Subjective Well-Being of Young People in Therapeutic Residential Care from a Gender Perspective

Carla González-García,Alba Águila-Otero,Eduardo Martín,Jorge Fernandez Del Valle,Amaia Bravo,Carme Montserrat,Susana Lázaro

doi:10.1007/s12187-021-09870-9

Carla González-García, Alba Águila-Otero + Show 5 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.1007/s12187-021-09870-9

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Abstract

A growing body of research focus on subjective well-being (SWB) in adolescence; however there are few studies focus specifically on the residential care population and even fewer on differences by type of residential facility separately for males and females. This study aims to analyze SWB in therapeutic residential care (a residential program created to address youths with severe emotional and behavioral problems) in relation to young people in other kinds of residential child care (RCC). 567 adolescents aged 14-18 from Therapeutic Residential Care (TRC) (n=256) and RCC (n=311) participated in the study. Results showed few significant differences concerning the residential program factor. Satisfaction with their own family was greater for young people in TRC and satisfaction, both with the groups they belong to and with their own residential facility, rated higher among the RCC group. Regarding differences by sex, females reported less SWB in all the domains including overall life satisfaction. The effect of the interaction between sex and type of residential program showed that females in TRC reported SWB, particularly low. The main implications for research and intervention will be discussed.

Highlights

1.1 Subjective Well‐Being in AdolescenceSince the beginning of the 21st century, an ever-growing number of publications have reported on studies of children’s satisfaction with life
We divided the sample in two types of residential child care programs: therapeutic residential care (TRC), defined as specific services for young people with severe emotional and behavioral problems (n = 256), and other types of residential child care (RCC) including regular children’s homes without a specific purpose, that generally place children and adolescents of different ages, sibling groups, etc., and some residential care programs for older adolescents in preparation for their transition to independent adulthood (n = 311)
The ANOVA results (Table 2) revealed few significant differences with respect to the program factor. Satisfaction with their own family was greater for young people in Therapeutic Residential Care (TRC) and satisfaction, both with the groups they belong to and with their own residential facility, rated higher among the RCC group

Summary

Introduction

1.1 Subjective Well‐Being in AdolescenceSince the beginning of the 21st century, an ever-growing number of publications have reported on studies of children’s satisfaction with life. The latter report includes data from EU and OECD countries concludes that in recent years of economic crisis children’s life satisfaction has deteriorated, thereby increasing the distance between those in the highest and lowest ranges, a trend observed in terms of economics (UNICEF, 2016). There is a fair degree of agreement regarding how subjective well-being (SWB) evolves with age, since recent studies indicate that satisfaction with life and most of its domains decreases steadily during adolescence (Casas & González-Carrasco, 2019). Consensus is emerging about which subgroups of the child population on average display less SWB than their peers In this respect, the study by Casas, Bello, et al (2013) identified some such subgroups, like children whose parents are unemployed, who suffer economic and material deprivation, family instability, are migrating, feel unsafe at home or at school, and who exhibit low social participation. The relationship between low levels of SWB and difficulties in accessing material resources has been highlighted in an international comparison by Main et al (2019)

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