The aim of this study was to assess life satisfaction and coping behaviour of orphaned children. The study used a quantitative cross sectional survey research design. The sample comprised 466 participants including both male and female orphans (n= 235) and a control group of non-orphaned (n=231) children selected from primary and secondary schools in Mafikeng.The age of participants ranged from 9 to 16 years. Test of significance including student t- test and chi-test analysis were used to verify the study hypotheses. Results showed that, non-orphaned children report higher levels of life satisfaction and cope better compared to orphaned children. It was also found that gender does not play any significant role in determining life satisfaction and coping of orphaned children. Lastly, satisfaction with life of orphaned children is not dependent on the children's age, however the coping behaviour depends on the age of individuals. Recommendations were made in line with the findings of the study. / Thesis (M.Soc.Sc.(Clinical Psychology) North-West University, Mafikeng campus, 2013

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The purpose of this study was t o examine the relationship between the types o f activities people engage in after they retire, how often they participate , how or with whom they participate , and how these independent variables influence the dependent variable of life satisfaction. The majority of the research done to date on postretirement activity focuses primarily on recreational activities. This study examined the effects of including some type of substantive or service activity in addition to hobbies and recreational act i vity. Participants were surveyed concerning their health, mobility, and financial conditions so that these variables could be controlled for in determining life satisfaction. They were questioned about their activities, and given the Life Satisfaction Index to measure life satisfaction. The results indicate that those who have no activities t hat they participate in on a regular basis--no hobbies, no forms of recreation , and no service-related activities-have a relatively high level of life satisfaction. Also those who have a high level of hobby and recreational activity combined with regular service activities have a higher level of satisfaction. Those who only occasionally engage in hobby and recreational activity and have no service-related activity have a moderate level of satisfaction. The results of this study confirm the hypothesis that life satisfaction is positively influenced by both hobbies and service activities. Age and gender of respondents are not important variables, but the issues of mobility, health, and economic status do impact life satisfaction. The importance of hobby and recreational activity has been frequently studied under the guise of activity theory, and found to be of significance in feelings of well-being and in life satisfaction. The role of service activity has not been thoroughly explored, but is believed to fill the need for exchange as postulated in exchange theory.

The recent economic recession has led to a large number of dual-income families losing their second income or having a smaller overall household income as a result of hourly wage cuts. Previous research has examined how job satisfaction can spill over into home life satisfaction; however, literature on how life satisfaction can affect job satisfaction is scarce. Based on theories of job satisfaction, personality, conservation of resources, and affective spillover, this study examined whether job satisfaction of the working partner was affected when the other became unemployed. Measures of job satisfaction, life satisfaction, personality, spousal status, and some demographic data were collected from 99 participants, recruited via various social media sites, who were a dual earning couple and had a significant other who had lost their job in the prior six months. Analysis of covariance was used to compare job and life satisfaction of single- versus dual-earner families, with these covariates: age, education level, income, and the personality traits of neuroticism and conscientiousness. A multivariate analysis of covariance found that the covariates did not account for any significant variance in the analyses, and there were no significant differences between single- and dual-earner family status for either life or job satisfaction. While no empirical support was found for the hypotheses, supplemental analyses revealed that having a partner who worked part-time was preferable to having one who worked full-time, suggesting that part-time work allows for more family/spouse involvement. The social change implications for individuals and organizations include the exploration of how significant life events can impact job satisfaction. Continued research in this area could assist in increasing overall job satisfaction and performance.

