Feeling outcomes involve a young person’s experience of emotions and development of a sense of self. Young people’s emotional states are continuously changing and are influenced by their temperament, previous experiences, interactions with others, and context. When young people have support and encouragement and can follow their own choices, they feel better. Having a range of feelings (including positive feelings and a positive sense of self) is important for adolescents to thrive.

Feeling outcomes that appear in research studies are subjective, because these feelings are internally felt. While they may be difficult to attribute to particular programs, they still play a key role in a young person’s experience of a program.