From the girls' side: adolescence between well-being and malaise

Abstract

The analysis of gender differences represents a relevant focus for the study of well-being in adolescence. This period is a critical junction around which the challenge of the human being in search of the definition of his personal and social identity rotates. The present work, part of the study International Survey of Children’s Well-Being has the aim to investigate the well-being of adolescents in the Italian and European context and to explore gender differences. The survey involved ten European countries. A protocol was used for data collection, consisting of different scales; in this work we will consider: Overall Life Satisfaction, Student's Life Satisfaction Scale; Brief Multidimensional Student Life Satisfaction Scale. The study showed lower levels of well-being and life satisfaction among Italian adolescents compared to male peers. The analysis of the different domains showed that the scholastic experience is the only domain in which the adolescents report a level of satisfaction superior to that of their companions. Teenagers' well-being was important also to identify potential risk and vulnerability factors. The female condition emerged as more vulnerable and this required further reflection in a preventive perspective.