Young children’s subjective well-being in a changing cultural context CHILDREN’S WELL-BEING AND THE MEDIA IN CULTURAL AND SOCIETAL CONTEXT -RESEARCH GROUP Leader Anja Riitta Lahikainen, co-reseacrhers Inger Kraav, Kari Tolonen, Merle Taimalu, Piia Korhonen, Juulia Paavonen, Satu Valkonen, Mira Roine, Jukka Partanen University of Tampere, Finland

Basic hypothesis Children’s subjective well-being is too complex a phenomenon to be reduced to any set of family financial or social resources Children’s subjective well-being is too complex a phenomenon to be reduced to any set of family financial or social resources

Problems of definition and selected approach to subjective well-being Lack of theory and lack of cross- disciplinary discussion and research Lack of theory and lack of cross- disciplinary discussion and research This study integrates different disciplinary approaches and offers a comparative analysis of well-being at the system and individual level This study integrates different disciplinary approaches and offers a comparative analysis of well-being at the system and individual level

Basic characteristics of subjective well-being Variablility: it must be actively and continuously maintained Variablility: it must be actively and continuously maintained Social and symbolic interactivity: it is produced and reproduced in social relationships Social and symbolic interactivity: it is produced and reproduced in social relationships Contextuality: contexts provide and change opportunities for action and interaction Contextuality: contexts provide and change opportunities for action and interaction

Assessment of subjective well- being based on experiences of insecurity Relative absence of feelings of insecurity Relative absence of feelings of insecurity Relative absence of autonomy as a source of feelings of insecurity Relative absence of autonomy as a source of feelings of insecurity Relative absence of security engenders helplessness Relative absence of security engenders helplessness

Expressions of insecurity/security Lack on security finds expression in worries worries fears fears psychosomatic symtoms psychosomatic symtoms Security finds expression in exploration exploration secure relationships secure relationships

Family as a provider of subjective well-being and as a threat Basic institution that regulates subjective well-being because Family members are the basic network relationships in child’s everyday life Family members are the basic network relationships in child’s everyday life Responsibility for children is legally delegated to the child’s parents Responsibility for children is legally delegated to the child’s parents

Data Interview data of year-old children and questionnaires to parents Interview data of year-old children and questionnaires to parents 1993/ / / /2003 Finland Finland Estonia Estonia net sample sizes of random samples

Steps to create contact with child Names and addresses of parents from population register, random samples Information letter to parents of the children in the sample. (Made clear that participation is voluntary). Introduction of the topic What was told to the research participants? - computer has picked your child to be included in a study of 5-6 year-old children - study concerns children’s well-being - child will be interviewed Interviewer calls parents; Parents decide whether or not to participate; also made clear to the children that they do not have to participate - reasons for refusal - parents asked to cooperate in preparing and encouraging the child - appointment for the child interview Child interviews (at home or day-care centre) - social network - fears and views on TV Parents filled out four questionnaires - child’s TV viewing, sleep quality and quantity, psychiatric symptoms and background factors

Interview process Structure of the interviewMotivation of the child *Introduction -positioning the child as informant:*thank the child (verbal and “I came to interview you because we nonverbal) adults do not know what it is like to be a child*encourage the child nowadays”*show acceptance in other ways *Key questions - - Social network - Who belongs to your family - Who are other important persons “Who are your important persons?” *repeat child’s answers: show Child places his/her important persons inyou have listened to him/her target diagram: the child him/herself in the*emphasize child’s significant middle, other persons on circles around thestatus as informant nucleus. The closer to the nucleus the person,*create peaceful atmosphere the closer he/she is to the child. - fears *follow the child’s own rhythm; “All people are afraid of something, even if the child is shy, for example, adults. But I don’t know what you are afraid give him/her as much time as of. I would be very interested to know” he/she needs. -TV “Have you learned something from television that you wouldn't otherwise have learned?”

