Now they are 7: what influences children's wellbeing?

The most recent findings from Growing Up in Scotland (GUS) explore the possible influences on children’s wellbeing and their behavioural and emotional difficulties. Lesley Kelly, GUS Dissemination Officer, outlines key findings.

GUS aims to find out about how the circumstances and experiences of children in Scotland are changing, and how early experiences influence later outcomes. The first group of children invited into the study are now 7 years old and for the first time they have answered questions themselves. This provides a really interesting aspect to the study as we find out about both mother and child perspectives.

This new research uses information collected from over 3,000 mothers and children, interviewed during 2012/13. Mothers were asked about their child’s emotional and behavioural difficulties using a behavioural screening tool called the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ). The children were asked about their life satisfaction using a series of questions including ‘do you feel your life is going well?’ and ‘do you wish your life was different?’ (adapted from the Huebner Student Life Satisfaction Scale). 

Researchers were interested in learning about the role of child and family characteristics , parenting behaviours, school experiences, friendships, leisure activities and the importance of materialistic attitudes, ie having ‘expensive things’ on both child mental health and well-being. The researchers measured for behavioural and emotional problems as reported by the mother and low sense of well-being as reported by the child.

The numbers

• This research suggests that 1 in 25 children in Scotland experience both mental health problems and low subjective well-being:
• 11% of children in the study were classed as having high levels of behavioural and emotional problems, while 25% reported low life satisfaction. 4% of children experienced both.
• 21% of children had low life satisfaction but no behavioural and emotional difficulties. 7% had a high level of difficulties but did not report low life satisfaction.
• Children with high levels of difficulties were more likely to report low well-being (39%) than those with normal levels (24%).

The factors

Children who had both child mental health problems and low life satisfaction were more likely to experience: greater conflict in the mother-child relationship; lower parental knowledge of the child’s activities or relationships when not at school; difficulties adjusting to the learning or social environment at primary school; and poorer quality friendships with other children.

 

Economic factors and some other aspects of family life (including family structure and the child’s leisure activities) were not clearly associated with either measure of social and emotional well-being, after allowing for other influences. Materialistic values (the importance of ‘expensive things’ to the child) were not associated with their life satisfaction.

 

The research also found that family ‘stressors’ such as mother’s experiencing poor health, family mental health/ substance use problems and low levels of warmth in the mother-child relationship were associated with child mental health difficulties but not the child’s sense of well-being. Conversely, experiencing a recent bereavement, illness or accident in the family, and less positive parenting (defined as less positive reinforcement of good behaviour and less involvement in the child’s activities) did appear to affect children’s life satisfaction, irrespective of whether they experienced behavioural and emotional difficulties.

 

The implications

This research supports the idea that social relationships, involving parents, teachers and friends, are of key importance for children’s well-being. A holistic approach, which recognises the different components of well-being and the range of influencing factors, should be adopted. Approaches to promoting social and emotional well-being could be developed for use in both family and school settings.

 

These findings help to identify which children are at risk of low well-being and might benefit from some targeted support. Parents and children could be offered better access to professional and advice and support services to improve parent-child relationships and to effectively manage behavioural problems. Given the importance of adjustment to the learning and social environment at school, greater attention to the transition to school may be required for some children. Children who experience difficulties making friends might also be helped by initiatives designed to help build relationships within and outwith school. Finally, support for children and families experiencing ill health and/or bereavement is crucial. Good practice in these areas should be extended so that every child can access the support they need for their emotional health and wellbeing.

 

The full report ‘Growing Up in Scotland: Family and school influences on children’s social and emotional well-being’ by Alison Parkes, Helen Sweeting and Daniel Wight is available from the GUS website www.growingupinscotland.org.uk.

 

GUS is funded by the Scottish Government and is carried out by ScotCen Social Research in collaboration with the Centre for Research on Families and Relationships at the University of Edinburgh and the MRC/CSO Social and Public Health Sciences Unit at the University of Glasgow. 

 

Contact Lesley by email 

UK children need more volunteer male befrienders

Many boys say they would prefer a male befriender, yet less than a quarter of UK volunteer child befrienders are men, according to the findings of new research by Dr Sue Milne from CRFR.

The 'Me and My Befriender' study, funded by ESRC, gathered details of the experiences of 26 children, aged 6-15 years, attending nine different projects in Scotland and England. They interviewed children at various stages, both before and after meeting thier befriender, to understand how children viewed the befriending relationship.

Many of the children referred to befriending services face difficulties at home or in school. Some have learning or behavioural problems; others have been affected by the death or imprisonment of a parent, or by parental substance/ alcohol abuse.

“Befrienders offer relationships to children without being goal orientated. They make a very valuable contribution to the lives of children living in difficult circumstances,” says Dr Milne. “They provide friendship and support as well as the chance for the children to try new activities and enjoy themselves out of the house.”

To discover whether the gender of their ‘befriender’ matters to children themselves, researchers talked in depth with boys and girls aged 6-15 about their hopes for, and experience of, befriending.

Boys with a strong sense of a conventional male identity expressed a clear preference for a male befriender - someone with whom they could spend some ‘guy time’ and share interests and activities. Speaking of their concerns with a female befriender, some boys said:The shortage means many boys in need of a strong male presence in their lives are missing out on the adult male companionship they would like.

• “If I said I wanted to do a bit of woodwork or something, they’d say oh why would you want to do that, go and do something else or they just wouldn’t join in as much as a man would.”
• “I think with having my befriender we can do more of the go-karting, crashing into things, running around stuff… we can go cycling, and… he can help me and if he crashes I can help him.”
• “It would make a difference, like, if a man takes you out somewhere, it would be… like going to play basketball or going to a football tournament.”
• “No offence to any of the girls that I hang around with but I just … prefer to be with guys.”

Researchers suggest that girls, particularly those from lone mother families, could also benefit from a male befriender. At present, however, the shortage of volunteer male befrienders coupled with concerns voiced by some regarding the appropriateness of such a relationship means girls are rarely matched with men.

This lack of opportunity for girls to have a male befriender is unfortunate, says Dr Milne. “There’s no reason why male befrienders shouldn’t be matched with girls,” argues Dr Milne. “Certainly the only girl in our study who was matched with a male befriender said she had gained a great deal, particularly in confidence, from the experience.”

All children, Dr Milne suggests, would benefit from having greater contact with non-familial adults of different genders and generations. Given the predominantly female care provided to young children both at home and at primary school, children of both sexes could benefit from more contact with men. “How many opportunities are there today, particularly for young children from lone mother families, to experience men in their lives?” she asks.

“Clearly children should have this opportunity,” Dr Milne continues, “and a male befriender can certainly fulfil this very important role. More than 75 per cent of children referred to befriending services come from lone mother households. If more male befrienders came forward it would provide welcome options not just for boys but also for girls.”

Download the CRFR reserach briefing no.60, 'Me and my befriender: exploring adult/child befriending relationships'.

Visit the project website at: http://www.crfr.ac.uk/befriending/index.html 

You can contact Sue by email at: smilne4@staffmail.ed.ac.uk.