Life Satisfaction, Bullying, and Feeling Safe as a Protective Factor for Chilean and Brasilian Adolescents
Date
2021
Type:
Article
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Abstract
Life satisfaction is a cognitive and stable construct that comprises the subjective
well-being and an accurate indicator of the perception of life circumstances among
adolescents. Previous studies demonstrate that adolescents’ life satisfaction is asso-
ciated with developmental outcomes and positive psychological variables as well
as protection against risk factors, such as bullying. Several international studies
demonstrate that adolescents’ life satisfaction can be negatively afected by bully-
ing; consequently this behavior has become a matter of public concern. Our study
hypothesized that the perception of safety plays a protective role against bullying
and therefore maintains life satisfaction levels in adolescents. We examined a cohort
of 1955 Chilean and 1789 Brazilian adolescents that participated in the International
Survey of Children’s Well-Being (ISCWeB) 3rd Wave in Latin America. Using mul-
tiple regression and moderation analyses we found that the interaction victim × feel-
ing safety predicts adolescents life satisfaction. Hence, adolescents that report high
victim scores and high safety also report high life satisfaction levels, versus adoles-
cents that report high victim scores and low safety that report lower levels of life
satisfaction; suggesting a protective role of the perception of safety against victim
scores. Our results confrm the importance and the protective role of the perception
of safety (i.e. “feeling safe”) on adolescents’ life satisfaction. Particularly, we pro-
vide evidence that supports the promotion of safer environments at schools, within
families, and in our communities in Latin America.
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Citation
Varela, J. J., Muñoz-Najar Pacheco, A. O., Chuecas, M. J., Rodríguez-Rivas, M. E., Guzmán, P., & Yunes, M. A. M. (2021). Life satisfaction, bullying, and feeling safe as a protective factor for Chilean and Brasilian adolescents. Child Indicators Research, 0123456789. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12187-021-09872-7
Keywords
Life satisfaction, Victim, Feeling safe, Adolescents