Prospective Relations Between Hope and Cognitive and Affective Components of Subjective Well-Being in Early Adolescents

Subjective well-being (SWB) encompasses cognitive evaluations of life satisfaction and the affective experience of emotions. Hope, a future-oriented cognitive construct, has been consistently associated with higher SWB; however, longitudinal research in childhood remains limited. This study examined the prospective relations between dispositional hope and SWB among 1,302 children aged 9–13 across two measurement waves separated by 1 year. Using cross-lagged structural equation modeling, results showed that hope at Wave 1 significantly predicted higher life satisfaction (Personal Well-Being Index), greater positive affect, and lower negative affect at Wave 2, after controlling for stability and gender. Reverse effects from SWB to hope were not significant. Findings support Snyder’s hope theory and highlight hope as a key cognitive resource for promoting well-being and resilience before adolescence.