Eastern and Western Children’s Voices on their Well-Being

Abstract

Few studies are planned to 'give voice' to children from different cultural backgrounds to explore their sources of happiness. To address this gap, the present study analysed focus group discussions with 42 South Indian and 48 European children aged 8 to 17 years. During the discussions, the children were asked about what makes them happy and sad and about what helps them feel good again when they feel sad. The data were analysed based on grounded theory. Data analysis revealed the following seven themes: 'Indian and European children attach different values to school', 'interactions with biological families both support and threaten well-being', 'positive and negative effects of relationships on the self', 'Indian and European children name different exclusive well-being sources', 'cross-cultural and culture-specific coping and relaxation strategies', 'staying physically healthy is important to the children's wellbeing', and 'material and economic resources are clearly linked with children's wellbeing'. Moreover, the results suggest that the meaning of the well-being themes is shaped by a child's self-construal, which is either independent (the self is separated from others) or interdependent (the self is connected with others). How culture might influence children's viewpoints regarding their own well-being is discussed.

A cross-cultural exploration of children’s perceptions of wellbeing: Understanding protective and risk factors

“…places and opportunities for travel, holidays, and possessions), close relationships particularly with parents and grandparents, as well as relationships with friends, were all identified as key factors to children's wellbeing, regardless of their family size, ethnic and sociocultural backgrounds (McAuley, 2019). These findings concur with qualitative studies on children and adolescents of European origin (Brockevelt, Cerny, Newland, & Lawler, 2019;Exenberger et al 2019;Navarro et al, 2019), in addition to findings in the U.S. (Newland,DeCino,4 Mourlam, & Strouse, 2019), and developing countries', such as Vietman, Ethiopia, and Peru and India (Crivello, Camfield & Woodhead, 2009). Hence, the support of family and friends is commonly reported as being at the heart of children's day-today functioning across all social and national contexts around the world.…”

Association between Harmful and Addictive Perceptions of E-Cigarettes and E-Cigarette Use among Adolescents and Youth—A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

“…The youth in the included studies of this review were from countries (i.e., Australia, the U.S, and Spain) with independent-thinking societies. Western countries have individualist societies that are unique, independent, and openly express topics [ 93 ]. Meanwhile, countries in Asia are more of a collectivist society, where they conform to specific values, loyalties, and traditions [ 94 ].…”

Dimensions of posttraumatic growth in a German-speaking sample using mixed methods

“…that misery and well-being are intertwined and that each depends on the other for contrast and meaning, is reminiscent of the Eastern mindset, which is shaped by cyclical reasoning. Research findings indicate that cyclical reasoning, that is belief in change, especially in reversal change, may have implications for psychological well-being, such as responses to frustrations or losses (Exenberger, Banzer, Christy, Höfer, & Juen, 2018;Ji, Nisbett, & Su, 2001).…”