Poster #211 - Snapshots of Adolescent Positive Well-Being: A Daily Diary Coding System

• In Event: 3-106 - Poster Session 11
  In Poster Session: PS 11 Section - Social, Emotional, Personality

Integrative Statement

Recent psychological research has emphasized the value of positive affect and experiences in shaping subjective well-being, finding that higher levels of positive well-being are associated with improved social relationships (Lyubomirsky, King, & Diener, 2005), improved general health outcomes (Hoyt, Chase-Lansdale, McDade, & Adam, 2012), and resilience in the face of negative stressors (Park, 2004). The PERMA model of flourishing identifies five core dimensions of positive well-being: positive affect, engagement, relationships, meaning, and accomplishments (Seligman, 2011), offering a framework for investigating experiences and events that contribute to an individual’s overall positive well-being.
To date, research on flourishing has focused primarily on adults; our understanding of the day-to-day events that shape adolescent well-being is noticeably lacking despite the salience of needs for social belonging (Albert, Chein, & Steinberg, 2013; Laursen & Collins, 2009), self-sufficiency (Smetana, Campione-Barr, & Daddis, 2004; Steinberg & Silverberg, 1986), and competence (Bandura 1997, Erickson, 1963). Preliminary research has focused on broad-band assessments of life events, or cross-sectional designs, limiting the ability to evaluate associations between events and well-being on the timescale in which they are experienced. Intensive longitudinal methods, by comparison, represent an ideal methodological approach for capturing the substance and meaning of experiences on a daily timescale, while reducing the likelihood of recall errors (Bolger, Davis, & Rafeali, 2003; Laurencaeu & Bolger, 2005).
The current study utilizes a 21-day daily diary design in which 151 adolescents (Mage = 14.60, SDAge = 0.83) provided a written description of the most positive event that occurred during the day, in addition to reporting on positive affect and subjective well-being each day for 21 days. After describing the most positive event of the day, participants indicated how good the event was, how happy it made them, and how proud it made them on a 10-point sliding scale. Participants also indicated daily life satisfaction, purpose and meaningful, and engagement on a 10-point sliding scale. Participants then completed follow-up assessments at 3, 6, and 12-months post baseline.
A coding system was developed to classify daily statements into one of 24 categories of positive experiences, as seen in Table 1. The coding system was developed to capture the primary categories of Seligman’s 2011 PERMA model, positive events, belongingness, engagement in activities, meaning, and achievement, and zooming in on sub-categories for greater specificity in analyses (e.g., belonging to peers, family, romantic/dating partner). Data have been collected, the coding manual has been developed, and coding is currently underway (expected completion: December). We will provide a descriptive account of the prevalence of different facets of well-being, patterns across three weeks, and correlations between positive experiences and levels of positive affect, well-being, and life satisfaction will be examined.

Authors

• Lauren Streeter, Pennsylvania State University
  Presenting Author

• Devin McCauley, The Pennsylvania State University
  Non-Presenting Author

• Greg Fosco, Pennsylvania State University
  Non-Presenting Author