| 1. |
- Agyire-Tettey, Frank, et al.
(författare)
-
Multidimensional Child Poverty in Ghana : Measurements, Determinants, and Inequalities
- 2021
-
Ingår i: Child Indicators Research. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 1874-897X .- 1874-8988. ; 14:3, s. 957-979
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Early childhood deprivations and inequalities have social and economic implications in adulthood and thus, their elimination is essential for child development. However, child-level estimates of poverty are rare in low income countries. Using data from two recent rounds of the Ghana Demographic and Health Survey, we measure the extent and sources of childhood deprivations in Ghana and examine subgroup differentials in child poverty. In addition, we examine the child quality-quantity by estimating the causal relationship between number of children and child poverty. Finally, we assess the sources of rural-urban inequalities in child poverty. We find that despite declining incidence and intensity of multidimensional child poverty, significant subgroup differentials persist in Ghana. The findings of the paper reveal that living standards is the main contributor to multidimensional poverty in early childhood in Ghana. Our findings also confirm a significant causal relationship between child quality and quantity in Ghana, there exist a positive relationship between the number of children and the intensity of child poverty in Ghana. Finally, we find that rural-urban inequalities in child multidimensional poverty in Ghana are attributable to differences in observed maternal and household characteristics between rural and urban areas. The persistence of subgroup disparities in child poverty may be detrimental to achieving equitable and inclusive growth in the country. There is the need for considerations of equity, fairness and social justice in the distribution and development of social services and economic infrastructure to ensure even distribution of social and economic opportunities and promote social mobility across groups.
|
|
| 2. |
- Bortes, Cristian, et al.
(författare)
-
Parental Illness and Young People's Education
- 2020
-
Ingår i: Child Indicators Research. - : Springer. - 1874-897X .- 1874-8988. ; 13:6, s. 2069-2091
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The purpose of the present study was to investigate the effects of parental health problems on the probability of youths leaving upper secondary education before completion in Sweden, and to investigate potential gender differences in these effects. Medical and social microdata from Swedish administrative registers were used. The study population consisted of individuals born between 1987 and 1990 (N = 398,748) who were still alive and residing in Sweden in 2010. We employed a quasi-experimental pre-test post-test study design. Logistic regression was used to analyse the relationships between indicators of parental illness and young people's early school leaving in relation to health and sociodemographic confounders. Having had a mother or father with psychiatric, but not somatic, illness that necessitated hospitalisation after completing compulsory schooling was significantly associated with an increased probability of leaving upper secondary education. We found no significant gender-specific interaction effects. The existence of these effects in Sweden, a country with an extensive institutional welfare system, suggests that similar but more pronounced effects may exist in regions lacking such systems.
|
|
| 3. |
- Brolin Låftman, Sara, 1974-
(författare)
-
Family structure and children’s living conditions : A comparative study of 24 countries
- 2010
-
Ingår i: Child Indicators Research. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 1874-8988 .- 1874-897X. ; 3:1, s. 127-147
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- This study uses large-scale cross-national data from 24 countries to describe the living conditions of children residing with a single mother as compared with children who live with two original parents. Three central areas are studied: children’s social support, health, and material resources. The data are derived from the international WHO study Health Behaviour in School-aged Children (HBSC) of 2001/02. The survey includes nationally representative samples of school pupils of 11, 13, and 15 years of age in countries in Europe and North America and in Israel. After relevant selections, total n=95,335. The general finding is that children in single-mother households have lower social support from parents, poorer health, and smaller material resources than children living with two original parents. The general tendency is rather similar across a large number of countries although more differences are found in some countries and fewer in others. There is no clear pattern in how the association with family type varies between countries, for example, according to the share of single-mother households, by welfare state regime, or in relation to single parents’ employment rates.
|
|
| 4. |
- Fransson, Emma, et al.
(författare)
-
The Living Conditions of Children with Shared Residence – the Swedish Example
- 2018
-
Ingår i: Child Indicators Research. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 1874-897X .- 1874-8988. ; 11:3, s. 861-883
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Among children with separated parents, shared residence–i.e., joint phys-ical custody where the child is sharing his or her time equally between two custodialparents’homes–is increasing in many Western countries and is particularly commonin Sweden. The overall level of living among children in Sweden is high; however, thepotential structural differences between children in various post-separation familyarrangements have not been sufficiently studied. Potential risks for children with sharedresidence relate to the daily hassles and stress when having two homes. This study aimsat investigating the living conditions of children with shared residence compared withchildren living with two custodial parents in the same household and those living withone custodial parent, respectively. Swedish national survey data collected from childrenaged 10–18 years (n≈5000) and their parents were used. The outcomes were groupedinto: Economic and material conditions, Social relations with parents and peers, Healthand health behaviors, Working conditions and safety in school and in the neighbor-hood, and Culture and leisure time activities. Results from a series of linear probabilitymodels showed that most outcomes were similar for children with shared residence andthose living with two custodial parents in the same household, while several outcomeswere worse for children living with one parent. However, few differences due to livingarrangements were found regarding school conditions. This study highlights the in-equalities in the living conditions of Swedish children, with those living with oneparent having fewer resources compared with other children.
