Life satisfaction and its relationship with spiritual well-being and religious practice in Iranian adolescent girls

Abstract

During recent years, special attention has been given to spiritual well-being and religious practice in the field of health. This study aimed to determine the predictors of life satisfaction among adolescent girls in Tabriz, Iran, 2015. This cross-sectional study was conducted on 520 female students studying in high schools who were selected using the cluster sampling method. Data collection was carried out through the questionnaires of socio-demographic characteristics, spiritual well-being (SWBS), religious practice (Arcury and colleagues) and life satisfaction (SWLS). Multivariate linear regression model was used for data analysis. The mean score of life satisfaction was 22.0 (SD: 6.0) from the attainable score of 5-35. The mean score (SD) of spiritual well-being was 90.2 (16.2), ranging from 20 to 120. The mean score of the religious practice was 32.1 (10.5) out of the achievable score range of 0-60. Multivariate linear regression analysis showed that existential well-being and sufficiency of income for expenses were predictors of life satisfaction and they explained 41.8% of the variance in the life satisfaction score. The findings of the present study confirm the importance of existential well-being and a modifiable variable (sufficiency of income) in the life satisfaction. Thus, it is necessary to provide strategies to promote spirituality and improve the income status for improving adolescents' life satisfaction. é 2017 2017 Walter de Gruyter GmbH, Berlin/Boston.