SWB children’s survey

The project explores whether social support can act as a moderator in the association between subjective unsafety and the psychological distress of young adolescents aged 10-12. The analysis is based on secondary data retrieved from the Survey of Subjective Well-being of Children (SWB) in the city of Barcelona (in collaboration with the Barcelona Institute of Childhood and Adolescence).

The survey was implemented in the framework of a broader project led by the Social Rights Area of Barcelona City Council. A multi-group structural equation model was run with a sample of 2,87 young adolescents enrolled in educational centres in the city of Barcelona, Spain.

The results show that direct exposure to sibling violence at home and bullying at school are significant predictors of psychological distress, regardless of biological sex.

The hypothesis of a negative correlation of subjective perceptions of unsafety on psychological distress is also supported, although neighbourhood-based risk factors emerge as a greater source of distress for females than for males. The involvement of supportive adults is associated with lower levels of perceptions of unsafety and distress in both groups, but girls seem capable of drawing more effectively on alternative sources of support, specifically their peers, to enhance their safety at school and in the neighbourhood.

The project is ongoing. A mixed design is employed that includes, in addition to the latest edition of the survey, focus groups with children as young as eight years old.

2021-ongoing

PI: L. Crescenzi-Lanna & R. Valente