Indigenous teenagers are just as happy as non-indigenous adults, a recent study shows.
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The RMIT study of 504 Aborigines aged 12 to 19 found their level of subjective wellbeing - the scientific term for happiness - was comparable to that of non-indigenous adults.
RMIT School of Health Sciences lecturer Adrian Tomyn said, ''There is an assumption that because indigenous Australians score poorly on objective measures of quality of life ... they would have equally poor levels of subjective wellbeing.
''But our study has revealed that indigenous adolescents are, on average, as happy with their lives as the general Australian population, a sign of great resilience in the face of adverse circumstances.
''While the average indigenous teen is doing well, it is clear there is room for improvement, with our research showing those who do struggle to cope with challenges in their lives score quite poorly on our happiness index.''
The study found while young Aborigines' happiness was on par with non-indigenous Australian adults, they were almost twice as likely to score in the ''high risk'' range for happiness, an indicator of depression. Female indigenous teens were found to be four times more likely to score in the ''high risk'' range than males.
The survey used a happiness index, the personal wellbeing index for schoolchildren and adolescents, which asked respondents to indicate their level of happiness out of 10 with seven important life ''domains'' - standard of living, personal health, achievement in life, personal relationships, personal safety, community connection and future security. These scores were then combined and averaged to find the overall happiness score.