title: An examination of the reciprocal relations between life satisfaction and social problem solving in early adolescents.
abstract: Theoretical and emerging empirical advances in the life satisfaction (LS) and social problem solving (SPS) literature suggest that LS and SPS may have bidirectional relations. The main purpose of this study was to test the hypothesis of bidirectionality between LS and two components of the SPS, orientation (SPS-O) and skills (SPS-S). Two waves of data were collected from a sample of 733 adolescents at a middle school over a 6-month period. Cross-lagged panel analysis results showed that statistically, LS significantly predicted SPS-O and SPS-S after six months; however, neither SPS-O nor SPS-S significantly predicted LS after six months. These findings suggest LS may function as an antecedent of SPS-O and SPS-S among early adolescents, which lead to a main implication that both SPS and LS could be the direct aims of educational and psychological programs to promote SPS development in early adolescents. Additional implication and future directions are discussed.
authors.affiliation: University of Memphis, Department of Psychology, 400 Innovation Dr., Memphis, TN 38152 United States. Electronic address: xjiang2@memphis.edu.
authors.forename: Xu
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Jiang
authors.affiliation: University of Virginia, Clinical and School Psychology Department of Human Services, 405 Emmet St., Charlottesville, VA 22904, United States. Electronic address: mdl8s@virginia.edu.
authors.forename: Michael D
authors.initials: MD
authors.lastname: Lyons
authors.affiliation: University of South Carolina, Department of Psychology, 1512 Pendleton St., Columbia, SC 29208, United States. Electronic address: huebner@mailbox.sc.edu.
authors.forename: E Scott
authors.initials: ES
authors.lastname: Huebner
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000294:Adolescent Behavior / Q000523:psychology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D015233:Models, Statistical; D010549:Personal Satisfaction; D011340:Problem Solving; D057566:Self Report; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires
keywords: Adolescents; Life satisfaction; Social problem solving