Peer-reviewed article
Middle Years Development Instrument (MDI) Child Well-Being and Assets in a Predominantly Hispanic/Latinx Student Population
Emily Hotez, Judith L. Perrigo, Jordan Morales, Lisa Stanley, Neal Halfon ·
Summary
Written by AI, not yet AICS's view · claude-haiku-4-5-20251001This study used the Middle Years Development Instrument to measure self-reported well-being and developmental assets in 757 Hispanic/Latinx 5th and 6th grade students in Los Angeles County schools. The research found that adult support, health behaviors, peer relationships, and school experiences were significantly associated with higher odds of child well-being, measured through optimism, happiness, self-esteem, and general health. Notably, activity engagement was not significantly associated with well-being outcomes. The study suggests that protective assets may work differently for younger versus older middle-childhood students.
Key points
- Adult, health, peer, and school developmental assets were significantly correlated with higher odds of well-being components
- Adult and health assets provided protective benefits specifically for 6th graders, offsetting their generally lower well-being compared to 5th graders
- Activity engagement was not significantly correlated with any well-being component
- The study included 757 students, 81.9% Hispanic/Latinx, from two Los Angeles County school districts
- Developmental transitions between 5th and 6th grade may strengthen or weaken the protective effects of assets
Limitations
This is a cross-sectional study comparing different grade cohorts (5th graders in 2019, 6th graders in 2023) rather than following the same children over time, limiting causal inference about developmental trajectories. The study is limited to two school districts in Los Angeles County and does not include longitudinal follow-up to determine whether associations persist over time.
Abstract
Abstract Monitoring child development at the population level is essential for informing research, policy, and practice. There is limited population-level data on middle childhood (ages 10–13)—a critical developmental stage marked by biological, cognitive, and socioemotional changes—as well as a lack of self-report data from Hispanic/Latinx children. This U.S.-based study aimed to (1) describe 5th and 6th grade students’ self-reported Middle Years Development Instrument (MDI) scores on optimism, happiness, self-esteem, sadness, and general health (i.e., MDI well-being components) and adult support, health behaviors, peer relationships, school experiences, and activity engagement (i.e., MDI developmental assets); (2) examine correlations between MDI well-being components and assets; and (3) identify potential developmental differences in MDI scores between 5th and 6th graders. Using cross-sectional MDI data, we analyzed responses from 757 students in two predominantly Hispanic/Latinx (81.9%) Los Angeles County school districts, collecting data from 5th graders in 2019 and 6th graders in 2023. Ordinal logistic regression analyses revealed that adult, health, peer, and school MDI assets were significantly correlated with higher odds of MDI well-being components, with small to large effect sizes. Notably, adult and health MDI assets had protective benefits for 6th graders, partially offsetting their generally lower MDI well-being; in contrast, the MDI activity asset was not significantly correlated with outcomes in any MDI well-being component. Findings highlight the utility of the MDI in understanding associations between specific developmental assets and components of well-being during middle childhood. Developmental transitions may strengthen or attenuate the protective effects of assets.