Personal Growth Initiatives as a Predictor of Satisfaction with Life among University Students with Depressive Symptoms

This study examined the predictive role of personal growth initiative (PGI) in relation to satisfaction with life among university students with depressive symptoms. It also examined relationships among the study variables (personal growth initiative, satisfaction with life, and depressive symptoms) and gender differences. The sample included 348 university students (68 men, 280 women). The ages of the participants ranged from 17 to 30 years. Data were collected using the Personal Growth Initiative Scale II (PGIS II) by Robitschek et al. (2012), the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale Revised (CESD-R) by Van Dam and Earleywine (2011), and the Satisfaction with Life Scale (SWLS) by Diener et al. (1985). Findings showed that among the students who had depressive symptoms, PGI significantly correlated with satisfaction with life. Two subdomains of PGI, “planfulness” and “intentional behavior,” were significantly correlated with life satisfaction, whereas “readiness for change” and “using resources” were not. PGI significantly predicted 2.9 percent of the variance in life satisfaction. PGI and its subdomains were not significantly correlated with depressive symptoms among students; however, depressive symptoms were significantly negatively correlated with life satisfaction. Students with depressive symptoms had significantly lower PGI scores and life satisfaction than students without depressive symptoms. Students with depressive symptoms also scored significantly lower on the planfulness subdomain of PGI. There were no significant gender differences among students with depressive symptoms in satisfaction with life, PGI, or its subdomains. Overall, the planfulness domain of PGI emerges as a variable to focus on when designing interventions for local students with depression and lower life satisfaction.