Activities within an Ecological, Relationship-Based Model of Children’s Subjective Well-Being

This paper describes the epistemological approach, methodological considerations and results of a qualitative study examining activity participation in the context of an ecological, relationship-based model of children’s subjective well-being. Qualitative data was gathered using the Multinational Qualitative Interview Protocol and the Paediatric Activity Card Sort (PACS), and coded using grounded theory methodology. Inductive analysis of interviews with 17 children, ages eight to 13 years, led to multiple indicators of subjective well-being, classified into six domains - social connectedness, physical health, mastery and agency, safety and security, meaningful access to resources, and meaningful use of time through activity. Children’s perspectives about their well-being led us to expand the theoretical model to include constructs from developmental and occupational sciences. We posit that children’s subjective well-being can be understood as the transformative interaction between the child, his or contexts of home and family, community, school, and peers, and engagement in meaningful activity.