A Multilevel Longitudinal Study of Individual, Household and Village Factors Associated with Happiness Among Adults in the Southernmost Provinces of Thailand

Abstract

The objective of this paper is to use an ecological model to consider the association of individual, household and village level factors with the happiness or subjective well-being of working age Muslim adults living in the southernmost provinces of Thailand. A civil conflict has been ongoing in this area with a documented incidence of violence and an associated increase in migration. Data were drawn from two rounds of a probability sample of adult women and men living in 1102 Muslim households. Mixed models were used in the analysis. Positive individual factors related to happiness were secular education, strictness of religious practice, and health. Positive household factors included relative household wealth and family support. Positive village factors included the village migration level and community support. Violence was associated with reduced happiness, especially for women. However, the adult residents of the southernmost provinces maintain a positive sense of well being.