Showing papers in "Child Indicators Research in 2008"
TL;DR: In this article, the authors present the history and development of the field, identifies current trends, and predicts where the field is headed, and identify current trends and predict future trends.
Abstract: The effort to measure and monitor children’s well-being and the use of child well-being indicators is not new. However, recent years have brought new and growing attention to the field, and some argue, the revival of the children’s social indicators movement. Much of this new activity can be traced back to the 1960s social indicators movement and be accounted for by UNICEF’s State of the World’s Children annual report, as well as other international and national initiatives and projects. The United Nation’s Convention on the Rights of the Child, through its global ratification and its reporting and monitoring mechanism, has also played a major role in increasing interest in the field. This paper presents the history and development of the field, identifies current trends, and predicts where the field is headed.
388 citations
TL;DR: The first attempt to produce a multidimensional index of the well-being of children in the CEE/CIS countries was made by as mentioned in this paper, where indicators derived from existing survey and administrative sources were combined into components and the components are combined into seven domains of wellbeing.
Abstract: This is the first attempt to produce a multidimensional index of the well-being of children in the CEE/CIS countries. It follows the methods employed in similar indices produced by the same authors for EU and OECD countries. Indicators are derived from existing survey and administrative sources, they are combined into components and the components are combined into seven domains of well-being. There is considerable variation in the performance of different countries in different domains. The domains are combined into a single index: Croatia, Bosnia Herzegovina, FYR Macedonia and Serbia are at the top of the index. Azerbaijan, Albania, Tajikistan and Moldova are at the bottom of the index. The article describes how the index was put together, explores its sensitivity and shortcomings. The level of wealth in GDP per capita explains only about a third of the variation of children’s well-being in this region.
74 citations
TL;DR: In this paper, an index of child well-being for US children ages 6-11 is constructed using individual children (micro-data) as the unit of analysis rather than population-based measures which have typically been used in the past.
Abstract: Over the past 30 years, a prominent stream of research has addressed the conceptualization and measurement of child well-being and the construction of child well-being indices. This paper extends this accumulating body of research in five ways. First, an index of child well-being for US children ages 6–11 is constructed using individual children (micro-data) as the unit of analysis rather than population-based measures which have typically been used in the past. Second, the new index uses a recently developed US data source (National Survey of Children’s Health) to incorporate far more measures related to child well-being (69) into an index than have been used in past efforts. Third, this research explicitly separates child outcome measures (measures of child well-being) from contextual measures (seen as measures of risk or inputs). Fourth, separate indices are developed for children age 6–11 and those aged 12–17. Fifth, analyses show that contextual indicators add significant albeit modest power over and above common demographic measures (age, gender, race/ethnicity) as predictors of individual differences in well-being among children.
71 citations
TL;DR: The NSCH Social Competence Scale is an internally valid and reliable survey measure for identifying and discriminating among children with below average social skills and/or above average frequency of behavior problems.
Abstract: We describe a new measure based on eight parent-reported items designed for use in large nationally representative surveys to assess social competence among children and adolescents 6 to 17 years of age. The measure’s psychometric characteristics were evaluated using data (N = 67,405) from the 2003 (U.S.) National Survey of Children’s Health (NSCH), a broad cross-sectional random-digit-dial telephone survey sponsored by the U.S. Health Resources and Services Administration’s Maternal and Child Health Bureau and conducted by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s National Center for Health Statistics. The examination of the dimensional structure suggested that two correlated factors (social skills, behavior problems) best explained the variability in the responses. The fit of a Rasch-family Graded Response Model with constrained discrimination parameters was confirmed for both factors, and no differential item functioning was noted for age or sex of the child. The NSCH Social Competence Scale is an internally valid and reliable survey measure for identifying and discriminating among children with below average social skills and/or above average frequency of behavior problems.
44 citations
TL;DR: Adolescents with higher SEP report better health, more psychosocial resources and higher level of health behaviour than adolescents with lower SEP.