|
|
| 5. |
- Friman, Margareta, 1970-, et al.
(författare)
-
Children’s Life Satisfaction and Satisfaction with School Travel
- 2018
-
Ingår i: Child Indicators Research. - : Springer. - 1874-897X .- 1874-8988. ; 12:4, s. 1319-1332
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- To understand children’s experiences of their daily travel, and the consequences of these experiences, it is essential that we directly address children. The Satisfaction with Travel Scale (STS) is a self-report instrument consisting of nine items divided into three subscales – two reflecting affective travel experiences and one reflecting cognitive travel experiences. The present study has two aims: (i) to examine the psychometric properties of a child version of the STS (referred to as the STS-C), and (ii) to test a potentially positive relationship between travel satisfaction and life satisfaction among children, something which has been found among adults. Three hundred and forty-five children completed the STS-C, life satisfaction scales, and sociodemographic variables. Analyses using Partial Least Square structural equation modelling revealed that the STS-C was internally reliable, had a sound construct validity, and confirmed a one-factor second-order measurement model with three first-order constructs (subscales). Furthermore, children’s satisfaction with school travel was also significantly related to their life satisfaction as measured by their satisfaction with: themselves, school experiences, friendships, family, and living environment. The relationship between travel satisfaction and life satisfaction varied between modes, whereby it was stronger among those who traveled by active modes than those who traveled by school bus or car. Younger children and boys were more satisfied with their travel to school, something which also had an indirect effect on their life satisfaction.
|
|
| 6. |
- Gustafsson, Björn, 1948, et al.
(författare)
-
How are Immigrant Children in Sweden Faring? Mean Income, Affluence and Poverty Since the 1980s
- 2018
-
Ingår i: Child Indicators Research. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 1874-897X .- 1874-8988. ; 11:1, s. 329-353
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- This article presents new research on income-based child indicators for immigrant children from 17 different national backgrounds and children of parents born in Sweden observed during the 3-year periods 1983–85, 1995–97 and 2008–10. This research examines mean household income, representation at the top of the income distribution and relative poverty differ for immigrant children from the corresponding levels among children with native born parents. Most of the analysis is concentrated on the second generation of immigrant children. It is shown that the relative position of immigrant children deteriorated between 1983–85 and 1995–97 when the labour market situation of immigrant parents weakened more than among native born parents. Changes thereafter were more complex. Children born in Sweden to parents from Denmark, Norway or Germany were as likely as children of native born parents to be observed at the top of the income distribution in contrast to children of parents from countries with middle or low human development. Poverty rates among immigrant children were higher among all categories of immigrant children in 2008–10 than among children of native born parents. These cross origin differences in incomebased child indicators can be attributed to the reasons and qualifications parents had when they entered Sweden and the number of years since their immigration. A majority of children living in Sweden that are classified as poor in 2008–10 were immigrant children of various categories.
|
|
| 7. |
- Hagquist, Curt, 1952-, et al.
(författare)
-
Differential Item Functioning in Trend Analyses of Adolescent Mental Health : Illustrative Examples Using HBSC-data from Finland
- 2017
-
Ingår i: Child Indicators Research. - : Springer. - 1874-897X .- 1874-8988. ; 10:3, s. 673-691
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Although there is an increasing focus on trend analyses of adolescent mental health, yet too little attention is paid to the methodological challenges and pitfalls inherent in this type of analyses. The purpose of the study is to analyse the psychometric properties of a Finnish instrument on psychosomatic problems, with a major focus on Differential Item Functioning (DIF) across time. Questionnaire data collected in 1994, 1998, 2006 and 2014 among Finnish schoolchildren in grade 9 (15-year-olds) as part of the Health Behaviour in School-aged Children (HBSC) study were utilised.The polytomous Rasch model was used to examine the psychometric properties of a composite measure of psychosomatic problems. The results clearly indicate that the composite measure on psychosomatic problems consisting of nine items does not work invariantly over time. In particular, the item depressed shows DIF across years ofinvestigations. This item works quite differently at the first year of investigationcompared to the last year showing higher expected values 2014 (=less frequent problems) than 1994. This DIF affects the person measure of change in psychosomatic problems between 1994 and 2014. Resolving the item depressed for year of investigation DIF, or removing it, increases the difference in person mean values between the two years, implying increasing psychosomatic problems over time. Since the DIF affects the trend results, different options to address the problems need to be considered. Removing the item depressed would bring the Finnish measure of psychosomatic problems in better accordance with the content of the questions on psychosomatic problems in the international HBSC protocol in which the item depressed is not included.
