engleski

Gender difference in socio-psychological predictors of subjective quality of life

Background: Previous studies in the region have reported gender differences in overall subjective quality of life in favour of men. In other words, women are more likely to report a lower quality of life than men in at least one of the domains assessed. The aim of this study was to examine gender differences in subjective quality of life and socio-demographic and psychological characteristics as predictors of the overall quality of life, and to determine whether those variables predict subjective quality of life and to what extent. Methods: The study comprises 360 participants from general adult population in Croatia (44.7% men and 55.3% women), aged 18-64 years, who did not report any depressive or anxiety disorders. The following instruments were used: Personal Wellbeing Index, Mental health continuum, Illusory Optimism Scale, How I See Myself questionnaire, and Control Beliefs Scale. Findings: Significant gender differences in overall SQOL were revealed, with women reporting lower SQOL when compared to men. Hierarchical regression analysis identified Positive mental health as the strongest predictor of SQOL, followed by self-perceived economic status in both groups. Illusory optimism was the third significant predictor among men, but not among women. Discussion: Present research contributes to the better understanding of the emotion-cognition in relation to subjective quality of life. It was discussed whether such a gender difference in cognitive apparatus, more precisely in positive cognitive bias, could be underlying overall SQOL and to be accountable for higher results in SQOL among men, when compared to women.

quality of life, gender difference

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