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Bridging the Gap: Conceptual and Empirical Dimensions of Child Wellbeing in Rural Mexico

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  • Laura Valadez Martinez

Abstract

While conceptualizations of child wellbeing usually include multiple dimensions and complex notions, measurements of child wellbeing often tend to be simpler. This mismatch between concepts and measurements is often rooted in a limitation in the instruments that were originally conceived to assess child wellbeing. This paper aims to help in closing this gap by proposing a model that measures child wellbeing in a multi-dimensional way. With the aid of structural equation modeling (SEM), the model examines the physical health, cognitive ability, motor co-ordination, and emotional competence of around 2,000 children aged four to 6 years in poor rural communities in Mexico. Data is extracted from the Household Evaluation Survey-2003 (Encuesta de Evaluación de Hogares, ENCEL-2003). This paper concludes that further investments in the measurement of child wellbeing are needed, particularly in relation to subjective wellbeing, time use, and the role of children within the household and in society. Nevertheless, while more data is collected, this paper also concludes that SEM appears to be a great aid in exploring multiple dimensions of child wellbeing simultaneously. Copyright Springer Science+Business Media Dordrecht 2014

Suggested Citation

  • Laura Valadez Martinez, 2014. "Bridging the Gap: Conceptual and Empirical Dimensions of Child Wellbeing in Rural Mexico," Social Indicators Research: An International and Interdisciplinary Journal for Quality-of-Life Measurement, Springer, vol. 116(2), pages 567-591, April.
    • Handle: RePEc:spr:soinre:v:116:y:2014:i:2:p:567-591
    DOI: 10.1007/s11205-013-0289-8
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    2. Jeanette A. Lawrence & Ida Kaplan & Amy H. Collard, 2019. "Perspectives of Refugee Children Resettling in Australia on Indicators of Their Wellbeing," Child Indicators Research, Springer;The International Society of Child Indicators (ISCI), vol. 12(3), pages 943-962, June.

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