Individual, family, and social correlates of flourishing outcomes among youth: Findings from the 2016-2017 National Survey of Children's Health

BACKGROUND

Flourishing is considered an optimal state of well-being and is associated with positive psychological outcomes. Although, individual, family, and social factors may either facilitate or impede flourishing, their unique influence on flourishing outcomes is not well-understood among youth.

OBJECTIVE

Using data from the 2016-2017 National Survey of Children's Health (NSCH), this study investigated cross-sectional associations among adverse family experiences (AFE), community safety, family resilience, parental aggravation, and flourishing among youth.

PARTICIPANTS AND SETTING

Data from the 2016-2017 NSCH (N = 51,156) were analyzed. Participants included males (n = 26,124) and females (n = 25,032) whose ages ranged from 6 to 17 years old (M = 12.14, SD = 3.45).

METHODS

After controlling for relevant demographics, adjusted odds ratios (AORs) using a single-block logistic regression determined the relative likelihood of flourishing.

RESULTS

Youth who experienced zero to one AFE (AOR = 2.10; 95% CI [1.95, 2.26]) and two to three AFEs (1.32 [1.20, 1.45]) were more likely to flourish than youth with four or more AFEs. Youth whose parents endorsed low parental aggravation (6.80 [6.41, 7.22]) and moderate parental aggravation (3.70 [3.51, 3.89]) were more likely to be flourishing than youth whose parents endorsed high parental aggravation.

CONCLUSIONS

Findings suggest that high parental aggravation is related to poorer flourishing outcomes, after considering community safety, family adversity, family resilience, and demographic characteristics. Providers should consider interventions to support the emotional regulation of parental systems as a means of maximizing developmental outcomes among youth.