Family Support as Predictor of life Satisfaction and Happiness in Pakistani Adolescents

Abstract

Family support appears to be one of the most important factors influencing subjective well-being in terms of life satisfaction and happiness. Notwithstanding the generally accepted value of the family, the relationship between family support and individual well-being outcomes has not been thoroughly studied. Considering bonding with one's family is linked to well-being across life, the goal of our study was to investigate the relationship between family support, life satisfaction, and happiness among Pakistani teenagers. A total of 250 adolescents (49% male and 51% females) took part in the study with age ranged 12 to 19 years. Family support, life satisfaction, and happiness were measured by Multidimensional Scale for Perceived Social Support, the Satisfaction with Life Scale, and Subjective Happiness Scale respectively.The findings demonstrated that family support significantly positively correlated with both life satisfaction and happiness. Family support positively predicted life satisfaction and happiness. Furthermore, results indicated that boys perceived their families as more supportive than girls. However non-significant gender difference was found at the level of life satisfaction and happiness. Our findings revealed a significant positive association between family support, life satisfaction and happiness, which suggested that people who assess their families as helpful are more likely to have higher levels of life satisfaction and happiness.