, R2 = 0.11 girls) were the categories showing the strongest correlations with GSW. Grade and socioeconomic status showed only a weak correlation with GSW (R2 = 0.01) among both genders. The study indicated that the school context has a major influence on pupils' general subjective well-being.