Mapping Adolescent Wellbeing: Developmental Network Differences between Early To Middle Adolescence in 24 Countries

Wanying Zhou, Jose Marquez, Leoni Boyle and Laura Taylor

Abstract

Adolescent wellbeing is often assessed using composite scores, yet less is known about how specific components of wellbeing are structurally organized and how this organization shifts across development. Using psychometric network analysis, we examined interconnections among 49 wellbeing indicators spanning subjective wellbeing (life satisfaction, affect, and domain satisfaction) and psychological wellbeing (flourishing and positive mental functioning) in a large international sample of adolescents. Data were drawn from 6,445 students aged 11–18 years (M = 14.4, SD = 1.96; 51.7% girls; 3.1% preferred not to report gender) recruited from 38 schools across 24 countries. Networks were estimated for the full sample and separately for early adolescence (11–14 years; 51.9%) and middle adolescence (15–18 years; 48.1%). Across all analyses, overall life satisfaction and satisfaction with student life consistently emerged as the most central nodes, underscoring their integrative role in adolescents’ wellbeing evaluations. Network density was similar across age groups, indicating comparable overall interconnectedness; however, network configuration differed developmentally. In middle adolescence, future-oriented optimism became more structurally prominent, whereas present-focused life evaluation (current life satisfaction) showed reduced centrality. Indicators reflecting negative affect and calmness also showed modest age-related increases in relative importance. Together, these findings suggest a developmental reorganization of adolescent wellbeing from present-oriented evaluations toward future-oriented expectations and regulatory resources, while reaffirming the central role of overall life satisfaction and student-life satisfaction. Mapping age-related differences in wellbeing structure across a large cross-national sample informs age-sensitive approaches to assessment, monitoring, and intervention.