Theories of Child Well-Being and Development Assessment Answer

Introduction

The affirmation of child well-being has developed over the past several years as a crucial goal for social and health policymakers. The five theories for child well-being focus on child development and behavior. The first theory is the constructivist theory which affects early childhood education. There are several constructivist theories like Jean Piaget's that focus on the developmental process of functioning of a child’s mind (Saracho. 2023) According to Piaget, cognitions involve all the required energies without any motivating force. Four stages of development start from the development of sensorimotor skills and end at the beginning of adolescence. The second theory is Behavioural theory which is characterized by the driving force helping to describe children’s development and learning. It majorly focuses on modification in the behavior of the children which is the outcome of treatment associated with stimuli and the child’s reaction (Saracho. 2023). The third theory is Vygotsky's Zone of Proximal Development focuses on the fact that learning is the way a child communicates with others. He defined the zone of proximal development as the difference between potential and cognitive levels (Lasmawan and Budiarta. 2020). The fourth theory is Lev Vygotsky's Social Learning Theory which is also known as sociocultural theory and focuses on human development particularly children who acquire beliefs, problem-solving strategies, and cultural values with the collaboration of members of society (Taber. 2020). Bowlby's Attachment Theory is the last and one of the earliest theories that emphasize child development dependence on the early relationship with the caregiver ( Fraley and Shaver. 2021).

Ageing is the result of aggregation of a wide range of cellular and molecular damage within the period (WHO. 2022). According to biological theories of ageing, an organism's ability to operate declines with age as a result of several cellular and molecular changes that take place over time (Trevisan et al. 2019). Second is an immunological theory, the immune system is essential in protecting the body from sickness and infection. Third, developmental theories of ageing postulate that the ageing process is influenced by the gradual accumulation of many experiences over one's lifetime, including those that are physical, psychological, and social (Walker. 2020). Third is the hormone theory, alterations in hormone levels contribute to ageing. Age-related changes in the body result from declining levels of several hormones, including estrogen and testosterone. Last, According to the Life Course Theory, ageing is impacted by a variety of genetic, environmental, and behavioral factors that interact throughout a person's life (van den Beld et al. 2018) These elements include life experiences that can affect later health and wellbeing, such as education, employment, and social connections.

Family well-being comprises the health, safety, and financial stability of all the family members (Child Care Resources. 2021). According to the family systems theory, families are intricate systems made up of interdependent and interrelated components. The functioning of each family member as well as their interactions and connections with one another are essential to the family's overall health (Johnson and Ray. 2017). The social exchange hypothesis, the relative costs and benefits of family ties determine how well a family can function. The quantity and quality of resources exchanged among family members (Wan and Antonucci. 2017)Third is attachment theory, the degree of attachment ties among family members affects the health of the family unit. Insecure attachments, which are characterized by worry, fear, and a lack of support, can result in family dysfunction, whereas secure attachment connections, which are characterized by trust, comfort, and emotional support, promote family well-being. In addition to this, the family stress theory, the degree of stress, and the family's capacity to handle it have an impact on overall well-being. Families that can successfully handle stress are more likely to retain well-being. Stressful events like illness, job loss, or divorce can have a substantial impact on family well-being. The last theory is the Family Development Theory, a family's developmental stage has an impact on its overall well-being. Families go through predictable periods, such as the birth of a child, the adolescent years, and the empty nest stage, and the opportunities and challenges given by each step have an impact on the family's well-being (Scott and Bradford. 2021).

Youth well-being is defined as a state where youth feel free from physical and emotional harm with a sense of control over whatever is happening in their surroundings. The theories will help the youth to develop a sense of optimism, purpose, and desire to succeed (Centre for Advanced Studies in Child Welfare. n.d.). Socio-Political development theory focuses on the relationship between critical consciousness and well-being. This theory involves the development of youth to acquire the knowledge and the capacity for action in the social system (Maker et al. 2022). Another theory is Erikson’s psychosocial theory which identifies the psychological well-being of the youth and identifies the sociological orientation toward the dynamic phase (Eriksen and Seland. 2021). The third theory is the Person-Context Interaction Theory which focuses on the behavioral and psychological development of youth which is a result of environmental factors and the interplay of individual youth (Qi and Cui. 2023). In addition, this social learning theory highlights the importance of social norms that should be learned by the youth to develop positive social learning. The last theory is the social learning theory which focuses on the social influences taking place around the youth to set the attitude and behavioral regulation (Telzer et al. 2018).

