IACCP 2014 Adjustment, life satisfaction and happiness of Chinese children_draft

WHAT MAKES CHILDREN HAPPY? Determinants of adjustment and well-being for pre-adolescent Chinese children

XUAN LI

DEPARTMENT OF PSYCHOLOGY, UNIVERSITY OF CAMBRIDGE

IACCP 2014 ·REIMS, FRANCE

WHAT MAKES CHILDREN HAPPY?Adjustment and well-being of pre-adolescent Chinese children

Background

Child adjustment as centre of developmental psychology research: from pathology to well-being

Subjective well-being; life satisfaction; happiness

“Deficiency” assumption for research on child development in the majority world

Focus on aged population and adolescents; limited research on younger children


Aim

Overall adjustment and well-being of pre-adolescent children in China

Correlates of self-reported psychopathology, life satisfaction and happiness


Sample

Nanjing, southeast China

N=1341, 50.63 % boys

School recruitment

Child age M = 11.53 yrs, SD = .85 yrs

Mother age M = 36.79 yrs, SD = 3.42 yrs

edu: 42.1% >=senior high school

Father age = 39.24 yrs, SD = 3.82 yrs

edu: 55.3% >= senior high school


Measures

Demographics:

parent age, education, income

Parenting:

Parental Acceptance-Rejection Questionnaire: Child version (father & mother)(Rohner & Khaleque, 2004)

(Subscales: Warmth/Affection; Hostility/Aggression; Indifference/Neglect; Undifferentiated rejection)

(cross-culturally validated)


Measures

Child outcome:

Personality Assessment Questionnaire(Rohner & Khaleque, 2004)

(Subscales: Hostility/Aggression; Dependence; Negative self-esteem; Negative self-efficacy; Emotional unresponsiveness; Emotional instability; Negative world view)

Multidimensional Life Satisfaction Scale for Children (Huebner, 1994)

(Subscales: Family/Friends/School/Environment/Self) (cross-culturally validated)

Child Happiness Scale (Ofstede, 2012)


Results: Overall adjustment, life satisfaction and happiness

Psychopathology

PAQ: M=86.97, SD=15.90

(< U.S. peers; M=94, SD=15; Rohner & Khaleque, 2005)

Life satisfaction

MLSSC: M=133.74, SD=15.03

(> HK peers; M=122.12, SD=15.31; Chang et al., 2003)

Happiness:

M=3.11, SD=.23 (Range: 1.68-4.25; midpoint = 2.88; Ofstede, 2012)


Results: Boys versus Girls

Psychopathology: Boys > Girls (t(1131)= -2.933, p<.01)

Life satisfaction: Boys < Girls (t(1046)= 2.446, p<.01)

Happiness: Boys = Girls (p>.05)




Hostility/Aggression: Boys > Girls (t(1290)= -3.521, p<.01)

Emotional unresponsiveness: Boys > Girls (t(1268)= -3.070, p<.01)

Emotional instability: Boys > Girls (t(1285)= -2.021, p<.01)

Life satisfaction: Boys < Girls (t(1046)=2.446, p<.01)





Life satisfaction: Boys < Girls (t(1046)= 2.446, p<.01)

Friends: Boys < Girls (t(1214)= 2.161, p<.05)

School: Boys < Girls (t(1252)= 3.750, p<.01)

Environment: Boys < Girls (t(1215)= 4.175, p<.01)



Results: Intercorrelation among constructs

Psychopathology - Happiness; Life Satisfaction + Happiness

Psychopathology vs Happiness

Boys Girls

Hostility/Aggression -.342** -.467**

Dependence -.034** -.052**

Negative Self-esteem -.470** -.524**

Negative Self-Adequacy -.395** -.362**

Emotional Unrespons. -.428** -.491**

Emotional Unstability -.490** -.490**

Negative world View -.536** -.606**

Life Satisfaction vs Happiness

Boys Girls

Family .369** .436**

Friends .435** .459**

School .389** .451**

Living Environment .392** .436**

Self .360** .389**


Results: Parental influences

For both boys and girls…

1. Parental income, education and child age have no significant or very weak correlation to child outcome.

2. Parenting styles have medium/strong related to child outcome (r=.39-.58).

3. Parenting styles explains large proportions of variances in child psychopathology, life satisfaction and child happiness.

4. Parenting styles influence children’s adjustment, life satisfaction and happiness through their contribution to children’s self-concept.

5. Mother’s parenting style have larger contribution to child outcomes than father’s parenting style, apart from boys’ adjustment and happiness and girls’ satisfaction of selves.


Discussion

Chinese children: mentally healthy and happy

Children’s life enriched by extrafamilial activities

Parents’ contribution to children’s adjustment and well-being: father’s and mother’s roles

Higher correlation between psychopathology/life satisfaction with happiness among girls

Children’s everyday experiences: boys’ lower satisfaction but equal happiness


Limitations

Validity of measures (lack of standardization; different factor structures)

Cross-sectional design

Need for inclusion of extra-familial factors

Future directions

Boys’ and girls’ subjective experiences (e.g. what makes boy happy?!)

Father’s role in boys’ and girls’ development

Advanced analyses: relationship with self-concept and social anxiety

THANK YOU · MERCIXuan Li, [email protected]

IACCP 2014 Adjustment, life satisfaction and happiness of Chinese children_draft

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