Life events and children’s subjective well- being Larissa Pople The Children’s Society International Society for Child Indicators Conference, 27 th July.

Life events and children’s subjective well-being

Larissa Pople

The Children’s Society

International Society for Child Indicators Conference, 27th July 2011

Life events


Background and research aims

• Existing evidence suggests that adverse life events are linked to lower SWB for children.

• Our research confirms that children’s SWB has both static and dynamic components.

• We wanted to explore: • How important life events are for children’s SWB and in comparison to other factors (e.g. socio-demographic, personality etc) • The role of internal/external buffers (e.g. self-esteem, sense of control, wealth & supportive relationships)


2008 survey: life events

• Our 2008 national well-being survey of 7,000 10 to 15-year-olds found a number of links between life events and SWB.

• Well-being was significantly lower among CYP reporting: • Being bullied • Changes in family structure• Changes in home, school and local area (but these differences were small)


2008 survey: bullying

“How often, if at all, have you been bullied in the last year?”


7.67.2

6.5

8.0

0.0

2.0

4.0

6.0

8.0

10.0

Never Hardlyever

Sometimes Often

Overa

ll w

ell

-bein

g (

0-1

0)

2008 survey: family change

“Were you living with the same adults this time last year?”


6.8

7.8

0.0

2.0

4.0

6.0

8.0

10.0

Yes No

Overa

ll w

ell

-bein

g (

0-1

0)

2010 survey: 20 life events

• Our 2010-11 survey included 20 new questions about life events. These were put to 2,400 10 to 15-year-olds and asked about positive/negative events relating to:

• School• Friendships• Outside of school/neighbourhood

• Response categories: “Has not happened” “Happened once” “Happened more than once” “Not sure”


2010 survey: positive events


Positive events Happened(at all)

Gender differences(More likely to happen to..)

You got a really good mark in a test or exam 92% Boy

You did really well at an activity at school (like sport, music, drama, etc)

91% NS

You got praised by a teacher 90% Girl

You made a new friend 88% NS

You did really well at an activity outside school (like sport, music, drama)

81% NS

You got an award or prize for something you did at school

71% NS

2010 survey: negative events at school


Negative events at school Happened(at all)


You got told off by a teacher 86% Boy

You got a really bad mark in a test or exam* 73% Girl

You got into trouble at school 70% Boy

You felt treated unfairly by a teacher 68% Boy

You did really badly at an activity at school (like sport, music, drama)*

53% NS

You got a detention 50% Boy

2010 survey: negative events outside school or with friends


Negative events relating to friendships or outside school

Happened(at all)


A close friend had a serious problem* 64% NS

You had a serious argument with a close friend 64% NS

A friend that you trusted did not keep a secret 64% Girl

You stopped being friendly with a close friend 52% Girl

You broke up with a boyfriend/girlfriend 45% Boy

You were pressured by friends to do something you did not want to do

40% Boy

You were bullied or picked on by other young people 38% NS

You felt treated unfairly by an adult in your neighbourhood

34% Boy

2010 survey: changes at school, home and within the family


Questions included in 2008 survey Happened(at all)


You moved house in the past year 18% NS

You moved local area in the past year 10% Girl

You changed school in the past year 9% Girl

You were living with different adults this time last year

9% NS

2010 survey: gender differences


You got into trouble at school

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

Has nothappened

Happenedonce

Happenedmore than

once

A girlA boy

2010 survey: gender differences


You got a detention

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

Has nothappened

Happenedonce

Happenedmore than

once

A girlA boy

2010 survey: age differences


Life event Age differences(More likely to happen to…)

You were bullied or picked on by other young people Year 6s(aged 10 & 11)

You got an award or prize for something you did at school Year 6s(aged 10 & 11)

You were pressured by friends to do something you did not want to

Year 6s(aged 10 & 11)

You got a detention Year 10s(aged 14 & 15)

You got into trouble at school Year 10s(aged 14 & 15)

You got a really bad mark in a test or exam Year 10s (aged 14 & 15)



