Bienestar, calidad de vida y regulación afectiva en adolescentes portugueses

OBJECTIVES: The objective of this study is to examine the emotional regulation, quality of life, and subjective well-being in adolescence, taking into account individual and family differences, as well as gender, age and educationlevel of parents. Relationships between the questionnaires wariables were also considered. DESIGN: Descriptive-comparative, cross-sectional, and quantitative study. LOCATION: Two schools in the north of Portugal. PARTICIPANTS: The sample was selected for convenience due to geographic proximity. Inclusion Criteria: adolescents with age between 12 and 18 years old, from compulsory courses and without any special difficulty. Total sample: 619, valid sample: 602. MAIN MEASUREMENTS: Personal Wellness; Health Questionnaire SF-8 (quality of life); and the Measurement of Affect Regulation Styles-trait version Questionnaire. RESULTS: There were no differences between well-being and gender. Health perception is better for boys, and affect regulation for girls. In relation to age, there are negative correlations mainly with variables from the health questionnaire. Significant differences in relation to study level of parents were observed. Main correlations were found between wellness and health variables. CONCLUSIONS: The influence of the education level of parents and age have differentiating role, mainly for well-being and quality of life. From a promotion of wellness perspective in adolescence, potential of health perception and some emotional regulation strategies should be considered in interventions and health education strategy.