Life satisfaction and risk of depression: the role of adolescents’ social and emotional skills

The absence of mental illness does not necessarily mean the presence of mental health or well-being. Especially after the COVID-19 pandemic, it is important to identify the risk and prevent the development of mental illness. The present study aimed to: a) characterize the levels of well-being and life satisfaction of adolescents; b) identify the risk of depression; c) analyze differences in the three dimensions of mental health considering sociodemographic characteristics (gender and level of education); and d) analyze predictors of life satisfaction and risk of depression, considering the sociodemographic characteristics and social-emotional skills. Participated in the study 3235 adolescents (50% female), aged between 11 and 20 years (M=14.47, SD=1.91). Participants attend public schools in the 3rd cycle of basic education (47.9%) and secondary education (52.1%), and responded to self-report measures. The results revealed that most adolescents (58.5%) have an average level of life satisfaction. However, 51.1% of participants have a low level of well-being and 19.6% are at risk of depression. All the social-emotional skills included in the models proved to be significant predictors of life satisfaction and lower risk of depression, especially optimism (besides emotional control, stress resistance and sociability). The results reinforce the existence of a double continuum of mental health and mental illness. The results also support the relevance of implementing school-based interventions to promote social-emotional skills that help adolescents deal with the challenges of a changing world, and to prevent depression. From a public health perspective, it is essential to implement universal prevention programs that are part of the paradigm of health-promoting schools.