What counts as happiness for young people: a qualitative study

Sutton, C (2021) 'What counts as happiness for young people: a qualitative study.' Children & Society, 35 (1). pp. 18-33.

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Abstract

Limited research exists on young people's own views on their happiness, with research dominated by adult‐led, quantitative well‐being studies. This article discusses a qualitative study on young people's happiness which draws on both Psychology and Childhood and Youth Studies. In all, 42 young people completed writings and a new method of ‘happiness maps’, together with discussion groups and interviews, which were analysed within a constructivist grounded theory approach. Happiness is revealed as wide‐ranging, complex, and individually variable. Family and friends were important, but these relationships were qualified and contingent in how they contributed to happiness. Importantly, discussions of happiness also incorporated unhappiness.

Item Type:	Article
Note:	First published online in July 2020 ahead of its inclusion in a specific issue. It was submitted as an output to REF 2021.
Keywords:	happiness, subjective well-being, young people
Divisions:	School of Sciences
Research Centres and Groups:	Psychology Research Centre for Health and Cognition
UoA:	Psychology
Date Deposited:	08 Jul 2020 13:49
Last Modified:	17 May 2022 16:30
ISSN:	0951-0605
URI / Page ID:	https://researchspace.bathspa.ac.uk/id/eprint/13309

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