Assessment of subjective well- being; child interview Fears, five factor-based variables Fears, five factor-based variables Social network characteristics; importance of different groups of people, x sum-variables Social network characteristics; importance of different groups of people, x sum-variables

Assessment of subjective well- being: parents as informants Child’s behaviour orientations (7) Child’s behaviour orientations (7) Child’s worries (3) Child’s worries (3) Child’s psychosomatic symptoms (2) Child’s psychosomatic symptoms (2) 12 factor-based indicators

Assessment of family well-being Dissatisfaction with family’s financial situation Dissatisfaction with family’s financial situation Parental strains Parental strains Parental health problems Parental health problems Drinking problems Drinking problems Factor based indicators

Subjective well-being of 5-6 year-old children in Finland and Estonia in 1993/94 and in 2002/03 Psychosomatic symptoms P(country)= 0.00 P(year)= 0.03

Subjective well-being of 5-6 year-old children in Finland and Estonia in 1993/94 and in 2002/03 Worries

Subjective well-being of 5-6 year-old children in Finland and Estonia in 1993/94 and in 2002/03 Behavioral orientations P(country)= 0.01

Behavioral orientations (continued) Behavioral orientations (continued) P(country)= 0.00

Behavioral orientations (continued) P(country)= 0.00 P(year)= 0.00

Subjective well-being of 5-6-year old children in Finland and Estonia in 1993/94 and in 2002/03: Child-reported fears p(country)= 0.01 p(year)=0.05

Subjective well-being of 5-6 year-old children in Finland and Estonia in 1993/94 and in 2002/03: Networks P(country x year)= 0.03P(country)= 0.00 P(year)= 0.01 P(country x year)= 0.00

Networks (continued)

Family stress of 5-6 year-old children in Finland and Estonia in 1993/94 and 2002/03 P(country)= 0,00 P(year)= 0.00 P(country)= 0.00 P(country)= 0.01 P(country x year)= 0.03

Financial problems and subjective well-being of child(corr.) AllFinlandEstonia Psychosomatic symptoms,20**,16* Worries related to family relationships,23** Lack of worries related to parental health-,16** Autonomy-,23** TV dependence,16** Emotional expressiveness-,20* Fear of new-,14* Fear of imagination-related things-,20**-,15*-,17* Fear of behavior of significant others,12*

Parental strains and subjective well-being of child (corr.) AllFinlandEstonia Psycosomatic symptoms,26**,19**,19* Worries related to family relationships,30**,38**,18* TV dependence, 16**,17* Fear of new,12*,20* Fear of behavior of significant others,11*

Parental health problems and subjective well-being of child (corr.) AllFinlandEst. Psychosomatic symptoms,29**,24** Worries related to family relationships,26**,19*,22** Lack of worries related to parents health-,18** -,17* Autonomy -,16** TV dependence,16** Intolerance of [frust. – frustration?],11*,22** Emotional expressiveness,11* Fear of new,18** Fear of behavior of significant others,12*,15* Importance of peer,17**,16*,24**

Drinking problems and subjective well-being of child (corr.) AllFinlandEstonia Psychosomatic symptoms,15**,18* Worries related to family relationships,22** Lack of worries related to parents’ health-,21**-,23** TV dependence,15**,18* Fear of imagination-related things-,15* Importance of mother and father-,17*

Summary of results 1 Both indicators of subjective well- being and family well-being differentiate children’s well-being in Estonia and Finland Both indicators of subjective well- being and family well-being differentiate children’s well-being in Estonia and Finland Both parents and children differentiate children’s well-being in Estonia and Finland Both parents and children differentiate children’s well-being in Estonia and Finland

Summary of results, 2 Children’s subjective well-being is associated with the family’s financial stress, parental strains, parents’ health and drinking problems Children’s subjective well-being is associated with the family’s financial stress, parental strains, parents’ health and drinking problems Differents aspects of subjective well-being are differently sensitive to indicators of family stress Differents aspects of subjective well-being are differently sensitive to indicators of family stress Social change is connected with both qualitative and quantitative changes in subjective well-being Social change is connected with both qualitative and quantitative changes in subjective well-being

Summary of results,3 Broad scale of indicators of subjective well-being is needed Broad scale of indicators of subjective well-being is needed Indicators should be theory-based Indicators should be theory-based More attention should be given to the different aspects of subjective well-being in addition to quantitative assessments More attention should be given to the different aspects of subjective well-being in addition to quantitative assessments