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Correlational findings

Study VanSluijs (2004): study NL 1987

Public
Young adults, followed from age 18 to 30, The Netherlands, 1987-1999
Sample
Respondents
N = 836
Non Response
36,6% (baseline)
Assessment
Interview: face-to-face
Face to face interviews, questionnaires, telephone interviews (1999)

Correlate

Authors's Label
Mental health
Our Classification
Remarks
Assessed at T1 (1987), T3 (1991), T4(1999)
Operationalization
Self report on shortened 6-item General Health Questionnaire (GHQ):
How did you feel in the past two weeks?
- Were you able  to concentrate on the things you were engaged in?
- Did you feel that you could not master your difficulties/troubles?
- Did you enjoy you daily activities?
- Did you feel unhappy and depressed?
- Did you lose faith in yourself?
- All things taken together, did you feel happy?

Rated:1 better than normal, 2 the same as normal, 3 worse than normal, 4 much worse than normal. The answers were summed up and changed to a 10 point scale.

Observed Relation with Happiness

Happiness Measure Statistics Elaboration / Remarks M-CO-cy-mq-v-7-b b = B's indicate average difference between more and less healthy Ss over this 12 year period M-CO-cy-mq-v-7-b b = +.23 p < .001 B controlled for personal characteristics:
- age
- age²
- gender
- education
- cohort 1965 vs cohort 1961
- cohort 1969 vs cohort 1961
- neuroticism
- extraversion
M-CO-cy-mq-v-7-b b = +.22 p < .001 additional control for lifecourse transitions (happened or not):
- first job
- no job
- left parental home
- living together/marriage first partner
- divorce from first partner
- living together/marriage second partner
- having first child
M-CO-cy-mq-v-7-b b = +.22 p < .001 additional control for years since transition:
- first paid job
- no job
- leaving parental home
- living together/marriage first partner
- divorce from first partner
- living together/marriage second partner
- having first child

Unaffected by squaring of the above variables

Effect stronger among women