An Empirical Analysis of Life Satisfaction in Adolescent Development in High- and Middle-income Countries

The income discrepancies in high- and middle-income countries increases stress, limitations in access to social resources, and aggravates health situations. The empirical analysis of this experimental study studies the relationship between parental income inequality in early life and health and life satisfaction of adolescents. This study uses empirical data from the Health Behaviour in School-aged Children (HBSC) to study school-age children health behaviour symptoms in high- and middle-income countries in the years 2002, 2006, 2010 and 2014. The research uses macro variables and the income inequality index from the World Bank. The analysis of the Gini coefficient was carried out among high- and middle-income countries. In this sense, the results show that income gaps prevail in households, directly impacting adolescent development. Therefore, improving inequality remains the pending issue in most high- and middle-income countries and meets the poverty reduction goals established by the SDGs of the 2030 agenda. This research aims to reduce the existing gaps in addressing income inequality.