Self-determination, hope, and subjective well-being in adolescents with cognitive disabilities

Research has shown that it is important to examine positive psychology constructs for commonalities and unique relationships to determine the relevance and implications of these constructs on all people, including adolescents with cognitive disabilities. Self-determination, hope, and subjective well-being are three such constructs. For this study, correlational analyses were used to test the hypothesis that self-determination, hope, and their specific components are significantly positively correlated, and multiple linear regression analyses were used to test the hypothesis that the components of self-determination and hope can predict subjective well-being as defined by positive affect, negative affect, and life satisfaction. Results showed that self-determination, hope, and their components are significantly related on many levels, but not all levels, and that the components of self-determination and hope can predict subjective well-being. These findings offer support for self-determination, hope, and subjective well-being sharing unique relationships, but also still remaining distinct constructs.