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The Link between Individualism-Collectivism and Life Satisfaction Among Emerging Adults from four Countries
Background: The current investigation tested Life Satisfaction (LS) among emerging adults, in the context of
Individualism (I) and Collectivism (C), by distinguishing both cultural and individual levels of analysis,
considering their horizontal (H) and vertical (V) dimensions, and controlling age and sex effects. Methods:
Emerging adults (N=1760 university students, ages 18-25) located across four countries, namely China, Italy,
Russia, and the United States, known to differ in the Individualism Index Value (IDV), completed measures on
the Horizontal and Vertical Individualism and Collectivism and Satisfaction With Life. Results: At the cultural
level, an ANCOVA provided evidence of significant country effects on LS. Post-hoc comparisons indicated that
the higher the country IDV score, the higher the average LS score, in the following order: US, Italian, Russian
and Chinese. At individual level, LS was unrelated to with HI and VI. Instead, it was associated with HC and
VC. Conclusions: The positive link between LS and VC provided evidence of the important role of family
connectedness on LS across different cultures during emerging adulthood. However, contrary to previous
evidence, LS was unrelated to HI and VI. Study findings provide an important impetus for researchers to further
examine the links between LS and I-C.