Children’s Quality of Life in the Caribbean: A Qualitative Study

Abstract

The study of quality of life is a serious issue, considering the constant individual and general concern that has historically existed, in the long quest for gratifying forms of existence for human beings. The concept has acquired great relevance in contemporary theoretical discussions in the fields of philosophy, economy, political science, sociology, and psychology, regarding the preoccupation about people's expectations, potential activities, freedom, justice, recognition, personal fulfillment, individual and collective prosperity, the influence of the daily life context, the establishment and personal experience of subjectivity, and human development as a whole, among other aspects. Likewise, it is considered a central theme of public policies regarding people's access to possessions and services, which includes the rules and actions oriented to resolve and find answers to multiple needs, interests and preferences of the groups and individual persons that form a society, and to create instruments to make a practical assessment of the conditions which may produce satisfaction or dissatisfaction. Thus, the assessment of quality of life becomes one of the most important indicators of human development in a society, for it attaches significance to the people's daily experiences, beyond the conditions labeled as "adequate" by experts (Casas 1996). The exploration of life experiences reveals deficiencies and potentialities, as well as the relationship between the individual and the social spheres-the latter being vital to the field of public policies, for it calls for prevention and promotion with an inter-disciplinary, inter-program, and inter-sector focus which will promote quality of life and lay the foundations for a positive social change. According to Tonon (2006), the studies on quality of life offer a new theoretical outlook oriented to working on potentialities rather than deficiencies, with a psychosocial anchorage in the community which includes an analysis of the socio-political context. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2019 APA, all rights reserved)