Impact of Self-Identity on Life Satisfaction amongst Adolescents: Mediating Effect of Sense of Community

Objectives This study aims to investigate the mediating effect of the sense of community on the relationship between adolescents' self-identity and life satisfaction, and to explore practical implications for educational counseling for adolescents. Methods For this study, data from the 7th year of the ‘Korean Children and Youth Panel Survey (2010)’ by the National Youth Policy Institute of Korea was used, with a sample size of 1,979 participants. Descriptive statistics and correlation analysis were conducted for the main relevant variables. The mediating effect was examined using SPSS Process Macro, and the significance of the mediating effect was confirmed through running bootstrapping in SPSS Process Macro. Results The study's findings reveal significant positive correlations between self-identity and life satisfaction, between self-identity and the sense of community, and between the sense of community and life satisfaction. Moreover, the sense of community significantly mediates the relationship between self-identity and life satisfaction, implying that adolescents' self-identity influences their life satisfaction both directly and indirectly through the sense of community. Conclusions Based on these results, it is suggested that strategic interventions in educational counseling are necessary to establish self-identity and enhance the sense of community among adolescents to improve their life satisfaction.