Abstract: The aim of the present paper was to study the relationship between different indicators of socioeconomic position (SEP) and various health domains in young adolescents’ lives. Data stem from two studies carried out in Norway in 2004; a sample of 1,153 5th–7th graders (study 1) and a sample of 654 6th graders (study 2). Indicators of SEP were family affluence, books in home and perceived wealth. Measures of health were health complaints, overall health, and life satisfaction (study 1), measures of psychosocial resources were social competence and self-esteem (study 1), and measures of health behaviours were consumption of fruits and vegetables and physical activity (study 2). Results from study 1 showed that all three SEP-indicators were significantly associated with overall health, life- satisfaction and social competence, with perceived wealth showing the strongest relationship. Health complaints and self-esteem were only associated with perceived wealth. Results from study 2 showed that only books in home was significantly associated with all three health behaviours, while the two other indicators were not. Adolescents with higher SEP report better health, more psychosocial resources and higher level of health behaviour than adolescents with lower SEP. The results indicate that the SEP indicators differ regarding their relevance to the various outcomes. Several aspects of SEP should be included in future research and indicators suitable for adolescents needs to be further developed.
33 citations
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors take a distinctively developmental approach and draw on existing conceptual models and research for adolescence and middle childhood to identify domains and constructs that describe the health and well-being of the middle childhood population.
Abstract: Middle childhood is often overlooked by researchers and policy makers. However, it is a unique developmental period with its own set of tasks and milestones, and inattention to the needs of this population can have consequences for adolescent and adult functioning. While research on middle childhood is limited compared with adolescence and early childhood, we take a distinctively developmental approach and draw on existing conceptual models and research for adolescence and middle childhood to identify domains and constructs that describe the health and well-being of the middle childhood population. This paper is the first of two papers in a multi-stage process of creating such a monitoring system. In this paper, we (1) review and synthesize relevant existing conceptual frameworks (generally developed for adolescents in the U.S.) that could be adapted for the middle childhood population, (2) outline considerations for identifying multiple domains of functioning within the child and specify multiple contexts of influence for a middle childhood monitoring system, (3) propose criteria for identifying constructs and indicators, and (4) suggest potential constructs and indicators to be reviewed by various stakeholders.
29 citations
TL;DR: This article used a large, nationally representative microdata survey to conduct a multivariate analysis of the correlates of self-assessed happiness for Canadian 12 to 15 year olds living in two-parent families.
Abstract: This paper uses a large, nationally representative microdata survey to conduct a multivariate analysis of the correlates of self-assessed happiness for Canadian 12 to 15 year olds living in two-parent families. We ask whether the same factors matter for the happiness of young teens as for adults. And, we ask whether the correlates of being at the bottom of the young teen happiness distribution are the same as the correlates of being at the top. Results suggest that the level of family income correlates with the probability of being at the bottom of the young teen happiness distribution but not with the probability of being at the top. Relative socioeconomic position and peer social relationships, on the other hand, correlate with being at the top but not at the bottom of the young teen happiness distribution. Relationships involving significant adults (parents, teachers) are the most important correlates of young teen happiness.
24 citations
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors describe the process of applying a theoretical model for knowledge transfer for the development of a dissemination strategy for Canada's national child maltreatment surveillance data, including a discuss of strategies for developing key messages, selecting target audiences and identifying appropriate knowledge transfer and exchange strategies.
Abstract: Extensive resources are invested in the production of research with the anticipation that relevant findings will be understood and utilized by decision-makers to inform practice and policy. It is well documented though that a gap exists between research production and research utilization in decision-making at clinical, administrative and policy levels. With increasing demands for accountability and the delivery of cost-effective services, evidence-informed decision-making is gaining greater attention within the fields of child health and welfare. Increasingly, researchers are encouraged to develop interactive strategies for research dissemination and knowledge transfer to different stakeholder groups. Lavis et al. (The Millbank Quarterly 81:221–248 2003a, Journal of Health Services Research & Policy 8:165–170 2003b) have developed a theoretical framework for knowledge transfer and exchange and concepts from this model were adopted to develop the dissemination strategy for the Canadian Incidence Study of Reported Child Abuse and Neglect—2003. The objectives of this report are: 1) to describe the process of applying a theoretical model for knowledge transfer for the development of a dissemination strategy for Canada’s national child maltreatment surveillance data, including a discuss of strategies for developing key messages, selecting target audiences and identifying appropriate knowledge transfer and exchange strategies and; 2) to review lessons learned and provide recommendations for how researchers can enhance their knowledge transfer and exchange strategies to promote the uptake and utilization of their research findings.
