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How Does Reading Fiction Support Adolescents' Wellbeing? A Qualitative Study Examining Positive Affect, Connection and Personal Growth.

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Title: How Does Reading Fiction Support Adolescents' Wellbeing? A Qualitative Study Examining Positive Affect, Connection and Personal Growth.
Authors: Currie, Nicola (AUTHOR), Webber, Charlotte (AUTHOR), Wilkinson, Katherine (AUTHOR), Clark, Christina (AUTHOR), Moss, Gemma (AUTHOR), McGeown, Sarah (AUTHOR)
Source: Reading Psychology. Oct2025, Vol. 46 Issue 7, p654-679. 26p.
Subjects: Fiction, Well-being, Affect (Psychology), Empathy, Maturation (Psychology), Affiliation (Psychology), Literacy, Teenagers
Abstract: This study provides novel and nuanced insights into the relationship between adolescents' fiction reading and their wellbeing. In total, 19 adolescents (aged 15–17-years-old) living in the UK participated in semi-structured interviews exploring three aspects of wellbeing: positive affect, connection and personal growth. In relation to positive affect, adolescents reported a range of rich and diverse emotions in relation to reading, with current emotional state and/or reading environment often influencing this. Regarding connection, adolescents shared feelings of connection to fictional characters, friends, family and online reading communities through reading, with each of these connections enriching them in different ways. Finally, in relation to personal growth, adolescents expressed that books nurtured their own personal development, supported their empathy and understanding of others, and improved their general knowledge and literacy skills. This research significantly deepens and expands our understanding of the enriching effects that fiction reading can have for adolescents and highlights the need for research-informed practices to increase their engagement with books. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
Copyright of Reading Psychology is the property of Taylor & Francis Ltd and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites without the copyright holder's express written permission. Additionally, content may not be used with any artificial intelligence tools or machine learning technologies. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)
Database: Psychology and Behavioral Sciences Collection
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  Data: How Does Reading Fiction Support Adolescents' Wellbeing? A Qualitative Study Examining Positive Affect, Connection and Personal Growth.
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  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="JN" term="%22Reading+Psychology%22">Reading Psychology</searchLink>. Oct2025, Vol. 46 Issue 7, p654-679. 26p.
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  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Fiction%22">Fiction</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Well-being%22">Well-being</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Affect+%28Psychology%29%22">Affect (Psychology)</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Empathy%22">Empathy</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Maturation+%28Psychology%29%22">Maturation (Psychology)</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Affiliation+%28Psychology%29%22">Affiliation (Psychology)</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Literacy%22">Literacy</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Teenagers%22">Teenagers</searchLink>
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  Data: This study provides novel and nuanced insights into the relationship between adolescents' fiction reading and their wellbeing. In total, 19 adolescents (aged 15–17-years-old) living in the UK participated in semi-structured interviews exploring three aspects of wellbeing: positive affect, connection and personal growth. In relation to positive affect, adolescents reported a range of rich and diverse emotions in relation to reading, with current emotional state and/or reading environment often influencing this. Regarding connection, adolescents shared feelings of connection to fictional characters, friends, family and online reading communities through reading, with each of these connections enriching them in different ways. Finally, in relation to personal growth, adolescents expressed that books nurtured their own personal development, supported their empathy and understanding of others, and improved their general knowledge and literacy skills. This research significantly deepens and expands our understanding of the enriching effects that fiction reading can have for adolescents and highlights the need for research-informed practices to increase their engagement with books. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
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  Data: <i>Copyright of Reading Psychology is the property of Taylor & Francis Ltd and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites without the copyright holder's express written permission. Additionally, content may not be used with any artificial intelligence tools or machine learning technologies. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract.</i> (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)
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RecordInfo BibRecord:
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      – Type: doi
        Value: 10.1080/02702711.2025.2504974
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      – Code: eng
        Text: English
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        PageCount: 26
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      – SubjectFull: Fiction
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Well-being
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Affect (Psychology)
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      – SubjectFull: Empathy
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      – SubjectFull: Literacy
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      – SubjectFull: Teenagers
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      – TitleFull: How Does Reading Fiction Support Adolescents' Wellbeing? A Qualitative Study Examining Positive Affect, Connection and Personal Growth.
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            NameFull: Currie, Nicola
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            NameFull: Webber, Charlotte
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              M: 10
              Text: Oct2025
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