Abstract Some reflections on strengthening epistemic justice and psychosocial well-being in the US child welfare system describes implications of our comparative ethnographic research beginning with the experiences of parents, professionals, and young people within child welfare systems using a comparative, ethnographic approach embedded within time and place. This approach revealed the cultural embeddedness of child welfare systems, as well as the psychosocial-spiritual harm, specifically moral injury, that can occur as a result of epistemic injustice within the US child welfare system. We argue that barriers to creating a more compassionate, epistemically just and effective child welfare system include a misalignment of cultural notions of child maltreatment—why it occurs, who is worthy of help, and who is responsible for helping—with those notions underlying many progressive policies and programs implemented in the United States over the decades. When progressive laws, policies, and programs that support families conflict with widespread cultural notions that criminalize struggling parents and devalue those who are impoverished and from historically oppressed groups, then implementing them and sustaining support from the general public and those in positions of power will falter.
The chapter examines the significant impact of mindfulness on children and adolescents. Mindfulness is the mental state defined by greater concentration, consciousness, and focus on the here and now, free from judgment. This chapter starts with the theoretical background of mindfulness and the current developments of mindfulness related to children's and adolescents' wellbeing. There are three main domains focused on mindfulness. Begin with emotional domains—that explains how mindfulness helps to regulate the emotions. Secondly, cognitive domains explain how mindfulness practices help cognitive development and academic performance in educational settings. Thirdly, social and interpersonal domains explain the uses of mindfulness to improve social skills and interpersonal relationships with peer groups, family, and society. The chapter concludes with the role of parental and educational institutions in promoting mindfulness among children and adolescents to create a positive impact on their lives.
In response to the COVID-19 pandemic two new timely poverty measures have been developed to monitor fast-changing economic conditions for the most deprived. The Han et al. near real-time poverty measure uses responses to a global income question on the Monthly Current Population Survey (CPS) that is available for a subsample of those surveyed. The CPSP monthly poverty measure, widely cited in the media, uses data from the Annual Social and Economic Supplement to the CPS and other sources to impute poverty in the Monthly CPS sample based on demographic and employment variables. This paper evaluates the two measures and their estimates of child poverty around the 2021 temporary changes to the Child Tax Credit (CTC). We argue that conceptually the measure based on responses rather than the one based on imputations is preferable, though both measures suffer from important drawbacks. We also conclude that widely publicized claims that child poverty fell by 25 percent when the Advance CTC payments started and subsequently rose by 41 percent when they ended are based on weak evidence and are overstated. The best evidence, though still imperfect, suggests poverty was relatively stable in 2021 and the first half of 2022. Part of the explanation for the lack of change appears to be a compensating decline in employment among low-skilled workers with children. Other evidence tying changes in well-being to the tax credit is confounded by other policy changes.
Background. In Russia, there is a demand for evaluation of children’s well-being, including subjective well-being, at the national and regional levels. To implement such an evaluation system, it is necessary to develop a Russian Child Well-Being Index (CWBI), which includes indicators of both objective and subjective wellbeing in several domains. One can rely on various national data sources that can be partially integrated into the CWBI, as well as the application of the UNICEF/ Innocenti methodology for children’s well-being evaluation and new developments by Russian research teams. Objective. To analyze the Russian experience in developing approaches to largescale and multidimensional evaluation of children’s well-being (with an emphasis on subjective well-being) and to provide recommendations for development of the national Children’s Well-Being Index (CWBI). Design. Scoping review of the methodology and results of the studies that can inform the Russian task force on CWBI development. Results. Like most international models of subjective well-being, a Russian CWBI will be based on various aspects of the socio-ecological approach. The structure of domains vary but is generally compatible with the UNICEF/Innocenti model. The tools used by Russian researchers have included standardized psychometric techniques (as an independent tool and as a control of various types of validity); questionnaires specially designed to operationalize certain domains of well-being; and qualitative methods applied to small samples of children, such as focus groups, and creative and play-based methods. Work on the development of the CWBI (including the subjective well-being indicators) has been most actively performed in relation to children in state care; therefore, many of the tools have been designed to address the particular characteristics of this target group. Conclusion. Recommendations for development of the national Children’s Well-Being Index (CWBI) are given, including both the index design and organizational/ethical considerations.
This study aims to understand and find out the role of workers in psychosocial assistance for children victims of sexual violence at the Kendari City Social Departement. Qualitative descriptive methods are used to describe social situations related to the role and stages of mentoring. The research informants were selected through purposive sampling, including social workers, psychologists, victims' children, and parents. The data in this study was obtained through interviews, observations and documentation studies, the data obtained was then analyzed qualitatively with an interactive model consisting of data reduction, data presentation and conclusion drawn. The results of the study show that the psychological rehabilitation of child victims of sexual abuse involves several important phases. Educational programs on recovery and mental health help children understand and manage the psychological impact of experienced violence. Social support from family, friends, and the community is also crucial in the healing process, making children feel welcome and supported. Social workers act as mediators, educators, and motivators in this process. They help children cope with the adverse effects of their experiences, establish safe communication, and formulate effective recovery plans. In addition, social workers provide information to the community about the psychological impact of sexual violence and help children learn good coping mechanisms. This psychosocial support typically results in a noticeable improvement in the physical and mental health of the victim's children, allowing them to recover from trauma, improve mental health, and rebuild positive social relationships.
