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This study aims to test subjective indicators designed to analyze children’s predisposition towards food consumption, to assess their subjective well-being, and to explore the relationship between subjective well-being, predisposition towards food consumption and satisfaction with food. Gender differences are analyzed. It was conducted on 371 children aged 10 to 12 by means of a self-administered questionnaire. Results show that children’s motivations in relation to taste and health are relevant subjective indicators of their predisposition towards food consumption. They demonstrate a high subjective well-being, measured using Cummins and Lau’s adapted version of the Personal Well-Being Index–School Children (PWI-SC) (2005), overall life satisfaction (OLS) and satisfaction with various life domains (friends, family, sports, food and body). In order to analyze the relationship between the three aforementioned constructs, regression models were conducted. The interest children have in food, the importance they give to different reasons for eating, scores from the PWI-SC, OLS and satisfaction with various life domains were regressed on satisfaction with food. It was observed that OLS, health motivations, satisfaction with health from the PWI-SC and satisfaction with doing things away from home (also from the PWI-SC), contribute to explaining satisfaction with food. The results obtained suggest that the different indicators for children’s predisposition towards food consumption explored here and subjective well-being are relevant determinants of satisfaction with food. They also appear to reinforce the importance of exploring food satisfaction in any study aimed at analyzing the well-being of the 10 to 12 year-old population.

It is well established that children’s school readiness is associated with their later academic achievement, but less is known about whether school readiness is also associated with other measures of school success, such as students’ social and emotional wellbeing. While some previous research has shown a link between early social and emotional development and student wellbeing, results are mixed and the strength of these relationships vary depending on whether data is based on child, teachers or parents ratings and which specific student wellbeing outcomes are measured. The present study explored the association between teacher-rated school readiness (Mage = 5.6 years) across five developmental domains (physical, social, emotional, language and cognitive, and communication and general knowledge) and four aspects of student wellbeing (life satisfaction, optimism, sadness and worries) in Grade 6 (Mage = 11.9 years) in a sample of 3906 Australian children. After adjustment for background child and family-level factors, children’s early physical, social and emotional development were associated with all four wellbeing outcomes in Grade 6, but early language and cognitive skills and communication and general knowledge skills were only associated with internalising behaviours (sadness and worries). Mechanisms through which these different aspects of development might influence later wellbeing are discussed, as well as ways that schools and governments can support students’ social and emotional wellbeing.

This study presents an integrative review of the scientific literature on children’s subjective well-being (SWB) and its association with peer relationships and resilience. Articles addressing children’s SWB published in English and Portuguese from 2014 to 2020 were investigated. The data bases were PubMed, PsycINFO, SciELO, Scopus. 14 studies were selected after applying the inclusion and exclusion criteria. Most of the articles were published in English, were empirical studies, with quantitative design, and samples of children in the school context. There was an association between children’s SWB and peer relationships, with contribution of personal (e.g. sex) and contextual (e.g. school environment) variables to the relationship between these constructs. Individual (e.g. self-esteem) and contextual (e.g. positive parenting) aspects of resilience were found as variables that are related to children’s SWB. The review highlights the potential of positive peer relationships in childhood as a predictor of both SWB and resilience.

The safety of children is one of the fundamental indicators of their wellbeing. This study focuses on children’s constructs of their safety, and insecurity and agency within the cultural context of Pakistan. Adopting child standpoint as the methodological frame for this study, we employed child-participatory techniques within our research. A total of 30 children aged between 8 to 12 who belonged to different rural and urban settings in Rawalpindi and Islamabad were interviewed. We found that children constructed their safety and insecurity in relational and community contexts wherein parents, siblings, friends, teachers and neighbors occupied important positions in their lives. We also found that these members were seen as playing a pivotal role in providing economic and emotional security, a sense of belonging and happiness to the children. Safety was defined in terms of being loved and cared for by significant family relations such as parents and siblings and of demonstrating love, respect and care towards them. The participants also revealed being allowed a certain level of freedom to make choices and do things, but with this being circumscribed by the moral obligation to participate in different domestic activities, accept parental restraints and express solidarity towards them, which was seen as being crucial to their own safety. Insecurity was discussed in the context of home, school and neighborhood which undermined their agency.

