Adolescent Political Activism and Long-Term Happiness: A 21-Year Longitudinal Study on the Development of Micro- and Macrosocial Worries
Abstract
Utilizing latent growth modeling, the long-term development of worries among peace movement supporters is examined. Data originate from a seven-wave German longitudinal study started in 1985 with on average 14-year-olds. Waves were interspersed 3 and a half years each. Activists are assumed to have lower (self-related) microworries (Hypothesis 1) and higher macroworries (concerned with larger entities; Hypothesis 2) than nonactivists at the onset of the study. Nonactivists who appraised the threat of nuclear war as high in 1985 are assumed to report worse mental health than their activist age-mates 21 years later (Hypothesis 3). Activists are assumed to express relatively more macroworries than nonactivists in midadulthood (Hypothesis 4). All four hypotheses were confirmed. Results are interpreted in a stress-coping (Lazarus) and resource (Elder) framework, suggesting that refraining from acting out against a perceived sociopolitical threat is a long-term risk for a positive mental health trajectory.
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In a longitudinal study of German peace movement supporters, activism was negatively associated with microsocial worries.
“+ association of activism with macrosoc. worries and mental health; - asso - ciation of activism with microsoc. worries”
From The Effect of Civic Engagement on Different Dimensions of Well-Being in Youth: A Scoping Review (2025) · cites this paper as Boehnke and Wong (2011)
In a longitudinal study of German peace movement supporters, activism was positively associated with macrosocial worries.
“+ association of activism with macrosoc. worries and mental health; - asso - ciation of activism with microsoc. worries”
From The Effect of Civic Engagement on Different Dimensions of Well-Being in Youth: A Scoping Review (2025) · cites this paper as Boehnke and Wong (2011)
In a longitudinal study of German peace movement supporters, activism was positively associated with mental health.
“+ association of activism with macrosoc. worries and mental health; - asso - ciation of activism with microsoc. worries”
From The Effect of Civic Engagement on Different Dimensions of Well-Being in Youth: A Scoping Review (2025) · cites this paper as Boehnke and Wong (2011)
Most studies in the mental health area were longitudinal, and thus more suitable for assessing causality.
“The main advantage of the existing literature in this area is that most studies were longitudinal (Ballard et al., 2019 ; Boehnke & Wong, 2011 ; Hope et al., 2018 ; Wiium et al., 2023; Wray-Lake et al., 2019 ), and thus more suitable for assessing causality.”
From The Effect of Civic Engagement on Different Dimensions of Well-Being in Youth: A Scoping Review (2025) · cites this paper as Boehnke & Wong, 2011
German youths' activism in a peace movement helped reduce microworries, associated with a decrease in anxiety and psychosomatic symptoms, and an improvement of mental health and experienced happiness.
“Boehnke and Wong ( 2011 ) also found that German youths' activism in a peace movement (representing protest action) helped to reduce one's 'microworries' (i.e., anxiety or emotional disturbance about objects close to the self), which was associated with a decrease in anxiety and psychosomatic symptoms, and an improvement of mental health and experienced happiness.”
From The Effect of Civic Engagement on Different Dimensions of Well-Being in Youth: A Scoping Review (2025) · cites this paper as Boehnke & Wong, 2011
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“Boehnke and Wong ( 2011 ) also found that German youths’ activism in a peace movement (representing protest action) helped to reduce one’s “microworries” (i.e., anxiety or emotional disturbance about objects close to the self), which was associated with a decrease in anxiety and psychosomatic…”
- Authors
- Boehnke, K., & Wong, B.
- Affiliations
- Constructor University (DE)
- National University of Singapore (SG)
- Corresponding author
- Boehnke, Klaus
- ORCID
- Boehnke, Klaus
- Venue
- Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin
- Publisher
- SAGE Publications
- Published
- 2011-02-09
- Volume
- 37
- Issue
- 3
- Pages
- 435-447
- ISSN
- 0146-1672 (ISSN-L)
- 1552-7433
- OpenAlex
- W2075361040
- Cited by
- 65
- References
- 54
- Citations by year
- 2026: 3 · 2025: 6 · 2024: 10 · 2023: 4 · 2022: 6 · 2021: 6 · 2020: 3 · 2019: 6 · 2018: 6 · 2016: 4 · 2015: 4 · 2013: 1 · 2012: 2
- FWCI
- 3.04
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Funders
- Friedrich-Schiller-Universität Jena
- National University of Singapore
- Universität Bremen
- Bremen International Graduate School of Social Sciences
- Topics
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Social Psychology › Psychological Well-being and Life Satisfaction
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Experimental and Cognitive Psychology › Anxiety, Depression, Psychometrics, Treatment, Cognitive Processes
- Social Sciences › Sociology and Political Science › Social and Intergroup Psychology
- Keywords
- peace movement, worry, mental health, resource theory, developmental trajectories
- MeSH terms
- Adaptation, Psychological, Adolescent, Adult, Anxiety Disorders, Child, Female, Germany, Happiness, Humans, Longitudinal Studies, Male, Mental Health, Nuclear Warfare, Politics, Surveys and Questionnaires, Social Environment, Socioeconomic Factors, Stress, Psychological, Young Adult
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