A Structural Equation Model on Happiness among Adolescents in South Korea / 정신간호학회지

ABSTRACT

Purpose@#This study was conducted to develop a unified structural model that defines relationships among the factors that affect happiness in adolescents in South Korea. @*Methods@#This study was performed using the dataset from the 2018 Korean Children and Youth Panel Survey (KCYPS). The study participants were 2590 adolescents recruited through probability proportional to size (PPS) sampling. The data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, Pearson’s correlation coefficient, and structural equation modeling to determine the factors that influence adolescents' happiness. @*Results@#Our proposed structural model demonstrated a fine fitness level. Our proposed structural model was also able to describe happiness for adolescents with 68.2% accuracy. Positive social support, high self-esteem, and low depression were confirmed as key factors that influence happiness among adolescents. Meanwhile, physical symptoms were not shown to influence happiness for adolescents in South Korea. @*Conclusion@#We suggest that intervention is required to increase happiness in adolescents. Specifically, there is a need for combinational interventions that help adolescents in South Korea increase their social support and self-esteem while reducing their depression.