|
|
| 8. |
- Harju, Anne, et al.
(författare)
-
Child Poverty in a Scandinavian Welfare Context : From Children’s Point of View
- 2011
-
Ingår i: Child Indicators Research. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 1874-897X .- 1874-8988. ; 4:2, s. 283-299
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The focus for this article is child poverty in a Nordic welfare state context. With data from two qualitative studies from Sweden and Norway, we discuss child poverty from the children’s point of view, in the framework of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, articles 27 and 28. In article 27, food, housing and clothing are mentioned as particularly important for an adequate standard of living. In poverty studies where children’s voices are being heard there has been little focus on these necessities. We find that a few of the children living with economic hardship experience a lack of necessities such as food, housing and clothing. We also explore whether children experience limited possibilities in relation to education. Despite of the state policies recognition of equal opportunities in relation to schooling, we find differences due to economy. In some cases this leads to young people dropping out of school to work. Overall we find that children take responsibility in relation to their families’ financial situation. In the final discussion we pay attention to the powerlessness of the children’s situation between the parents and the states’ responsibilities for providing for the children’s basic needs. We argue for the need for a discussion about the children’s position between rights and protection. If poor children are loaded with more responsibilities than their peers from better-off families, it will add to the burden of worry and distress in an already complicated situation.
|
|
| 9. |
- Hellström, Lisa, et al.
(författare)
-
Does the Strength of the Association Between Peer Victimization and Psychosomatic Health Problems Depend on Whether Bullying or Peer Aggression is Measured?
- 2017
-
Ingår i: Child Indicators Research. - : Springer Netherlands. - 1874-897X .- 1874-8988. ; 10:2, s. 447-459
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- This study aimed to analyze to what extent the strength of the previously established association between peer victimization and psychosomatic problems depends on which of two measures is being used, a measure of bullying and a measure of peer aggression. The study included 2568 Swedish adolescents aged 13–15 years. An Ordinary Least Square regression showed that all regressors representing bullying and peer aggression revealed significant effects on psychosomatic health using no peer victimization as the reference category. An ANOVA showed no significant differences in mean values on the Psychosomatic Problems Scale captured by the two measures. Given that both measures of peer victimization show strong associations with psychosomatic health, using only one of the two measures is therefore likely not just to underestimate the overall prevalence of peer victimization but also the number of children experiencing psychosomatic problems in relation with peer victimization.
|
|
| 10. |
- Högberg, Björn
(författare)
-
Is there a trade-off between achievement and wellbeing in education systems? : new cross-country evidence
- 2023
-
Ingår i: Child Indicators Research. - : Springer Nature. - 1874-897X .- 1874-8988. ; 16:5, s. 2165-2186
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Wellbeing has recently been given a more prominent place in education policy and discourse, with critics arguing that an overemphasis on achievement comes at the cost of well-being. This raises questions concerning possible trade-offs between the traditionally dominant focus on learning and achievement in education and the growing emphasis on well-being. Can education systems promote high achievements and wellbeing simultaneously, or is reduced wellbeing an inevitable price to pay for high academic achievements? In this study, I investigate possible trade-offs between country-level achievement and individual wellbeing using five waves of the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) and the Health Behaviour in School-aged Children (HBSC) data, spanning over 18 years and including more than one million pupils in 45 countries. I find weak and inconsistent empirical support for a trade-off. While there is a modest negative relationship between country-level achievement and some indicators of well-being, this does not hold when adjusting for possible confounders or country-fixed effects. I also find no or weak evidence for heterogeneous effects depending on individual achievement. I conclude that concerns regarding possible trade-offs between achievement and wellbeing are not supported by cross-country comparative data. However, the predominantly null findings also imply that policymakers should not expect miracles in terms of wellbeing from high-achieving education systems. High achievements may be good from an academic perspective, but do not seem to make much of a difference from the perspective of wellbeing.
|
|
