Analyzing factors for an optimum play environment through children's subjective well-being indicators

Although children's play environments are known to be linked to their subjective well-being (SWB), this is not a topic that has been thoroughly studied. The present article has three aims: to identify factors that can ensure an optimum play environment in relation to children's SWB; to ana...

Descripción completa

Detalles Bibliográficos
Autores: Corominas Pérez, Maria Josep|||0000-0001-9010-6076, González-Carrasco, Mònica|||0000-0003-3677-8175, Casas, Ferran|||0000-0002-8045-3442
Tipo de recurso: artículo
Fecha de publicación:2021
País:España
Institución:Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona
Repositorio:Dipòsit Digital de Documents de la UAB
Idioma:inglés
OAI Identifier:oai:ddd.uab.cat:318134
Acceso en línea:https://ddd.uab.cat/record/318134
https://dx.doi.org/urn:doi:10.1016/j.childyouth.2020.105688
Access Level:acceso abierto
Palabra clave:Play environment
Children's subjective well-being
Children's rights
Social inequality
Children's Worlds
Descripción
Sumario:Although children's play environments are known to be linked to their subjective well-being (SWB), this is not a topic that has been thoroughly studied. The present article has three aims: to identify factors that can ensure an optimum play environment in relation to children's SWB; to analyze the most relevant groups of children that share similar play environments; and to focus on social inequality according to gender, background, and conditions of poverty and disability. The cluster analysis was performed using the indicators included in the Children's Worlds international research project, and the participants comprised 3,962 children living in Barcelona (Spain) in 2017 (mean age = 10.7). With regard to the results, overall most children reported four deficits: a lack of age-appropriate rest, not being free from peer discrimination, not feeling safe within the local neighborhood, and not having enough freedom of choice. On the positive side, children displayed low stress and boredom, high satisfaction with their free time, and reported being able to spend time or play outside almost every day, all of which contributing to a high SWB. Girls, children living in poverty or from foreign geographical or cultural backgrounds experienced this in a lesser extent. The conclusions contribute new knowledge to psychosocial interventions to improve children's play environments and well-being.