22 citations
TL;DR: This paper identified four clusters of students in the nationally representative sample in the United States based on attitudinal profiles and found that the largest cluster of students (35%) are the Indifferents, willing to practice citizenship only minimally.
Abstract: Deficiencies in current indicators of civic life skills are identified and the IEA Civic Education Study (conducted in 28 countries) is suggested as a source of psychometrically-sound indicators for early adolescents. The multidimensional nature of indicators of expected participation is demonstrated with analyses of the profiles of participation found in different countries and the predictors of different types of participation. A new analysis has identified four clusters of students in the nationally representative sample in the United States based on attitudinal profiles. The largest cluster of students (35%) is the Indifferents, willing to practice citizenship only minimally. Four percent of students are Alienated, in refusing to accept norms of citizenship. They do not respect the rights of others, agree to obey the law, or expect to participate. The other two clusters are the Conventionals (28%) and the Social Justice Supporters (32%). Implications are drawn for researchers, policymakers, and the public.
20 citations
TL;DR: The purpose of child well-being indices is to distill large amounts of data on children in ways that can be easily communicated to and used by policy makers and the public.
Abstract: The purpose of child well-being indices is to distill large amounts of data on children in ways that can be easily communicated to and used by policy makers and the public. Several major methods for creating indices exist: (1) a standard score method that assesses differences across geographic areas, (2) a micro-data tally method that assesses the number of problems children have, and (3) an average percentage change method that assesses change from year to year (compared either to a base year or a “model” year). We review each type of index and discuss some cross-cutting issues, including the use of micro- versus macro-data, the measurement of absolute versus relative levels of well-being, and the constructs of well-being and context. We then use data from a single source, the National Survey of America’s Families, to demonstrate the usage of indices, comparing the relative performance of 13 American states. We find that states tend to be ranked similarly with regard to well-being and to the combination of well-being and context, regardless of whether one is examining the average concentration of problems per child, relative status of children across states, or change over time. We find that the states with relatively lower levels of well-being, as well as states whose children have the highest average number of problems, tend to show the greatest improvement over time in well-being. We also find that states in which children are more likely to experience multiple problems tend to be the same states in which the overall levels of well-being and the condition of children are relatively poorer. Despite the fact that the literature has referred to different types of indices commonly as “child well-being indices,” the differences both in the purpose and in the results across tabulation methods illustrate the importance of balancing the simplicity of the presentation of index results with sufficient information to enable people to understand exactly what the index is assessing. Furthermore, our results highlight the value of using multiple types of indices to contextualize findings across the indices.
15 citations
TL;DR: In this article, the reporting practices of four mandated reporting groups in the U.S. over a 3-year period were compared, and significant differences were found related to the type of maltreatment reported and the rate of report substantiation by CPS.
Abstract: Child protection is one of the key indicators of a society’s health. In the U.S. all states have enacted laws which require certain professionals who regularly come into contact with children to report suspected maltreatment. Passage of these laws has resulted in an unprecedented increase in the number of reports of child maltreatment made to U.S. child protective services (CPS), yet this increase has not been systematically studied to determine whether this increase in reports is actually reducing the incidence of child maltreatment. This paper describes and compares the reporting practices of four mandated reporting groups in the U.S. over a 3-year period. Data from the National Child Abuse and Neglect Dataset (NCANDS) were analyzed. NCANDS is a national database created by the US Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) of reports of maltreatment made to child protective services agencies (CPS) in the US. Results indicate that each reporter group has a somewhat unique profile of reports and responses from the child protection agencies to which they report. Significant differences were found related to the type of maltreatment reported and the rate of report substantiation by CPS. While some differences can be easily explained, others require more research and have broad implications for the professional education and training of mandated reporters.
TL;DR: In this article, the authors report research on outcomes of long term foster care from the first 4 years of a 7-year longitudinal study of foster care placements, using a prospective, repeated measures design, incorporating quantitative and qualitative methodologies.
