NCJ Number
191678
Journal
Journal of Youth and Adolescence Volume: 30 Issue: 6 Dated: December 2001 Pages: 749-767
Editor(s)
Daniel Offer
Date Published
2001
Length
19 pages
Annotation
This study explored the relationship between life satisfaction, social interests, and participation in extra curricular activities of high school students.
Abstract
The population studied consisted of 48 ninth graders, 55 tenth graders, 139 eleventh graders and 88 twelfth graders. To assess life satisfaction a multidimensional student scale was used. This measure consisted of five life domains which were evaluated; they included family, friends, school, environment, and self. A second measure used was the Social Interest Scale, which was measured through self-reports. Demographic characteristics also played a significant role. It was discovered that family and peer relationships influenced overall satisfaction with the quality of life. It was also found that family and friends relationships were strong among those who reported high social interest, but causality could not be determined. There were no significant differences between grade, gender, and socioeconomic status. An interesting difference was discovered among white and African Americans students, was African American students who rated themselves high in social interest also reported higher satisfaction with their own self in comparison to white students. According to the author, generalities should not be made from this study. An example that the author gave was the participants in this study were disproportionately female and African American. In addition, the study group was selected from only one school district. The author also believed that future research would benefit from a more diverse sampling population. 3 tables, and references