To date, few multicomponent interventions focused on meeting the complex needs of unaccompanied homeless youth (UHY) have been developed. One intervention, called Starting Right, Now (SRN), provides unaccompanied homeless adolescents with a broad range of home-, school-, and community-based services and supports to meet the unique needs of each individual. Previous qualitative research has supported the effectiveness of SRN on student outcomes; there has not yet been an examination of the program using quantitative methods. Thus, the current study investigated the impact of Starting Right, Now on students’ well-being through the examination of longitudinal data collected over a 12-month period. Specifically, changes in students’ life satisfaction, hope, and use of coping strategies at three time points were examined. A dataset including ten unique participants was analyzed using the Wilcoxon Signed-Rank Test to evaluate whether statistically significant changes in participants’ (1) life satisfaction, (2) hope agency, (3) hope pathways, (4) maladaptive coping strategies, and (5) adaptive coping strategies occurred between baseline (Time 1), six months of participation (Time 2), and twelve months of participation (Time 3; available for a subset of the sample). Results indicated a statistically significant increase in life satisfaction, hope agency, and hope pathways after six months of participation in SRN. There were no additional statistically significant changes in life satisfaction, hope agency, or hope pathways after one year of participation, and there were no statistically significant changes in adaptive coping or maladaptive coping at any time point. Findings from the current study support the implementation and future expansion of the SRN model in order to positively impact life satisfaction and hope among UHY.

Thesis (M. Soc. Sc.)--University of Hong Kong, 2006.

Global life satisfaction is the evaluation of one’s life among important domains. Therefore, importance ratings should improve the relation between domain satisfaction and life satisfaction. However, this is not the case because studies have shown that importance ratings do not improve the model. This study examined the validity of importance and satisfaction measures using a multi-method approach. 316 participants were recruited in friendship pairs to fill out a series of questionnaires about themselves and their friend. Based on the self-informant agreement scores, there is some validity in importance and the satisfaction ratings. The importance measures for some domains also predicted people’s behavioural patterns. Indirect importance ratings were also extracted using regression and correlational analysis. In conclusion, there was also evidence for convergent validity of the direct and indirect importance measures. Therefore, people do think about the important domains to some extent when making a global life satisfaction judgment.

Global life satisfaction is the evaluation of one’s life among important domains. Therefore, importance ratings should improve the relation between domain satisfaction and life satisfaction. However, this is not the case because studies have shown that importance ratings do not improve the model. This study examined the validity of importance and satisfaction measures using a multi-method approach. 316 participants were recruited in friendship pairs to fill out a series of questionnaires about themselves and their friend. Based on the self-informant agreement scores, there is some validity in importance and the satisfaction ratings. The importance measures for some domains also predicted people’s behavioural patterns. Indirect importance ratings were also extracted using regression and correlational analysis. In conclusion, there was also evidence for convergent validity of the direct and indirect importance measures. Therefore, people do think about the important domains to some extent when making a global life satisfaction judgment.

The study of perfectionism has grown over the past few years with most of the interest focused on the relationship between perfectionism and psychological functioning. Although the literature on perfectionism has continued to increase, the study of the impact of cultural differences on perfectionism and psychological functioning has been understudied. This study examines the relationships between racial identity, perfectionism and satisfaction of life along with other factors that may mediate this relationship such as coping style and stress. A multicultural model of the stress process posited by Slavin, Rainer, et al. (1991) provides a basis for examining the importance of cultural influences on perfectionism. 122 African American women were recruited via university organization listservs and email lists and through direct contact with university professors to complete surveys on perfectionism, life satisfaction, stress and coping. Analysis of data indicated that individuals in the pre-encounter status of racial identity reported lower satisfaction with life. This finding is consistent with prior studies. Findings also included a significant positive relationship (p<.05) between internalization status of racial identity and socially prescribed perfectionism. Additionally emotion oriented coping was found to fully mediate the relationship between socially oriented perfectionism and satisfaction with life (Z=-1.9722, p<.05). These findings highlight the relevance of cultural factors when considering assessment and intervention strategies for African American women. Additionally the significant contribution of coping style to life satisfaction gives guidance in how to intervene with clients in a clinical setting. The findings suggest that reducing the reliance on emotion oriented coping strategies may be important in improving life satisfaction in African American women.

Ready to Roll? Understanding Activity, Mobility and Life Satisfaction among Residents Who Use Wheelchairs