Parents, siblings or friends? Exploring life satisfaction among early adolescents

Presenter: Deniz Yucel, William Paterson University, USA

Author: Deniz Yucel

Co-author(s): Anastasia Vogt Yuan

Social relationships are known to be influential on adolescents’ wellbeing; their relationships with parents, friends, and siblings are particularly important. This study analyses 2617 10-15 year olds from Wave 1 of the Understanding Society, and specifically tests how parent-child relationship quality, being a perpetrator and victim of sibling bullying, and being a perpetrator and victim of friend bullying affect life satisfaction among early adolescents. The results suggest that better parent-child relationship quality and less victimisation by friends and peers are both positively correlated with higher life satisfaction among early adolescents. Overall, the three most significant predictors of life satisfaction are parent-child relationship quality, being a victim of friend bullying, and being a victim of sibling bullying. Moreover, this study tests the interaction effects between parent-child relationship quality, sibling bullying, and friend bullying. Parent-child relationship quality acts as a protective factor for those adolescents who are victims of friend and sibling bullying. Specifically, the effect of parent-child relationship quality on life satisfaction was found to be stronger among adolescents who were victims of sibling and friend bullying. Lastly, the effects of all three variables vary significantly between male and female adolescents. Specifically, the positive effects of lower friend victimisation and better parent-child relationship quality on life satisfaction were found to be stronger among female adolescents.