Abstract: This paper will report research on outcomes of long term foster care from the first 4 years of a 7 year longitudinal study of foster care placements. The study uses a prospective, repeated measures design, incorporating quantitative and qualitative methodologies. Standardized measures, for which general population normative data are available, are used in the study, including the Achenbach Child Behaviour Checklist. The needs and achievements of 59 children and responses of caseworkers, carers and teachers to these were assessed at different stages of the placement. Data from personal interviews with children over 8 years and with respective foster carers and caseworkers of all children in the sample indicate that despite concerns related to placement stability, academic performance and emotional and social development, children in this sample progressed in domains such as family and social relationships and prosocial behaviours as they progressed over time in their care placements. The results at initial assessments reflected a high prevalence rate of internalising and externalising problems, and improved scores and adaptive functioning at later assessments as they progressed in permanent placements illustrating some positive effects from the care experience. Results from teachers’ comparative assessments of the children in care and a comparison group lend support to the resilience literature that views the school environment and educational process as affording structure, boundaries and security to children in care systems and enhancing their wellbeing. The voices of children add an important dimension to the study bringing into the research their lived experience. Strategies to promote resilient outcomes and facilitate children’s wellbeing in care are also discussed.
TL;DR: Results indicated that children experience a decrease in their quality of life, mainly in daily living activities and psychological well being, and that hospitals need to make some changes to better meet the needs of hospitalized children.
Abstract: The purpose of the current study was to examine the impact of disease and hospitalization on children’s quality of life. Three measures were administered to 105 participants ranging in age from 6 to 15 years, from public hospitals in Castilla y Leon (Spain). Data were collected throughout 9 months. Measures were the Survey on Subjective Perception of Hospitalization and Hospital (CPSH), the quality of life survey KINDL, and the health survey SF-36. Internal consistency coefficients were acceptable for most of scales and subscales. Results indicated that children experience a decrease in their quality of life, mainly in daily living activities and psychological well being; that emotional states impact their quality of life, and that hospitals need to make some changes to better meet the needs of hospitalized children. Interventions, at an organizational and individual level, may help improve the well-being of hospitalized children.
TL;DR: In this paper, a study proceeds from the hypothesis that children’s subjective well-being is too complex a phenomenon to be reduced to the family's social and economic resources and concludes that children respond in different ways to different family stresses.
Abstract: This study proceeds from the hypothesis that children’s subjective well-being is too complex a phenomenon to be reduced to the family’s social and economic resources. Randomized population-based surveys were carried out in two comparable towns in Finland and Estonia in 1993–1994 and 2002–2003. The sampling criteria were children’s age (5–6 years) and parental citizenship. The four net samples together comprised 421 children and their parents. Parents completed questionnaires on family background and family life, children’s psychosomatic symptoms, worries and behaviour characteristics, and the children were interviewed about their fears and social networks. Family well-being was assessed on the basis of (1) satisfaction with family’s financial situation, (2) parental strains, (3) parental health and (4) drinking problems. Child-reported subjective well-being was analysed by reference to fears and social network characteristics as well as parent-reported psychosomatic symptoms, behaviour orientations and worries. The results indicate, firstly, that both family-level and subjective indicators and both positive and negative indicators differentiate consistently between Finnish and Estonian children. Secondly, material and some aspects of subjective well-being have increased in both countries, although media-related fears in particular have undermined subjective well-being as well. There are indications of qualitative changes in subjective well-being in both countries. Thirdly, financial and social problems as well as parental health problems correlate with children’s psychosomatic symptoms, worries and fears. However children respond in different ways to different family stresses. The results underscore the importance of developing theory-based indicators and effective follow-up tools.
TL;DR: In this article, the authors explored whether or not early contact with recreational gambling together with family and friends creates an environment conducive to future gambling problems and found that the adults' gambling had gradually changed from a social recreational activity to an isolating, gambling focused act.
Abstract: The emphasis on achievements in everyday life on social status and monetary wealth encourages exploration of alternative earnings. Although social recreational gambling for most people is a leisure activity with family, friends and work colleagues, for a group of people the social recreational attributes have become distorted by their absolute quest for winning. Children are introduced to gambling by their parents and participate in gambling pursuits well before their legal age. Two Australian research samples are analysed, a youth sample and an adult sample. The youth sample includes 751 high school students, and explores young people’s gambling propensity, attitudes to gambling and reactions to losing money. The adult sample, based on 21 case studies, assesses pathways to excessive gambling. The paper explores whether or not early contact with recreational gambling together with family and friends creates an environment conducive to future gambling problems. The research shows that the adults’ gambling had gradually changed from a social recreational activity to an isolating, gambling focused act. This trend was present already among a group of young people, thus social indicators can be identified at an early stage among young people in their gambling propensity, however, the social indicators can also indicate further personal and social problems as excessive gamblers often present a combination of personal, social and emotional problems.
