Well-being has become a central concern in contemporary societies, particularly in the face of rapid social change, growing inequalities, and increasing mental health challenges across the lifespan. This book offers a comprehensive, multidisciplinary, and internationally grounded exploration of well-being, positioning it as a dynamic, relational, and context-dependent construct that evolves from early life to older adulthood.
Bringing together scholars from psychology, education, health, and the social sciences, the volume is structured into five thematic parts that reflect the complexity of human development and the diverse contexts in which well-being is shaped. The first part establishes a strong theoretical foundation, integrating perspectives from Positive Psychology, neurobiology and personality research, while also addressing key issues in the assessment of well-being, including the PERMA Profiler.
The second part focuses on well-being in childhood and adolescence, emphasizing comprehensive and preventive approaches that highlight the role of early relationships, health care, sport, and interprofessional strategies in promoting healthy development. The third part then examines adolescence and emerging adulthood as critical periods for positive development.
The fourth part explores well-being in adulthood through a diversity of specific contexts, including eco-anxiety, labor participation, transitions from education to work, physical activity, chronic illness, artistic engagement, and pregnancy and childbirth. The final part focuses on positive aging, offering integrative perspectives on flourishing, caregiving, dependency, and mental health in later life.
A distinctive strength of this volume lies in its integrative lifespan perspective, its strong empirical grounding, and its explicit attention to sociocultural and contextual diversity, particularly from Latin American and international perspectives. This book will be a valuable resource for researchers, practitioners, and graduate students seeking evidence-based frameworks and applied insights to understand, assess, and promote well-being across diverse populations and life stages.
Rubia Cobo-Rendón is a researcher at the Multilevel Learning Laboratory (AMES) of the Instituto de Bienestar Socioemocional (IBEM), Faculty of Psychology, Universidad del Desarrollo, Chile. She is a psychologist and holds a Doctorate in Psychology from Universidad de Concepción (Chile), a Magister Scientiarum in Clinical Psychology, and specialist degrees in Child and Youth Psychology and Higher Education Teaching. She has completed postdoctoral training in Artificial Intelligence in Education. She has extensive experience as a university professor in Research Methodology, Educational Psychology, and Well-Being Psychology across several institutions in Latin America. Her research agenda focuses on protective factors of student well-being, psychometrics, research methodologies, motivational–cognitive variables in university students, adaptation to university life, and the integration of artificial intelligence in educational contexts. Within AMES, she leads the research line Determinants of Well-Being Associated with Success in Higher Education, which examines individual, contextual, and pedagogical factors related to student well-being, academic performance, and retention. She is an active peer reviewer for international journals and a member of professional and scientific psychology associations in Latin America.
Diego García-Álvarez is a psychologist and educator with academic training in education sciences and educational technologies. He holds a postgraduate degree in Educational Psychology, a PhD in Educational Sciences, and has completed postdoctoral research in philosophy and educational sciences. He is a Full Professor at Universidad Metropolitana in Caracas, Venezuela, and an Associate Researcher at the Center for Psychology Studies of the University of Montevideo, Uruguay. His research focuses on the psychology of well-being, health, and optimal human functioning. He has received several academic distinctions, including the Lyezer Katán Prize for intellectual and scientific productivity.
Alejandro Sánchez Oñate is a researcher at the Multilevel Learning Laboratory (AMES) of the Instituto de Bienestar Socioemocional (IBEM) and Director of the Master’s Program in Educational Psychology at Universidad del Desarrollo, Chile. He is a psychologist from Universidad del Desarrollo, holds a Master’s degree in Social Research and Development, and a PhD in Psychology from Universidad de Concepción. His research focuses on social cohesion processes and their relationship with well-being in school education, with particular interest in mixed methods research.
Daniela Bruna Jofré is a psychologist with a Master’s degree in Dynamic Psychotherapies from Universidad del Desarrollo and a PhD in Psychology from Universidad de Concepción. She is a Research Professor at Universidad del Desarrollo, Director of the Multilevel Learning Laboratory (AMES), and Research Coordinator at the Faculty of Psychology. Her research focuses on self-regulated learning in higher education, evidence-informed teaching practices, feedback, and assessment design. She has led and collaborated in several ANID-funded research projects and has published in journals indexed in Web of Science and Scopus.
Pablo Vergara Barra is a psychologist and psychotherapist from Universidad de Concepción, Chile. He holds a Master’s degree in Child and Adolescent Developmental Psychology from Université Jean Jaurès (France) and a PhD in Mental Health from Universidad de Concepción. He is a member of the Laboratory of Mental Health and Psychotherapy Determinants and IBEM at Universidad del Desarrollo. His work focuses on parental mental health and well-being and their influence on child and adolescent development.
