Children's conceptualization of the term 'satisfaction': relevance for measuring health outcomes

When are children satisfied with life? An initiative qualitative study from vietnamese children sample

In the context of research on children's life satisfaction, considering children as active participants are very scarce, the main purpose of the present study was to examine children's perspectives on their life satisfaction. The study used a convenient sample of 228 students from primary and secondary schools, living in urban and suburban areas in Vietnam. The subjects' average age is 9.51 (SD = 1.56). Data were collected using a single open-ended question. The data analysis was performed by thematic analysis then processed with SPSS 22.0 for quantitative assessment. The results of data analysis indicate the following criteria to consider a child as being satisfied with life: (1) Quality of social relationship; (2) Quality of family relationship; (3) Being engaged in interesting and fun leisure and activities; (4) Achieving desired goals; (5) Living environment; and (6) Some other external factors. Among these qualities, the most important relationships in their lives (including social and family relations) were chosen with the highest frequency, followed by their engagement in meaningful and fun activities, and pursuit of their desired goals. This study provided a better insight into understanding how children perceive life satisfaction and what meanings they attach to it. The research results might be explained from a socio-cultural perspective and provide a scientific basis for large-scale studies on this topic in Vietnam.

The experience of school-aged children with hospitalisation

AIMS AND OBJECTIVES

This study intended to contribute to the improvement of nursing care for both children and their parents and aimed to identify the best and worst experiences of school-aged children during hospitalisation.

BACKGROUND

Child hospitalisation has traditionally been studied from the parent's perspective, but studies in which the child is the subject are scarce and mainly focus on to the hospitalisation experiences.

DESIGN

A cross-sectional, observational and descriptive exploratory design was used, and STROBE reporting guidelines were followed.

METHODS

A paper survey was applied by the primary researcher within a 3 months period to 252 children. It presented two open-ended statements: 'In my opinion the best thing about the hospital is …' and 'In my opinion the worst thing about the hospital is…'. The study was submitted and approved by the national data protection commission and also by the ethics committees of each of the six institutions where the study was undertaken. Informed consent was also obtained from children and parents.

RESULTS

Answers were analysed through content analysis. Five categories were identified for each of the open-ended statements. Children identified 'people', 'physical environment', 'activities', 'outcomes' and 'food' as best experiences. The worst experiences included: 'feelings', 'activities', 'food', 'environment' and 'outcomes'.

CONCLUSIONS

The results allowed the identification of the children's most valued aspects of hospitalisation.

RELEVANCE TO CLINICAL PRACTICE

The results should be considered by healthcare professionals in order to make the hospitalisation experience more positive from the perspective of the school-aged children.

Children's Participation in Household Tasks: Caregiver Importance and Satisfaction

Attribution of importance and satisfaction with performance are key dimensions contributing to engagement in occupations. This study explored caregiver satisfaction with and importance attributed to the participation of their children and adolescents in household tasks. Participants included 109 caregivers of children and adolescents of both sexes, aged 6 to 14 years, from various socioeconomic levels. They were interviewed with two questions of the Children Helping Out: Responsibilities, Expectations and Supports (CHORES), with ratings of importance and satisfaction on Likert-type scales, and asked to explain their ratings. We examined the association between the two dimensions. Results showed no correlation between caregivers' ratings of satisfaction and importance (r_s = .04; p = .699). The majority of caregivers evaluated their children's participation in domestic care as very important, explaining in terms of the need for children's autonomy in adulthood. Caregivers' satisfaction was attributed to children's attitudes. The expressed ideal of children's future autonomy by caregivers is not converted to current engagement in household task.