Daily Adolescent Purposefulness, Daily Subjective Well-Being, and Individual Differences in Autistic Traits

This study addresses these gaps in the literature using a daily diary approach to track adolescents (N = 204;Mage = 16.42 years; 70.1% female) across approximately 70 days of enrollment inGripTape, a U.S.-based out-of-school time program that supports engagement with personally meaningful activities. We found that on days teens felt more purposeful than usual, they tended to report greater SWB. Moreover, we failed to find evidence that subclinical autistic traits, an individual difference that corresponded with lower daily SWB ratings, moderated the observed daily benefits of feeling more purposeful than usual. With one of the longest consecutive studies of youth well-being to date, our work shows that day-to-day fluctuations in purpose are a useful addition to the adolescent SWB landscape. Following this necessary observational groundwork, future research may invest in creating and testing purpose opportunities for a more inclusive range of youth.

Source: Journal of Happiness Studies - February 7, 2023 Category: Psychiatry & Psychology Source Type: research