Developmental Patterns of Positive Affect Among Preadolescents in Primary School: A Two-Year Latent Growth Analysis of Peer, Teacher, and Family Influences

Abstract Positive affect (PA) in children tends to decline around the age of 10, with peers, teachers, and family being important socio-contextual factors influencing this development. However, no longitudinal studies have examined how these factors collectively shape PA of preadolescents (in ages 9–12) over time. The aim of this study was to explore the development of preadolescents’ PA and the extent to which peer relationships, teacher sensitivity, and family satisfaction predict PA, as well as potential gender differences. We followed 300 preadolescents from grades 4 to 5 across four timepoints. Socio-contextual factors had distinct effects on PA, with family satisfaction and peer relationships predicting initial PA levels, and peer relationships and teacher sensitivity influencing changes over time. No significant gender differences in PA were found. These findings have implications for the design of interventions to support and enhance PA and broader subjective well-being among primary school preadolescents.