The Role of Positive Youth Development, Religious Coping, and the Parenting Styles in Adolescent Students’ Life Satisfaction

Life satisfaction in adolescence could be influenced by various factors, such as adolescent skills, religious beliefs, and parenting styles. Therefore, the present study aimed to investigate life satisfaction in accordance with positive youth development (PYD), religious coping, and the parenting styles in adolescent students.

In this cross-sectional study, the statistical population of the study included all the high school students in Semnan, Iran, during 2018. Using a multi-stage cluster sampling, 383 subjects (191 boys and 192 girls) completed the demographic questionnaire, the Satisfaction With Life Scale (SWLS), the Parental Authority Questionnaire (PAQ), the PYD Scale (PYD-VSF), and the Religious Coping Scale (Brief-RCOPE). The statistical methods of Pearson correlation coefficient and stepwise multiple regression analysis were utilized in this study. The data were analyzed via SPSS version 19.

The results of Pearson correlation indicated that authoritative parenting style (r=0.35; p <0.001), the PYD (r=0.39; p <0.001), and positive religious coping (r=0.34; p <0.001) had positive and significant relations with life satisfaction. Moreover, negative religious coping (r=-0.16; P=0.002) had a negatively significant association with life satisfaction in a dolescents. Moreover, the results of stepwise regression analysis revealed that adolescents’ life satisfaction could be predicted based on confidence dimension (Beta=0.42; p <0.001), authoritative parenting (Beta=0.28; p <0.001), positive religious coping (Beta=0.22; p <0.001), and negative religious coping (Beta=-0.14; p <0.001).

According to the results, it is necessary to pay attention to religious coping style, parenting style, and the PYD components in order to promote well-being and life satisfaction among adolescents.