AbstractsPsychology

An extensive literature review on child well-being has signified a dearth in relevant South African research on the current topic. It has been established that the interplay of hope, life satisfaction and income level exerts a great impact on the well-being of children. Hence, this study aims to investigate the relationship between hope and life satisfaction among children in low and middle income communities in Cape Town. More specifically, the study aims to ascertain the moderating effect of income level on the relationship between hope and life satisfaction. The 3P Model of Subjective Well-Being (SWB) was used as a theoretical position conceptualising this study. The model categorizes the components of subjective well-being under temporal states of the Past, the Present and the Prospect (future), and therefore proposes that we evaluate our lives across these temporal states. The study used secondary data from the Children’s Worlds: International Survey on Children’s Well Being (2012). Data was collected across all 12 year old participants, within each participating school, by means of purposive sampling, with a total of 1004 participants. The questionnaire administered, incorporated Huebner’s (1991) Student Life Satisfaction Scale (SLSS) and Snyder’s et al. (1997) Children’s Hope Scale. Data was analysed by means of correlational analysis and results revealed that there is a significant relationship between hope and life satisfaction for both low and middle income communities. The Process Tool for Moderation Analysis revealed that income level moderates the relationship between hope and life satisfaction. Moreover, this relationship appeared to be stronger for the low income group than for the middle income group. Hence, this finding suggests that hope has a more pronounced impact on life satisfaction for the low income group than for the middle income group.