| dc.description.abstract | Background: Life satisfaction among adolescents has historically been an understudied field, despite its importance related to positive psychology and well-being. Several studies have identified family factors as central predictors of adolescent life satisfaction. However, a potentially important family factor that has yet to be thoroughly addressed in research is the aspect of parental absence among adolescents. The purpose of the current study was to examine the relationship between perceived parental absence and life satisfaction in adolescents. Additionally, the thesis explored whether and to what extent parental support and self-efficacy affected the proposed relationship between perceived parental absence and life satisfaction among adolescents. Method: The current study is based on data from the seventh wave of the Norwegian Tracking Opportunities and Problems Study (TOPP), using a sample of 16-17-year-old Norwegian adolescents (n = 363). The relationship between perceived parental absence and life satisfaction was examined using linear regression analysis, while the mediating effect of parental support and the moderating effect of self-efficacy was examined using hierarchical regression analyses. Additionally, gender, socio-economic status, number of siblings, and parental marital status were considered as potential confounding variables. Results: Perceived parental absence and life satisfaction were found to be significantly negatively correlated. Parental support significantly mediated the relationship between perceived parental absence and life satisfaction. Self-efficacy, on the other hand, was not found to be a significant moderator in the relationship between perceived parental absence and life satisfaction. Parents’ marital status was found to be the only significant covariate. Conclusion: The current findings illustrate the importance of parents being physically present in their adolescent children’s lives and providing them with support, even as older adolescents are perceived to be more independent. The results further highlight how lower levels of perceived parental absence promote parental support, seemingly enhancing life satisfaction among adolescents. Our study contributes to filling in important gaps in the research field and provides valuable insights and information for parents balancing work and family, as well as practitioners working in parental counseling. | eng |