Positive Youth Development and Subjective Happiness: Examining the Mediating Role of Gratitude and Optimism in Spanish Emerging Adults

This chapter addresses relevant calls for more PYD based research among emerging adults in Southern Europe and related psychological adjustment mechanisms during this life stage. In so doing, the chapter applies the 5Cs model of PYD (connection, competence, confidence, character and caring) to examine meaningful relations with subjective happiness and the mediating role of gratitude and optimism among emerging adults in Spain. The chapter presents an empirical example of a cross-sectional study with 768 emerging adults from Andalusia, Southern Spain who completed measures on the 5Cs, subjective happiness, gratitude and optimism. The main findings indicate that gratitude and optimism were partial mediators of the relation between the 5Cs of PYD and subjective happiness. When young people experience high levels of the 5Cs, they show more happiness through a positive effect on gratitude and optimism. The chapter suggests that subjective happiness of emerging adults in Spain may be a function of the joint influence of both the 5Cs of PYD and character strengths, such as gratitude and optimism.