Peer-reviewed article
Child well-being in the civilian literature
Lyndon A. Riviere ·
Summary
Written by AI, not yet AICS's view · claude-sonnet-5-5This is a narrative review of research on child well-being published between 1998 and 2017. It looks at how child well-being is defined, which theories exist, and which factors influence it. The review finds that there are many definitions but no universal one, and that some definitions do not reflect the current consensus on the critical elements of child well-being. It also finds that little attention has been given to theory development and that most research appears to be atheoretical. The authors call for existing theories to be tested empirically and for the cultural context to be considered.
Key points
- A universal definition of child well-being is elusive despite several existing definitions.
- Some definitions give a useful starting point, while others do not reflect the current consensus on the critical elements of child well-being.
- Scant attention has been given to theory development, and most research appears to be atheoretical.
- Much of the English-language literature contributes little to a holistic understanding of how proximal and distal factors interact to affect child well-being.
- Existing theories need empirical evaluation, and theory development and testing should consider cultural context.
Limitations
Only the abstract is available, so the specific definitions, theories and influencing factors reviewed are not described. The review covers literature in English from 1998 to 2017 and does not report findings for any particular country or an intervention.
Abstract
Introduction: Despite the substantial research literature on child well-being, there are notable gaps particularly with regards to child well-being definitions and theories. Methods: A narrative review of the child well-being literature published between 1998 and 2017 was conducted. It focused on definitions, child well-being theories, and the key factors that influence child well-being. Results: While there are several definitions of child well-being, a universal definition is elusive. Some provide a useful starting point to understand and study this phenomenon; others do not reflect the current consensus on the critical elements of child well-being. In contrast, scant attention has been devoted to theory development, which can guide research in this area, and most research appears to be atheoretical. Consequently, much of the literature in English contributes little toward a holistic understanding of the complex interaction between the proximal and distal factors that affect child well-being. Discussion: The lack of a universal child well-being definition, which is a significant shortcoming, is probably influenced by the dearth of theoretical models. There is also a need for the existing theories to be empirically evaluated. Importantly, theory development and testing should ensure that the cultural context is considered.