TL;DR: The KIDS COUNT project as mentioned in this paper has been used to promote better public understanding of child well-being around the world, but little information has been generated about the impact of such projects.
Abstract: Despite a proliferation of initiatives using statistical indicators to promote better public understanding of child well-being around the world, little information has been generated about the impact of such projects. This paper provides readers with information about the impact of one such project in the United States, KIDS COUNT. A short overview of the history, rationale, and activity of the KIDS COUNT project is provided prior to presenting data regarding the impact of the project. The data show that KIDS COUNT Data Book receives extensive media attention when it is released each year. Among seven key audiences (Congressional staff, state legislators, state legislators’ staff, state legislative leaders, business leaders, county officials, and data users) half or more of each group said there were aware of the KIDS COUNT initiative. Most of those who are aware of KIDS COUNT have positive perceptions about it as being timely, clear, credible, useful, and relevant to policymakers and respected by people with differing political views. A large share of each group says they use the KIDS COUNT data for a variety of applications. Most respondents say they think KIDS COUNT has had an impact on public awareness of children’s issues and an impact on public policy.
TL;DR: Moore and Theokas as discussed by the authors identified a set of 20 indicator constructs, half positive and half negative, to measure child well-being and half measure contexts that affect child development.
Abstract: This paper builds on an initial paper (Moore and Theokas, Child Indicators Research, 2008 DOI 10.1007/s12187-008-9011-9
) that conceptualizes elements of well-being relevant for the middle childhood period, identifies potential constructs and develops criteria for indicators. Here, we follow up by identifying a set of 20 indicator constructs, half positive and half negative. Of these 20, half measure child well-being and half measure contexts that affect child development. For each construct, we discuss evidence of importance and provide, where possible, examples of measures from US surveys.
TL;DR: In this paper, a multilevel theory of child poverty is proposed, i.e., a micro-macro theory in which the levels interact with each other via the Coleman's boat, and the concept of endowment is formulated and applied to account for child poverty risks.
Abstract: This study compares child poverty in seven European countries—Germany, Denmark, Belgium, France, the UK, Italy, and Spain, between 1994 and 2000, identifying both macro- and the micro-level conditions thought to contribute to child poverty in each of the countries. The paper analyses correlates of child poverty in the chosen countries and offers comparative analyses across countries and regions of the European Union. In doing so, I try to build up a multilevel theory of child poverty, i.e. a micro–macro theory in which the levels interact with each other. This is done via the so-called Coleman’s boat. Within such a framework, the concept of endowment is formulated and applied to account for child poverty risks. The parents’ endowment is defined as a set of material and nonmaterial resources transmitted by the macro environment in which they live, accumulated or used by them in the past, made available as well as unavailable by other individuals’ actions and mediated by the individuals’ desires and beliefs. I claim that parental and household endowments play a major role in explaining child poverty risks, particularly if we assume that a child is poor when he or she lives in a poor household. Parents with access to a strong endowment can resort to such resources to prevent the risk of poverty for their dependent children. On the contrary, weak endowments may expose the children to higher poverty risks. We find that in Denmark, for example, the macro-level resources come into play at the micro-level and mediate the relation between child poverty risks as a function of parents’ endowments and well-being outcomes. As a result, the macro structure of social risks is not reproduced in the configuration of well-being macro outcomes. In Italy and Spain, on the other hand, evidence is stronger for an intergenerational transmission of poverty.
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors draw a principal division between measures designed for comparative analysis and monitoring the development in inequality in the one hand, and measures to inform policy on the other, and launch some principal arguments that the standard budget approach is best suited for this task.
Abstract: In social policy there are many assumptions about the cost of children, but these are often made with lack of evidence about what it actually costs to bring up a child. In this article we draw a principal division between measures designed for comparative analysis and monitoring the development in inequality in the one hand, and measures to inform policy on the other. Income poverty is used as an example of the former, while the standard budget is a policy oriented measure. When it comes to measure children's needs the income poverty measure becomes too abstract, and almost useless as input in legitimate political actions supporting families with children. An action oriented measure has to be filled with content; that is to make an explicit connection between basic needs and the items and activities that are necessary to satisfy these needs. We launch some principal arguments that the Standard Budget approach is best suited for this task.