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Measuring Happiness in Adolescent Samples: A Systematic Review.
Justė Lukoševičiūtė1,2, Gita Argustaitė-Zailskienė1, Kastytis Šmigelskas1,2
1Department of Health Psychology, Faculty of Public Health, Medical Academy, Lithuanian University of Health Sciences, Tilžės g. 18, LT-47181 Kaunas, Lithuania.
Children (Basel, Switzerland)
|February 25, 2022
Summary
This review highlights the limited validation of adolescent happiness measures, with many studies using single-item tools. Recommendations are provided for selecting appropriate happiness assessment instruments for youth.
Area of Science:
- Psychology
- Well-being Research
Background:
- Subjective well-being and happiness are linked to improved health and longevity.
- Adolescent happiness assessment is under-researched compared to adult populations.
- A review of tools for evaluating adolescent happiness is needed.
Purpose of the Study:
- To systematically review measurement tools for adolescent happiness.
- To identify commonly used scales and their validation status.
- To provide recommendations for future research and tool selection.
Main Methods:
- A systematic literature search was conducted in PubMed and PsycArticles databases.
- The search covered publications from 2010 to 2019.
- 133 papers met the inclusion criteria for the review.
Main Results:
- Nearly half of the studies (64/133) used single-item measures for subjective happiness.
- The Subjective Happiness Scale and Oxford Happiness Questionnaire were frequently used.
- Only 18 studies reported validation procedures for happiness measures, with limited focus on happiness itself.
Conclusions:
- There is a notable lack of comprehensive validation for adolescent happiness assessment tools.
- Recommendations are offered for choosing appropriate happiness measures in adolescent research.
- Future research should prioritize the development and validation of robust happiness scales for adolescents.
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