Material deprivation and subjective well-being in childhood and adolescence: a systematic literature review

Previous studies indicate a relationship between access to material resources and well-being. However, only some investigate how this relation affects the lives of children and adolescents, especially when considering their point of view about the matter. In the last decade, there has been a growth in the number of studies investigating the relationship between childhood material deprivation and subjective well-being. Yet, there is a gap regarding the systematic summary of the evidence. The present study performs a revision of empirical studies to verify the possible relationships between subjective well-being and material deprivation in childhood. Our review seeks to identify risk and protective factors for the subjective well-being of children and adolescents, considering their level of access to material resources. For these purposes, we carried out a systematic review through the PRISMA method. We analyzed 17 studies selected based on their available evidence on the subject and observed a predominance of cross-sectional studies using data from both developed and developing countries. Our results showed that most articles confirmed a significant relationship between material resources and subjective well-being. However, the strength of the association varies depending on the measures used and the countries considered. Articles also reported negative associations between childhood material deprivation and social relationships, perception of support by peers and family, and academic competence.