Abstract

• The main purpose of the study is to explore happiness, daily stress and psychological hardiness among adolescents. A total sample of 350 students was randomly selected from Shwegyin Township, Bago Region (East). The population in the study included Grade Nine, Grade Ten and Grade Eleven students with the age between 13 and 18 years. In order to find out happiness, daily stress and psychological hardiness, Humboldt Happiness Scale - Adolescent Version (HHS-AV) developed by Reynolds (2011), A Shortened Version of the Adolescent Stress Questionnaire (ASQ-S) developed by Byrne, Anniko, Boersma, Wijk, and Tillfors (2018), and Dispositional Resilience Scale: A Short Hardiness Measure (DRS-15) developed by Bartone (2013) were used. Independent samples t-test results revealed that there was no significant difference in total happiness by gender. But there were significant differences in positive affect subscale and cheerfulness subscale of happiness by gender. Independent samples t-test results also revealed that there was significant difference in daily stress by gender. According to independent samples t-test results, there was no significant difference in total psychological hardiness by gender. But there was significant difference in challenge subscale of psychological hardiness by gender. ANOVA results pointed out that there were significant differences in happiness, daily stress and psychological hardiness by age and grade. The results of Pearson’s correlation showed that there were significant negative correlations between happiness and daily stress, daily stress and psychological hardiness. Furthermore, happiness was significantly and positively correlated with psychological hardiness. Again, multiple regression analysis showed that daily stress was significant negative predictor of happiness whereas psychological hardiness was significant positive predictor of happiness. It is hoped that the findings of the study will be useful to teachers, educators and parents to know the causes of daily stress and its negative impacts on adolescents and then find different nurturing ways to create happy and hardy adolescents.