You were bullied or picked on by other young people

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

Has not happened Happened once Happened morethan once

Year 6

Year 8

Year 10



You got an award or prize for something you did at school

0.0%

10.0%

20.0%

30.0%

40.0%

50.0%

60.0%

70.0%

Has not happened Happened once Happened more thanonce

Year 6

Year 8

Year 10



You were pressured by friends to do something you did not want to do

0.0%

10.0%

20.0%

30.0%

40.0%

50.0%

60.0%

70.0%


Year 6

Year 8

Year 10



You got a detention

0.0%

10.0%

20.0%

30.0%

40.0%

50.0%

60.0%

70.0%

80.0%

90.0%


Year 6

Year 8

Year 10



You got a really bad mark in a test or exam

0.0%

5.0%

10.0%

15.0%

20.0%

25.0%

30.0%

35.0%

40.0%

45.0%

50.0%


Year 6

Year 8

Year 10



You felt treated unfairly by a teacher

0.0%

5.0%

10.0%

15.0%

20.0%

25.0%

30.0%

35.0%

40.0%

45.0%

50.0%


Year 6

Year 8

Year 10

2010 survey: correlations between life events and SWB


Life event Spearman’s rho

You did really badly at an activity at school (like sport, music, drama etc) -.245**

You felt treated unfairly by a teacher -.237**

You got a really bad mark in a test or exam -.221**

You stopped being friendly with a close friend -.220**

You felt treated unfairly by an adult in your neighbourhood -.211**

A close friend had a serious problem -.207**

You were pressured by friends to do something you did not want to do -.199**

You were bullied or picked on by other young people -.194**

You got a detention -.186**

You had a serious argument with a close friend -.185**

2010 survey:correlations between life events and SWB


Life event Spearman’s rho

You got an award or prize for something you did at school .181**

A friend that you trusted did not keep a secret -.176**

You did really well at an activity at school (like sport, music, drama etc) .167**

You did really well at an activity outside school (like sport, music, drama etc)

.152**

You got into trouble at school -.146**

You broke up with a boyfriend/girlfriend -.146**

You got told off by a teacher -.143**

You got praised by a teacher .142**

You got a really good mark in a test or exam .131**

You made a new friend NS

2010 survey: correlations between life changes and SWB


Change Spearman’s rho

Were you living with the same adults this time last year? -0.129**

Have you changed school in the past year? -0.074**

Did you live in the same local area a year ago as you do now? -0.063**

Have you moved house in the past year? -0.041**

2010 survey: life events with greatest differences in SWB


7.06.2

7.5

0.0

2.0

4.0

6.0

8.0

10.0

Has nothappened

Happenedonce

Happenedmore than

once

Overa

ll w

ell

-bein

g (

0-1

0)

“You were pressured by friends to do something you did not want to do”



7.06.2

7.5

0.0

2.0

4.0

6.0

8.0

10.0

Has nothappened

Happenedonce

Happenedmore than

once

Overa

ll w

ell

-bein

g (

0-1

0)

“You felt treated unfairly by an adult in your neighbourhood”



7.16.3

7.5

0.0

2.0

4.0

6.0

8.0

10.0

Has nothappened

Happenedonce

Happenedmore than

once

Overa

ll w

ell

-bein

g (

0-1

0)

“You stopped being friendly with a close friend”

2010 survey: factor analysis

Factor analysis identified four separate factors:

1. All the positive events

The negative events relating to:

2. Friends, bullying and adults in the neighbourhood

3. Getting into trouble at school 4. Doing badly at school


We combined these two factors

2010 survey: regression analysis


Factor Beta Significance

Age -0.092 0.001

Gender 0.130 0.000

Positive events 0.320 0.000

Negative events at school -0.212 0.000

Negative events with friends & outside school

-0.236 0.000

Adjusted r2 0.207

Conclusions

• Our research confirms that life events - particularly negative events - at school, outside school, at home and with friends are associated with children’s SWB.

• Some, but not all, of the life events that we explored had significant age and gender profiles.

• Further research: • The links between personality and life events• Explore other life events, and in different areas of children’s lives • The role of internal/external buffers in mediating the impact of life events


Life events and children’s subjective well-being

Larissa Pople

The Children’s Society


Life events and children’s subjective well- being Larissa Pople The Children’s Society International Society for Child Indicators Conference, 27 th July.

Documents

child indicators conference

school international

adverse life events

important life events

positivenegative events

smallinternational society

sureinternational society

school friendships