Poster #217 - A Framework for Child Well-Being in the Gulf Countries

• In Event: 1-005 - Poster Session 01
  In Poster Session: PS 01 Section - Social Policy

Integrative Statement

Child well-being encompasses a range of indicators of how children are faring physically, behaviorally, psychologically, socially, cognitively, and economically. An understanding of child well-being requires a holistic understanding of child development as involving many domains of adjustment that are influenced by families, peers, communities, programs, and policies. Well-being is inherently important to children themselves as it relates to their happiness and functioning in the moment as well as because well-being during childhood predicts better future outcomes (physically, academically, professionally, socially, civically) as children develop into adults. Child well-being also is important to countries. A number of indices of child well-being are important national indicators, akin to the prominence long held by other national indicators such as gross domestic product or life expectancy. This poster provides a review of indicators of child well-being in the six Gulf countries (Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates), focusing on well-being in seven domains: physical health, behavioral adjustment, psychological well-being, social relationships, safety, cognitive well-being, and economic security. The purpose is to provide an overview of how children in the Gulf countries are faring in these seven domains in an effort to provide a framework for child well-being in the Gulf countries.
Data from the Gulf countries generally are available on the following domains of well-being (see Table 1): Physical health (including infant and under-5 mortality, growth and nutrition, and access to quality health care), some aspects of behavioral adjustment (in particular, smoking, alcohol, and drug use as well as adolescent pregnancy and HIV/AIDs), safety (in terms of laws, although data on the prevalence of abuse and neglect are limited), cognitive development (including enrollment and performance in school and skills for a knowledge economy, with more limited data available on quality early child care and school readiness), and economic security (proportion of children living in households that meet particular income thresholds). The following domains of well-being have more limited available data in the Gulf countries: Behavioral adjustment (including social competence, prosocial behavior, and externalizing behavior problems), psychological well-being (including subjective well-being of children, mental health, and participation), and social relationships (including positive relationships with parents and other caregivers, peer relationships, and relationships with non-family adults).
To implement a holistic framework for child well-being in the Gulf countries, it is important to adopt a multi-sectoral approach that includes stakeholders both within the government, such as Ministries of Health and Education, and stakeholders in other nongovernmental organizations that provide services to children and adolescents and have key roles in promoting their well-being (see Figure 1). Program monitoring and evaluation are essential components of any new interventions to determine whether the programs are having their intended effects to be able to revise appropriately if the programs are not effective. Promoting children’s physical health, behavioral adjustment, psychological well-being, social relationships, safety, cognitive development, and economic security are all important parts of a framework for child well-being in the Gulf countries.

Authors

• Anis Ben Brik, Doha International Family Institute, Qatar Foundation
  Presenting Author

• Jennifer Lansford, Duke University
  Non-Presenting Author

• Heba Al Fara, Doha International Family Institute
  Non-Presenting Author