Peer-reviewed article
Positive Well‐Being
Mark D. Holder, Katherine Graydon ·
Summary
Written by AI, not yet AICS's view · claude-sonnet-5-5This encyclopedia-style entry reviews how positive well-being in children (such as happiness, life satisfaction and thriving) is measured, using quantitative, qualitative and mixed methods. It notes that research on children has traditionally focused on ill-being, such as anxiety and depression, rather than well-being. It discusses studies from around the world that look at what is linked to higher well-being. It also describes current work testing strategies to raise children's well-being, and says these should allow for individual and cultural differences.
Key points
- Research on children has traditionally focused on ill-being rather than well-being.
- Children with high positive well-being tend to have high-quality social relationships.
- High well-being is linked to a social, outgoing temperament relatively free of anxiety and shyness.
- High well-being is linked to high levels of spirituality.
- Strategies being developed and tested include those focused on giving and on mindfulness exercises; they should not assume one approach works for all children across all cultures.
Limitations
The abstract gives no specific studies, sample sizes, countries or effect sizes, and the correlates it lists show association, not cause. It does not report results of any particular intervention.
Abstract
There is almost universal consensus regarding the high importance and desirability of positive well‐being in children. Despite this consensus, the study of children has traditionally focused on their ill‐being (e.g., anxiety, depression, and loneliness) and not on their well‐being (e.g., happiness, life satisfaction, and thriving). This entry reviews measures of the components of children's well‐being using quantitative, qualitative, and mixed methods and discusses studies that use these methods to identify the correlates of well‐being in children throughout the world. Children with high positive well‐being tend to have high‐quality social relationships; to display a social, outgoing temperament relatively free of anxiety and shyness; and to report high levels of spirituality. Current research, summarized in this entry, is developing and testing strategies to enhance children's positive well‐being in enduring ways, including strategies that focus on giving and exercises in mindfulness. These strategies need to focus on individual differences and not assume that a single approach will be effective in enhancing the well‐being of all children across all cultures.