Life events and well-being: a retrospective study with Spanish young adults, comparing stressful life events lists and codified free remembering in the last year

Authors

  • Lander Méndez Departamento de Psicología Social y Metodología de las Ciencias del Comportamiento, Universidad del País Vasco (UPV/EHU), Donostia/San Sebastián, España.
  • Carolina Alzugaray Universidad Santo Tomas, Chile.
  • Stefano Cavalli University of Applied Sciences and Arts of Southern Switzerland (SUPSI), Suiza.
  • Saioa Telletxea Departamento de Psicología Social y Metodología de las Ciencias del Comportamiento, Universidad del País Vasco (UPV/EHU), Donostia/San Sebastián, España.

Keywords:

Life events, life course, well- being, free recall, recognition.

Abstract

In this article we review the literature over life events and their impact on well-being. The temporal period of impact, the impact differences according to the valence or whether the events are positive or negative, as well as their relationship with the hedonic and eudaemonic well-being is reviewed. Likewise, the influence of personality, age, gender, and social status is reviewed in the life events experience. In an empirical study with two samples of the Basque Country, we examined the free remembering of life events in the last year in one sample, and the recognition of them in the other one. A list of life events inspired on Holmes and Rahe Abstract
(1967) and a categorization code-list remembered from the CEVI program. It is described examining its content validity. 14 events that were present in both samples were compared. As usual, in memory studies, recognition is greater than remembering/memory (10 times greater). The evaluations of the valence of the remembered and recognized events do not differ. The percentage of memory and
recognition are positively associated (r = .32).The association between life events and well-being is stronger when the data are collected by recognition, in the case of negative effects. The recognized negative life events and the valuation of these are associated with lowest well-being. The positive life events remembered are associated with greater well- being, confirming the construct validity. Evaluation is associated more strongly than the frequency of events with well-being. Results
are discussed based on the relationship between life events and well-being.

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Author Biography

Stefano Cavalli, University of Applied Sciences and Arts of Southern Switzerland (SUPSI), Suiza.

Lic. en sociología (Universidad de Ginebra). 

Doctor en ciencias económicas y sociales por la Universidad de Ginebra.

Investigador en el Centro interdisciplinario de Gerontología de la Universidad de Ginebra (1998-2013)

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Published

04/17/2019

How to Cite

Méndez, L., Alzugaray, C., Cavalli, S., & Telletxea, S. (2019). Life events and well-being: a retrospective study with Spanish young adults, comparing stressful life events lists and codified free remembering in the last year. Revista De Psicología, 14(28), 47–85. Retrieved from http://200.16.86.39/index.php/RPSI/article/view/1735

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