Assessing the Importance of Childhood Context in the Development of Hope and Optimism

Citation

Fletcher, J. (2019). Assessing the Importance of Childhood Context in the Development of Hope and Optimism. Journal of Happiness Studies. pp. 9

Abstract

This paper explores the importance of adolescent environments as a key determinant of hope and optimism. Data were taken from the prospective, nationally representative National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent to Adult Health to calculate correlations in hope and optimism among individuals who attended the same secondary school. These correlations generate upper-bound estimates of the influence of adolescent environments and suggest relatively modest contributions, accounting for 1-3% of population variation. In contrast, sibling correlations account for approximately 10% of the variation. Taken together, the results suggest that interventions that shape schools and neighborhoods during adolescence are likely to have relatively small benefits for hope and optimism development.

URL

https://doi.org/10.1007/s10902-019-00186-8

Keyword(s)

Neighborhood effects

Notes

ISI Document Delivery No.: JD4GF Times Cited: 0 Cited Reference Count: 23 Fletcher, Jason John Templeton Foundation; Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human DevelopmentUnited States Department of Health & Human ServicesNational Institutes of Health (NIH) - USANIH Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health & Human Development (NICHD) [P01-HD31921]; Center for Demography and Ecology at UW-Madison [P2C HD047873] This publication was made possible through the support of a grant from the John Templeton Foundation. The opinions expressed in this publication are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the John Templeton Foundation. Cody Oltmans provided excellent research assistance. This research uses data from Add Health, a program project directed by Kathleen Mullan Harris and designed by J. Richard Udry, Peter S. Bearman, and Kathleen Mullan Harris at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and funded by grant P01-HD31921 from the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, with cooperative funding from 23 other federal agencies and foundations. Special acknowledgment is due Ronald R. Rindfuss and Barbara Entwisle for assistance in the original design. Information on how to obtain the Add Health data files is available on the Add Health website (http://www.cpc.unc.edu/addhealth).No direct support was received from grant P01-HD31921 for this analysis. The author acknowledges research support from the Center for Demography and Ecology at UW-Madison (P2C HD047873). 0 Springer Dordrecht 1573-7780

Reference Type

Journal Article

Journal Title

Journal of Happiness Studies

Author(s)

Fletcher, J.

Year Published

2019

ISSN/ISBN

1389-4978

DOI

10.1007/s10902-019-00186-8

Reference ID

6574