This paper focuses on theoretical debates about child well-being and introduces the structural model of child well-being. The development of the model has its origins in the great diversity of concepts of well-being in the research field. The model is based on the definition of health by the World Health Organisation (WHO 1946), the bioecological theory of child development (Bronfenbrenner and Morris 1998), social support theory (Cobb 1976), and the socio-cultural approach to human development (Vygotsky 1962; Leont’ev 1978). The general frame of the model is founded on the new paradigm of childhood, especially the notion of the child as an active social actor. The model analyzes child well-being as a construct which is made up of dimensions of well-being at the individual level and framed by preconditions of well-being at both individual and societal levels. The dimensions of well-being are physical, mental, social, and material, while the frame of well-being consists of subjective action, a circle of care, the structures of society, and culture. The relationships between the different elements are also included in the model. The paper concludes with a discussion on the model as a whole.

In this paper, I use the Youth Panel data in the British Household Panel Survey to examine how changes in family structure influence the well-being of young people in the sample. Using 15 years of panel data, I use pooled cross-sectional and fixed effects models to estimate how the changes in family structure influence the well-being of children. In the pooled cross-sectional analysis, statistically significant differences are found between young people in living with two biological parents and all other groups. Fixed effects models demonstrate that transitioning out of a two-parent biological family is associated with less happiness, self esteem and household income. Movement into stepfamilies also decreases the happiness of young people, although the transition is also met by an increase in household income.

In England, about 69,000 children and young people are in care, primarily because of abuse and neglect. The impact of maltreatment can be long lasting and the quality of substitute care the child receives has a significant impact on children’s developmental recovery. Yet little is known about how looked after children and young people view their own well-being. Do they identify the same elements as important to their wellbeing as do children in general population and how might their well-being be measured? Here, we describe the development of an on-line survey to measure the subjective well-being of children in care. Eighteen focus groups were held involving 140 children and young people to understand their perceptions of what was important to their wellbeing. Although there were domains of well-being, such as the importance of relationships, that were held in common with children in the general population, looked after children identified other domains and their emphasis differed. Children emphasised the importance of relationships with foster carers, social workers and siblings and of being able to trust the adults in their lives. Unlike children in the general population, looked after children thought that having a coherent account of their histories and knowing the reason for being in care was crucial. The study demonstrated that children as young as 6 years old were able to provide meaningful responses about their well-being. The challenge for practice is to respond to those views and not leave children disillusioned that their views have made no difference.

This paper presents the findings of a study that used an innovative mixed methods community based participatory research approach that included participatory photo mapping, which combines photography, youth-led neighborhood tours, and advocacy (n = 10); in-depth interviews with youth (n = 21); and spatial analysis of neighborhood factors using Geographic Information Systems (GIS). The focus is on youths’ descriptions of the meaning and implications of abandoned housing for their own and their community’s well-being. Youth in this study indicated that abandoned properties signify that no one cares about the neighborhood. A youth-authored version of broken windows theory is presented that can be used to better understand the built environment as an indicator of child and neighborhood well-being. This multi-step cycle, reminiscent of broken windows theory, is as follows: 1) unrepaired signs of incivility signal that no one cares; 2) residents withdraw, become more fearful; 3) untended property becomes “fair game” leading to more crime and incivilities; and finally, 4) a breakdown of community control and individual and community vulnerability. The youths’ narratives are used to highlight research and practice implications and suggest the need for future youth-engaged, community-partnered intervention research to address the effects of housing abandonment.

Through the creation of a ‘Flemish Action Plan for Children’s Rights 2011–2014’, the Flemish Government (Belgium) engaged itself, amongst others, to develop a set of indicators to monitor the realization of children’s rights. This commitment inspired the Children’s Rights Knowledge Centre (KeKi) to conduct a critical study about the use of indicators to monitor children’s rights. The study exists of a critical literature review regarding the creation of children’s rights indicators, an expert consultation and a participative followup of the steps taken by the Flemish Government in developing the indicators. In this article, the main challenges and opportunities that were identified through this study, are presented.