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(1) Background: The aim of the present study is to analyze subjective happiness in relation to leisure time in 10-year-old boys and girls from Brazil, Chile and Spain and to determine which leisure time activity has a greater effect on their subjective happiness and whether there are differences according to gender. (2) Methods: Data from the third wave of the Children's Worlds Project was used, which was collected by administering self-report measures to representative samples in each country. The sample was composed of 4008 early adolescents from Brazil (22.1%, n = 886), Chile (22.8%, n = 913) and Spain (55.1%, n = 2209). The mean age of the sample was 10.17 years (SD = 0.57), and 51.7% were girls. (3) Results: In terms of subjective happiness, moderate to high means were observed, with higher scores in boys and the Spanish sample. The results showed some differences in leisure time activities among children from Brazil, Chile and Spain. Furthermore, the results highlighted the importance of relaxation time with the family to promote happiness in pre-adolescence across genders and countries. Additionally, playing outdoors and doing homework were also found to be protective factors for subjective happiness. (4) Conclusions: In Brazil, Chile and Spain the most consistent result was the positive effect of spending time relaxing with the family on subjective happiness.

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BACKGROUND: Prior research has documented the protective role of the 5Cs of Positive Youth Development (PYD) on adjustment problems, such as depressive symptoms. Nonetheless, more research is needed, especially in non-US contexts. The main objective of the present study was to assess associations between the 5Cs and depressive symptoms in Peru and Spain, considering gender differences across contexts. METHODS: Cross-sectional data was collected from undergraduate students from Peru [n = 250] and Spain [n = 1044]. RESULTS: The results revealed significant negative associations of Competence, Confidence, Character and Connection with depressive symptoms, while Caring was positively and significantly related to depressive symptoms in both samples. Regarding gender differences, female undergraduates in both samples reported high levels of Caring, while Competence was predominant among males compared to females in both countries. Likewise, higher scores in Competence and Confidence were registered among Peruvian male undergraduates compared to Spanish students, while Caring and Character were more prevalent in Spanish female undergraduates compared to Peruvian students. CONCLUSIONS: These findings confirm the importance of targeting the 5Cs of PYD alongside the role of gender and country context in intervention programs, put together to address the mental health of students in Peru and Spain.

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Resumen: La evaluación del bienestar subjetivo y psicológico ha alcanzado considerable evidencia científica, principalmente a través de diferentes pruebas de autoinforme. Sin poner en cuestión este tipo de medición, lo cierto es que estas mediciones presentan la desventaja de estar basadas en declaraciones subjetivas y manipulables conscientemente por parte del sujeto. El objetivo de este trabajo es presentar un diseño bajo el paradigma del Test de Asociación Implícita de Greenwald y Farnham (2000) para aplicarlo a la medición implícita del bienestar subjetivo y psicológico. Así, se realizó un estudio transversal descriptivo con una muestra de 327 adultos (51,7% hombres; M = 38,69, DT = 11,98), que completaron un Test de Asociación Implícita para la medida objetiva del bienestar psicológico, y dos medidas autoinformadas para evaluar por un lado la felicidad y por otros posibles síntomas depresivos. Los resultados mostraron una buena fiabilidad del Test de Asociación Implícita, así como asociaciones débiles con las medidas de autoinforme. Una asociación implícita más fuerte con los afectos positivos que con los afectos negativos estuvo relacionada con una mayor felicidad subjetiva y menos síntomas depresivos. Estos resultados sugieren la posibilidad de completar la evaluación del bienestar usando medidas objetivas.

Abstract: The assessment of subjective and psychological well-being has reached considerable scientific evidence, mainly through different self-report tests. Without questioning this type of measurement, the fact is that these measurements have the disadvantage of being based on subjective statements that can be consciously manipulated by the subject. The aim of this work is to present a new instrument following the paradigm of the Implicit Association Test by Greenwald and Farnham (2000) in order to provide the implicit measurement of subjective and psychological well-being. Thus, a descriptive cross-sectional study was carried out with a sample of 327 adults (51.7% men; M = 38.69, SD = 11.98), who completed an Implicit Association Test for the objective measurement of psychological well-being, and two self-reported measures to assess happiness and depressive symptoms. The results showed good reliability of the Implicit Association Test, as well as weak associations with the self-report measures. A stronger implicit association with positive affects than with negative affects was related to higher subjective happiness and fewer depressive symptoms. These results suggest the possibility of completing the well-being assessment using objective measures.

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Growing up in vulnerable conditions has an impact on children and adolescents' mental health and well-being outcomes. However, this evidence has rarely been obtained in middle and low-income countries like Guatemala, where food insecurity and exposure to violence frequently threaten childhood development. The aim of this study was to analyse the relations that sociodemographic and socioeconomic factors have with psychological adjustment of low-socioeconomic status (SES) Guatemalan children and adolescents, and how these relations were mediated by food insecurity and exposure to violence. A total of 185 participants (50.8% girls; aged between 6 to 17, M = 11.82, SD = 3.7) from three vulnerable schools located in rural and urban areas of Guatemala were assessed. The results indicated that exposure to violence significantly moderates the effect of sociodemographic and socioeconomic variables in measures of depression, anxiety and health-related quality of life. Adolescents more exposed to violence reported higher levels of depression and anxiety, as well as lower levels of health-related quality of life. In contrast, food insecurity did not seem to influence psychological adjustment outcomes in this low-SES sample. These findings highlight the relevance of exposure to violence for mental health and well-being, and is a factor that should be considered when designing public health policies to promote children and adolescents' welfare.

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Resumen La investigación hasta la fecha ha prestado poca atención a la regulación del afecto positivo en la adolescencia. Nuestros objetivos fueron construir un cuestionario para evaluar las respuestas al afecto positivo en adolescentes y estudiar las relaciones que presentan con el ajuste psicológico. Una muestra de 1.810 adolescentes completó el cuestionario de respuestas al afecto positivo (con tres dimensiones: rumiación positiva centrada en la emoción, rumiación positiva centrada en uno mismo e inhibición) y tres autoinformes de ajuste psicológico (satisfacción vital, autoestima y síntomas depresivos). El cuestionario mostró buena fiabilidad por consistencia interna y la misma estructura factorial que estudios previos con adultos. Un modelo de ecuaciones estructurales indicó que las respuestas de rumiación positiva centrada en la emoción y en uno mismo se relacionaron positivamente con la satisfacción vital y la autoestima, y negativamente con los síntomas depresivos, mientras que la inhibición del afecto positivo presentó asociaciones opuestas.

Abstract Research to date has paid little attention to positive affect regulation in adolescence. Our aims were to examine psychometric properties of a questionnaire to assess responses to positive affect in adolescents and to study the relationships these responses have with psychological adjustment. A sample of 1,810 adolescents completed the responses to positive affect questionnaire (with three dimensions: emotion-focused and self-focused positive rumination, and dampening) and three self-report measures of psychological adjustment (i.e. life satisfaction, self-esteem and depressive symptoms). The questionnaire had good internal consistency reliability and the same factor structure as previous studies using adult samples. Secondly, a structural equation model showed that emotion-focused and self-focused responses were positively related to life satisfaction and self-esteem, and negatively to depressive symptoms, while dampening presented opposite associations.

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