Young Children’s Subjective Well-Being and Family Discontents in a Changing Cultural Context

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.