The COVID-19 pandemic that swept over the world from early 2020 triggered both health and economic shocks of unprecedented proportions in recent memory. For the first time in 6 decades, the economic output in the West and Central Africa Region (WCAR) of UNICEF shrank by 2.4 per cent in 2020 as 11 out of the 24 countries in the region recorded negative real GDP growth. Building on impact of economic crisis in the past, particularly the financial crisis of 2008 and the commodity crisis of 2014, this paper examined the impact of the COVID-19 induced economic crisis on child selected child wellbeing outcomes. <br><br>The study finds that up to 6.7 million children born in 2020 might have missed essential vaccination land were not fully vaccinated by age 1. Similarly, the prevalence of undernourishment was projected to increase by 1.38 percentage points from the pre-pandemic level of 16.5 per cent. These estimates are conservative since they do not account for containment measures adopted to limit the spread of COVID-19. To avert these reversals in progress, governments are strongly encouraged to not cut financing for essential child services such as immunization and education as part of austerity measures. Indeed, extra economic support will be needed to offset the anticipated economic effects on households. The international development community are also strongly encouraged to provide additional resources and technical support to ensure that the well-being of children in the WCAR is protected and promoted to the greatest extent possible during this period of economic and social uncertainty.
Kaku Attah Damoah, Frank Otchere, Dominic Richardson
Wounded inner child and mental well-being are two salient components of psychological health among university students that influence their capacity to adapt to academic demands and the developmental challenges of emerging adulthood. This study aimed to describe the prevalence of wounded inner child experiences among students and to examine their relationship with levels of mental well-being. Employing a correlational quantitative design, the research sampled 272 undergraduates and assessed childhood-derived wounds and mental well-being using standardized instruments. Results indicate a significant negative association between wounded inner child scores and mental well-being (r = –0.469), with the dimensions of shame/low self-worth, suppressed anger, and feelings of unlovability contributing most strongly to reduced well-being. These findings suggest that higher levels of wounded inner child experiences are associated with lower emotional and psychological well-being. Overall, the study underscores the importance of counseling interventions that target emotional wound repair and the strengthening of adaptive capacities to promote student mental-health in higher education settings.
Tasya Aprilya, Gian Sugiana Sugara, Anandha Putri Rahimsyah
Abstract The nutrition and care received in childhood can have a profound impact on the adult life of an individual. Governments and the United Nations have emphasized proper care and nutrition for children, and the Sustainable Development Goals have targeted the elimination of stunting and wasting of children under the age of 5 by 2030. However, South Asia is lagging behind in this metric; the World Bank has noted that about 32 percent of Indian children under age of 5 is stunted, while the world average is 22 percent. While a number of studies have looked into ways of improving well-being of a child, and women’s empowerment, the relationship between patriarchy and children well-being has not been extensively studied. In this paper, we use data from the 2019 Demographic and Health Survey of India to study this relationship. We modify the patriarchy index outlined in Singh et al (2022) and use it in our paper. Our primary dependent variable is the standardized height-for-age percentile. We find that patriarchy negatively affects child height in the northern parts of India, and among certain religious groups. We theorize that culture of the land together with religion of the household impacts how patriarchy affects child height.
AbstractWhat does it mean to be a (female) child in the city of Baku, Azerbaijan? How can we critically interpret the girls’ understandings of well-being considering different forms of compliance with unequal social orders? What conclusions may be drawn from understandings of well- being about the nature of welfare state structures and there-in children’s specific positioning? To answer this question, we conducted qualitative interviews with 13 girls during their various leisure activities. The study shows that parents and in particular mothers are children’s key reference persons, while there are hardly any spaces the girls can explore or reference persons outside their immediate families. The article reconstructs how the 13 girls view the social practices of adults and how they relate these practices to their own perceptions of well-being. We inductively reconstruct different forms of compliance, i.e., the extent to which social practices are consistent with the symbolic representations (norms and values) of a specific social order and specific relations of power and hegemony. The analysis shows how girls make differentiations between adult social practices based on their knowledge orders: some practices they justify through a sort of complicity with adultist structures (competent compliance), others they must accept due to their own vulnerabilities as children (compliance and constitutive vulnerability), still others irritate, are rejected, or sabotaged (fragile compliance).
Christine Hunner-Kreisel, Nigar Nasrullayeva, Stefan Kreisel et al.
Abstract Despite the vast landscape of well-being research, children remain understudied, with existing theories primarily designed for adults. This article aims to critically review established well-being models and introduce a child-focused framework addressing current research gaps. The study emphasizes the need for age-appropriate measures and culturally inclusive methodologies to capture children’s unique experiences and developmental stages. The research synthesizes key concepts from hedonic and eudaimonic traditions, Ryff’s psychological well-being, and Seligman’s PERMA model, juxtaposed with Bronfenbrenner’s ecological systems theory. Systematic analysis of theoretical gaps reveals significant omissions, such as the neglect of ethical and wonder dimensions and the underrepresentation of children’s own voices. Through a mixed-methods synthesis, we identify 14 dimensions essential to a holistic understanding of child well-being, from physical health to educational engagement. This culminates in the Holistic Well-being Model for Children (HWMC), which uniquely integrates underexplored facets like ethical curiosity and environmental contexts. The HWMC offers a transformative lens for researchers, educators, and policymakers, ensuring that interventions resonate with children’s realities. By addressing these critical gaps, this study redefines well-being as a multidimensional construct tailored for children, paving the way for innovative research and practices that foster thriving from childhood onwards.
Sepideh Navidmanesh, Maryam Kadkhodaee, Leili Ghadirinokabadi et al.
