Material Conditions and Their Relationship with Affective Components of Subjective Well-being in Children

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to analyze the relationship between material conditions and affective components of subjective well-being in a representative sample, using data from the International Survey of Children's Well-being (ISCWeB), of 1994 Chilean children in the 5th and 7th grades, with a mean age of 10.50 years (SD = 0.66) and 12.51 years (SD = 0.69), respectively. Descriptive statistical analyses were carried out, in addition to a regression analysis, considering age and gender variables. The main results showed that the majority of children report having material resources in the material conditions associated with basic needs and feeling happier to a greater extent. Regression analysis showed that children's material conditions had a significant effect on positive and negative affect in both age groups. Children who reported greater access to material conditions had a higher mean positive affect. This effect was greater in the older group of children. In relation to gender, no significant differences were observed between girls and boys in the 10-year-old group, while in the 12-year-old group there were significant differences, both in positive and negative affect, with women reporting lower affective well-being. The results are discussed, which highlight the importance of considering the affective components of children's subjective well-being when analyzing the material conditions in which they live and the differential effects according to age and gender.