Exploring Hedonic and Eudaimonic Items of Well-Being in Mediterranean and Non-Mediterranean Countries: Influence of Sociodemographic and Lifestyle Factors

Abstract

Increased understanding of subjective well-being (SWB), as well as factors that influence it, are essential to enhance well-being at the individual and national level. We have applied a hedonic and eudaimonic 9-item composed tool (SWB score) to measure SWB across several Mediterranean (MED) and non-Mediterranean (non-MED) countries, and to explore the association between the SWB score and a range of sociodemographic, health and Mediterranean lifestyle factors. A specifically designed web-based questionnaire was distributed to adult participants (N = 2400) from Spain, Italy, Portugal, Bulgaria and Republic of North Macedonia. Results showed that the SWB score was significantly different across the examined countries with the MED participants displaying slightly higher average scores than the non-MED ones (6.3 ± 1.5 vs. 6.1 ± 1.6, p = 0.002). Several sociodemographic, health status and lifestyle factors displayed a significant but limited association with the 9-item SWB score, with a multiple regression model explaining around 17% of the variance. Nevertheless, our results support that a closer adherence to Mediterranean lifestyle habits—the Mediterranean Diet, spending time with friends, family, and in nature, being active, and getting adequate rest at night—has a positive influence on the 9-item SWB score. Further research is needed to advance the understanding of the measuring and differentiating of SWB across different populations and to establish all the factors that influence it.

Assessment of Subjective Well-Being in a Cohort of University Students and Staff Members: Association with Physical Activity and Outdoor Leisure Time during the COVID-19 Pandemic

“…We additionally investigated SWB in the two subpopulations by implementing a recently developed tool, the 9-item SWB instrument, composed of a negative and a positive subdomain, that combine hedonic and eudemonic items [7].…”

“…In contrast, there was not a significant difference in terms of the perception of the general health condition (p = 0.059). We additionally investigated SWB in the two subpopulations by implementing a recently developed tool, the 9-item SWB instrument, composed of a negative and a positive subdomain, that combine hedonic and eudemonic items [7].…”

“…Recently, the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) has proposed a revision of the psychological well-being construct in terms of subjective well-being (SWB), which includes self-evaluation of several dimensions, such as global satisfaction, meaning, affect, as well as social and economic aspects of life [6]. Within the OECD framework, we have recently developed and applied a 9-item SWB instrument with two subdomains, that include both hedonic and eudemonic dimensions: one domain reflects satisfaction with one's life and with oneself, and the other reflects perceptions of negative feelings, such as greater perceptions of stress, depression, and feeling unable to cope with daily tasks, along with items that capture perceptions of fatigue and body energy [7].…”

“…The 9-item SWB instrument (9-item SWB index) consists of nine questions selected from previously validated instruments according the OECD recommendations [50] and that specifically address the hedonic and eudemonic dimensions of psychological wellbeing. This index has been previously shown to be a reliable tool, with adequate internal consistency, composite reliability, and convergent validity [7]. The instrument is constituted by two subdomains: a positive affect (C1) and a negative affect (C2) subdomains [7].…”

“…This index has been previously shown to be a reliable tool, with adequate internal consistency, composite reliability, and convergent validity [7]. The instrument is constituted by two subdomains: a positive affect (C1) and a negative affect (C2) subdomains [7]. Briefly, (I) five items were adapted from the OECD core questions [50] and included: Life satisfaction: How satisfied are you with your life as a whole these days?…”