Perfil de bienestar psicológico subjetivo en adolescentes Uruguayos

The subjective well-being (SWB) refers to the personal experience in relation to the evaluation of life as a whole and by dimensions. This study evaluates the SWB of 5189 Uruguayan school-going adolescents from 12 to 21 years old, using the Personal Wellbeing Index (PWI). Comparative analyzes were performed by sex, place of residence, and by age groups. Results indicated that Uruguayan adolescents have an adequate level of SWB. In the specific analysis by domains, it is observed that adolescents are more satisfied with their belonging groups in their community and less satisfied with how safe they feel and their future security. Regarding sex differences, girls report a significantly lower level of SWB in all domains. No significant differences were found between the students of the capital and countryside in their level of SWB in any of the domains. With regard to the comparison according to age groups, a decreasing trend was observed in the level of SWB from the age of 15, which rises again in the late adolescence segment (18 to 21). The results of the study contribute to previous studies and provide information for the design of public policies, educational and clinical interventions with school-going adolescents.