What determines the psychological well-being of Russian adolescents: analysis of PISA 2018 results

Abstract

Last decades have been marked by a decline in the psychological well-being of adolescents around the world. Both environmental, family and school factors, as well as personal factors contribute to the maintenance of well-being, and from the standpoint of modern psychological theories of well-being, positive relationships with significant others play a leading role. However, these factors are rarely explored in the system; moreover, the specific contribution of environmental factors varies from culture to culture. This article aims to assess the role of the system of environmental and personality-motivational variables as predictors of the psychological well-being of Russian adolescents. The material of the study was the data collected within the framework of the PISA 2018 project on a representative sample of Russian teenagers (N=7608). We studied the role of three groups of variables reflecting the quality of a teenager's relationship with 1) parents (parental support), 2) teachers (perception of informative feedback from teachers), 3) school society (the value of cooperation and climate of cooperation and exposure to bullying). It was assumed that the variables characterizing the quality of the three types of relationships with significant others would contribute both independently and mediated by personal and motivational variables to well-being. Gender and family SES were considered as control variables. The results of structural equation modeling confirmed the hypotheses, demonstrating a significant contribution to the well-being of not only relationships with parents and peers, but also teachers, both directly and indirectly by variables reflecting the ability to set productive goals, cope with difficulties and feel comfortable at school. The results are discussed from the standpoint of the self-determination theory, which asserts the importance of satisfying basic psychological needs in relationships with significant others for the psychological well-being. Universal and cross-cultural aspects of the findings of the study are discussed, as well as its limitations.