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While there are subjective well-being measures that incorporate the perceived importance of various life domains into the measurement conceptualization and construction, many researchers follow the approach of summing satisfaction ratings or scores of life domains to represent overall life satisfaction or subjective well-being (SWB). The equal-weight, equal-importance (of domain-specific satisfaction variables) assumption implied by the practice of summing satisfaction ratings to represent SWB was pointed out previously but has not been carefully examined. This paper assessed the plausibility of the equal-weight, equal-importance assumption by 1) comparing whether or not various life domains are perceived as of equal importance, and 2) examining whether or not all domain-specific satisfaction variables account for the variance in SWB to a similar degree. Findings of this study indicated that 1) all life domains were not perceived as equally important, and 2) a small number (subset) of domain-specific satisfaction variables accounted for a large portion of the variance in SWB. These findings call into question the plausibility of the equal-weight, equal-importance assumption.

The domain-of-life approach to subjective well-being (SWB) has been popular for decades. Recognizing the possibility that individuals may not perceive all life domains equally important, many researchers advocate for importance weighting, which is to incorporate the relative importance of life domains (i.e., domain importance) into the scoring of SWB at the individual level. However, the need for and the adequacy of importance weighting remain topics of debate. What has been missing in the debate is the consideration of influences of potential confounding factors. Given that age is significantly associated with domain satisfaction, domain importance, and SWB, assessing importance weighting should not ignore the potential confounding effect of age. Analyzing data from an online survey, we found that adjusting for the confounding effect of age produced negligible changes in the results of assessing the role that domain importance played in the relationship between domain satisfaction and SWB. Our findings support the observations from the literature that the results of assessing importance weighting depended on the SWB variable selected. However, given our non-probability study sample, future studies should continue to consider age as a confounder in assessing importance weighting in the domain-of-life approach to SWB.

There are arguably great benefits when employees experience a sense of meaning across life domains. The current study examined whether meaningfulness of work and family predicts one’s tendency to manage work/life outcomes. A total of 386 participants reported the sense of meaningfulness they derived from work and family responsibilities. Analyses explored how individuals’ relative ratings of work and family meaningfulness, as well as the similarity of these perceptions with those of their partners, affect work-family conflict, balance, and enrichment. Results showed that meaningfulness of work influences all work-family outcomes while intra-personal congruence in work and home predicts more work enrichment of family and less strain-based work-family conflict. Congruence between partners work meaning further predicted less strain and behavior based work-family conflict and less work-family balance. Theoretical and practical implications are discussed, and future directions offered.

Although the associations between satisfaction with life domains (DS) and global life satisfaction (GLS) are well-documented, the roles of culture and gender in this relationship remain largely unknown. The main aim of the present study was to examine the relationships between DS and GLS among women and men in Iran and Serbia, after establishing measurement invariance across groups. In addition, we investigated gender and country differences in DS and GLS. The sample was comprised of 623 undergraduate students from Iran and Serbia. Participants completed measures of GLS and satisfaction with the following seven domains: standard of living, health, achieving in life, relationships, safety, community-connectedness, and future security. Satisfaction with achieving in life and standard of living had similar unique contributions to GLS among Iranian women and men, whereas satisfaction with achieving in life was a stronger predictor of GLS than satisfaction with standard of living among Serbian women and men. These two domains were the only significant predictors of GLS in Serbian women and men, whereas gender-specific predictors of GLS were found in Iran. The results demonstrated that students in Serbia reported higher GLS and DS than Iranian students. Furthermore, we found that women reported higher GLS and DS than men did, with the exception of satisfaction with standard of living for which no significant gender differences were found. The present study provides new insights into the role of gender in the relationship between DS and GLS across cultures.

The symptoms of Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) have been linked to dysfunction in numerous life domains for both children and adults. As such, it is likely that individuals with these and other related symptoms (e.g., sluggish cognitive tempo, SCT) may also experience impaired quality of life. The current study examines the association between ADHD and SCT symptoms and quality of life (QOL) in a community sample of adults. Quality of life data collected from 983 participants (M age = 45.6 years) were analyzed primarily through a series of hierarchical multiple regressions employing SCT and ADHD symptom clusters, demographic, and anxiety and depression scale variables as predictors. Results generally supported the hypothesis that ADHD and SCT symptoms would negatively associate with QOL. Amongst the indicators, inattention and SCT emerged as the strongest predictors of low QOL. These findings underscore the negative impact of ADHD symptoms in adulthood, the independent contribution of SCT, and the importance of considering QOL in prospective research and intervention.

One of the key factors for promoting well-being lies in balancing one’s daily life occupations and the nature of these occupations. Occupation refers to a group of everyday life goal-directed activities which may be associated to any life domain, not necessarily work, such as leisure, education, or self-care. Yet it is not clear what constitutes occupational imbalance, and its association to other factors has not been examined systematically. This study proposed and tested a theoretical model for specifying the structural relationships between occupational imbalance, occupational characteristics, personality and well-being. 288 working adults completed the following questionnaires: Inter-goal Relations Questionnaire (occupational imbalance), Personal Projects Analysis (occupational characteristics), the Big Five Inventory (personality traits) and the Satisfaction with Life Scale (well-being). Twenty-five models were tested using structural equation modeling. All the models fit the data well. Occupational characteristics, with the exception of stress, served as significant mediators between personality and well-being, yet occupational imbalance did not play a significant role across all models. Our findings provide substantial support for the importance of occupation to well-being, however occupational imbalance is still an elusive concept that requires further investigation theoretically and empirically.

Grzeskowiak et al. [Journal of Regional Analysis and Policy 33(2):1–36, 2003] conducted a study that empirically tested a model that integrates the relationships among determinants and outcomes of residents’ satisfaction with community services. We build on their model in attempt to explain how residents’ satisfaction with community services influence satisfaction with the community at large (community well-being) and satisfaction with life (quality of life). Specifically, we hypothesized and empirically demonstrated for the most part that satisfaction with a variety of community services (e.g., services related to housing, education, government, healthcare, employment, religion, public safety, retailing, transportation, and leisure) affect satisfaction with the community and life overall through satisfaction in a variety of life domains (e.g., family, social, leisure, health, financial, cultural, consumer, work, spiritual, and environmental domains).