Abbasi-Asl, Roya;Yu, Dian;Hasse, Alexa ;Lerner, Richard M.;Tirrell, Jonathan M.;Dowling, Elizabeth M.;Sim, Alistair;Lerner, Jacqueline V.;Zhang, Ruoying;Keces, Natasha;Mackin, Margaret;Olander, Kirsten;Douglas, Kiana;Kibbedi, Patience;Wanyama, Jane;VanderKlok, Emily2025-08-222025-08-222025-04-21Abbasi-Asl, R., Yu, D., Hasse, A., Lerner, R. M., Tirrell, J. M., Dowling, E. M., … VanderKlok, E. (2025). Using youth-specific approaches to illuminate character-well-being relations. International Journal of Adolescence and Youth, 30(1). https://doi.org/10.1080/02673843.2025.2498053 Copy citation to clipboardISSN 0267-3843EISSN 2164-4527https://nru.uncst.go.ug/handle/123456789/12013To date, most studies linking youth well-being to character attributes focus on average effects based on between-person differences. In this study, we examined the within- and between-person relations among character attributes and well-being using an intensive longitudinal data set from the Compassion International (CI) Study of Positive Youth Development in Uganda. Participants (200 CI-enrolled youth, 49.5% female, Mage = 12.13, SDage = 2.19) completed a weekly survey of character attributes (e.g. generosity) and well-being across 10 to 15 occasions. Using doubly latent multilevel structural equation modelling, we found distinct patterns of associations between character constructs and well-being at both levels. Significant variability was also found at the within-person level associations, suggesting that average-level results may not apply to specific individuals. The different pattern of associations across levels and heterogeneity in the person-specific relationships, imply that character development programmes should consider person-specificity in character development to enhance effectiveness in fostering character and promoting overall well-being.enArticle