Search

The current investigation tested life satisfaction (LS), a cognitive component of subjective well‐being, among emerging adults, in the context of individualism (I) and collectivism (C), by distinguishing both cultural and individual levels of analysis, considering their horizontal (H) and vertical (V) dimensions, and controlling age and gender effects. Emerging adults (N = 1760 university students, aged 18–25, Mage = 19.46, SDag = 1.50) located across four countries, namely China, Italy, Russia, and the USA, known to differ in the individualism index value (IDV), completed measures on the Horizontal and Vertical Individualism and Collectivism and Life Satisfaction. At the cultural level, an ANCOVA showed a significant country effects on LS. The post hoc comparisons indicated that the higher the country IDV score, the higher the average LS score, in the following order: Americans, Italians, Russians, and Chinese. At the individual level, LS was unrelated to HI and VI. Instead, it was associated with HC and VC. The positive link between LS and VC suggested an important role of family connectedness on LS across different cultures during emerging adulthood. However, contrary to previous studies, LS was unrelated to HI and VI. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: The Horizontal and Vertical Individualism and Collectivism Scale (INDCOL) is a brief, easy-to-use and good tool to measure individualism and collectivism at individual level. Due to the lack of adequate measures to assess those cultural values in the Italian context and a paucity of research on measurement invariance across groups, the present study aimed to investigate the psychometric properties of the INDCOL in Italian young people. Furthermore, the paper also examined developmental period (adolescents vs. emerging adults) and gender (males vs. females) differences in individualism and collectivism. Methods: Nine hundred and forty Italian students (14–26 years old; 56.4% adolescents) filled in the 16-item version of the INDCOL and the Family Allocentrism-Idiocentrism scale (FAIS). Results: Confirmatory factor analysis suggested a modified four-factor model of the INDCOL (14-item version). The factor structure was invariant across developmental periods and gender. Each dimension showed acceptable internal consistency. The results of multivariate analysis of variance found that emerging adults scored higher in horizontal collectivism than adolescents. Males scored higher in vertical individualism than females. The INDCOL showed good convergent validity with FAIS. Conclusion: The INDCOL is a reliable and valid instrument to assess individuals' individualism and collectivism in the Italian context. These findings contribute to the knowledge about Italian young people's cultural orientation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]