ERIC Number: EJ1381072
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2023-Aug
Pages: 22
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0272-4316
EISSN: EISSN-1552-5449
The Role of Gender in the Relation among Anxiety, Theory of Mind, and Well-Being in Early Adolescents
Caputi, Marcella; Bosacki, Sandra
Journal of Early Adolescence, v43 n7 p845-866 Aug 2023
The relation between cognition and life satisfaction is shaped by several factors. The present research investigated whether mindreading skills are linked to subjective well-being and anxiety during the transition into adolescence. Specifically, our aim was to investigate individual differences in those constructs and gendered relational patterns. A sample of 142 Italian sixth- and seventh-graders (84 boys, M = 11.83 years, SD = 6.87 months) completed a theory-of-mind task, and questionnaires on perceptions of different anxiety subtypes and life satisfaction. In the total sample, no interrelations were found among the variables. Nonetheless, mediation analyses conducted separately by gender showed that, only among girls, higher theory-of-mind scores were associated with lower perception of life satisfaction through the mediation of higher generalized anxiety levels. Results suggest that the approach to adolescence may provide a timely intervention window to develop preventive programs that target internalizing symptoms and their cascade effects on young people's well-being.
Descriptors: Theory of Mind, Foreign Countries, Middle School Students, Grade 6, Grade 7, Intelligence Tests, Gender Differences, Anxiety, Well Being, Life Satisfaction
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Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: Junior High Schools; Middle Schools; Secondary Education; Elementary Education; Grade 6; Intermediate Grades; Grade 7
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: Italy
Identifiers - Assessments and Surveys: Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A