Discourses on Well-Being

Abstract

In the current South African socio-political framework children have been afforded the highest priority within government, via affirmation of their rights. Not only have the rights and needs of children been entrenched in the development strategies of the government, but children themselves have been guaranteed socio-economic rights and protection from abuse, exploitation, and neglect. Subsequently, knowledge and information on the well-being of children have become important pursuits. It has also become increasingly important to obtain an understanding of what children regard as essential to their well-being. The current study explores children's subjective perceptions of well-being, with a specific focus on elucidating the discourses that children use to assign meaning to well-being. A qualitative study was conducted using a series of focus group discussions with 56 children between the ages of 13 and 15 from rural and urban geographical locations. A discourse analysis reveals a complex interplay between the social environment and the children's sense of well-being. Three key thematic domains were identified, namely, personal safety, infrastructural deficiencies, and psycho-social functioning. Central discourses to emerge from these thematic domains were closely interrelated and mutually influencing and focussed on, personal safety, the social environment and a stable self as 'non-negotiables' of well-being, helplessness and vulnerability, desensitisation, marginalisation, (non)acknowledgement and (dis)respect. A notable finding emerging from the study was the extent to which the participants' discursive constructions of well-being were ideologically configured. The findings raise important considerations for educational and intervention programmes and policies aimed at children and youth

Subjective Well-Being Amongst a Sample of South African Children: A Descriptive Study

“…Support for this contention can be located in participatory studies with children conducted by Savahl et al (2014) and September and Savahl (2009) who found domains of subjective well-being that are closely aligned to those of Cummins (1996).…”

“…Over the years there has been a progressive increase in studies focusing on subjective well-being. Within child indicator and child well-being research, however, the interest has been less concerted, with the discipline largely pre-occupied with developing objective indicators of well-being (Savahl et al 2014). Notwithstanding the languid start, the importance of researching subjective child well-being has proliferated in recent years.…”

Children's Experiences of Bullying Victimization and the Influence on Their Subjective Well‐Being: A Multinational Comparison

“…Researchers, for example, have identified a range of individual‐, micro‐, and macrolevel factors such as community violence, social support, peer pressure, social and environmental context, gender, and age that has influenced children's subjective perceptions and evaluations of their lives (see Adams, Savahl, & Casas, ; González‐Carrasco, Casas, Malo, Vinas, & Dinisman, ; Savahl, Isaacs, Adams, Carels, & September, ). Particular interest has been afforded to the social and relational aspects related to children's SWB, which has been identified in a range of studies as a critical domain of children's SWB (see Adams & Savahl, ; Goswami, ; Savahl et al., ). It is this focus on social relations that Goswami () believes has initiated a sharper commitment to researching the effects of bullying on children's SWB.…”

Children’s representations of nature using photovoice and community mapping: perspectives from South Africa

“…Safe natural spaces for children to build memories and care for special places is limited and especially challenging in impoverished communities (see Adams & Savahl, 2015; Parkes, 2007). Previous participatory studies with children conducted in South Africa have identified safety as a paramount concern in children’s lives (Adams & Savahl, 2015; Isaacs & Savahl, 2014; Parkes, 2007; Savahl, Malcolm, et al, 2015). Furthermore, these local studies (Adams & Savahl, 2015, 2016b; Parkes, 2007; Savahl, Malcolm, et al, 2015) show that negative outcomes are exacerbated when children experience violence and threats to safety first-hand in natural spaces.…”

“…Previous participatory studies with children conducted in South Africa have identified safety as a paramount concern in children’s lives (Adams & Savahl, 2015; Isaacs & Savahl, 2014; Parkes, 2007; Savahl, Malcolm, et al, 2015). Furthermore, these local studies (Adams & Savahl, 2015, 2016b; Parkes, 2007; Savahl, Malcolm, et al, 2015) show that negative outcomes are exacerbated when children experience violence and threats to safety first-hand in natural spaces. Credible threats to children’s safety are evident in the high rates of reported incidents of abuse, sexual violence, kidnapping, and murder enacted against children in the country (South African Child Gauge, 2014).…”