In general, each of the theories contributes to the advancement of social work practice by offering conceptual frameworks that can be used to better comprehend and solve the multifaceted problems that children and families may be confronted with. Social workers can deliver effective interventions that promote positive outcomes for children and families when they apply these theories in their work and put them into practice. The social worker could evaluate the child-caregiver attachment using Bowlby's Attachment Theory. They can then fix any attachment issues that may be affecting the child's behavior. The social worker could advise the carer on how to respond appropriately to the child's needs to help create a more secure attachment bond. Social workers utilize social exchange theory to identify family resources and plan treatments to improve resource exchange. A social worker may utilize this theory to examine how home chore distribution impacts family members' feelings of justice and plan interventions to encourage equal distribution.

References

Centre for Advanced Studies in Child Welfare. 0 n.d. Well-being Indicator Tool for Youth (WIT-Y). https://cascw.umn.edu/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/WIT-Y-Guide-FIN-REVISED.pdf

Child Care Resources. 2021. What is Family Well-Being?. https://ccrnj.org/what-is-family-well-being/#:~:text=Family%20well%2Dbeing%20includes%20the,for%20themselves%20and%20their%20children .

Eriksen, I.M. and Seland, I., 2021. Conceptualizing well-being in youth: The potential of youth clubs. Young , 29 (2), pp.175-190. https://doi.org/10.1177/1103308820937571

Fraley, R.C. and Shaver, P.R., 2021. Attachment theory and its place in contemporary personality theory and research. https://psycnet.apa.org/record/2021-06060-031

Johnson, B.E. and Ray, W.A., 2017. Family systems theory. Encyclopedia of family studies , pp.1-5. 10.1002/9781119085621.wbefs130

Lasmawan, I.W. and Budiarta, I.W., 2020. Vygotsky’s zone of proximal development and the students’ progress in learning (A heutagogcal bibliographical review). JPI (Jurnal Pendidikan Indonesia) , 9 (4), pp.545-552. https://doi.org/10.23887/jpi-undiksha.v9i4.29915

Maker Castro, E., Wray-Lake, L. and Cohen, A.K., 2022. Critical consciousness and wellbeing in adolescents and young adults: A systematic review. Adolescent Research Review , 7 (4), pp.499-522. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40894-022-00188-3

Qi, W., Shi, J. and Cui, L., 2023. Family contagion of mental toughness and its influence on youth mental well-being: Family cohesion as a moderator. Personality and Individual Differences , 202 , p.111963. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.paid.2022.111963

Saracho, O.N., 2023. Theories of Child Development and Their Impact on Early Childhood Education and Care. Early Childhood Education Journal , 51 (1), pp.15-30. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10643-021-01271-5

Scott Crapo, J. and Bradford, K., 2021. Multidimensional family development theory: A reconceptualization of family development. Journal of Family Theory & Review , 13 (2), pp.202-223. 10.1111/jftr.12414

Taber, K.S., 2020. Mediated learning leading development—The social development theory of Lev Vygotsky. Science education in theory and practice: An introductory guide to learning theory , pp.277-291. 10.1007/978-3-030-43620-9_19

Telzer, E.H., Van Hoorn, J., Rogers, C.R. and Do, K.T., 2018. Social influence on positive youth development: A developmental neuroscience perspective. Advances in child development and behavior , 54 , pp.215-258. 10.1016/bs.acdb.2017.10.003

Trevisan, K., Cristina-Pereira, R., Silva-Amaral, D. and Aversi-Ferreira, T.A., 2019. Theories of Aging and the Prevalence of Alzheimer’s Disease. BioMed research international , 2019 . 10.1155/2019/9171424

van den Beld, A.W., Kaufman, J.M., Zillikens, M.C., Lamberts, S.W., Egan, J.M. and van der Lely, A.J., 2018. The physiology of endocrine systems with ageing. The Lancet Diabetes & Endocrinology , 6 (8), pp.647-658. 10.1016/S2213-8587(18)30026-3

Walker, R.F., 2022. A mechanistic theory of development-aging continuity in humans and other mammals. Cells , 11 (5), p.917. 10.3390/cells11050917

Wan, W.H. and Antonucci, T.C., 2017. Social exchange theory and aging. Encyclopaedia of Geropsychology , 1 (1), pp.1-9. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-287-082-7_285

WHO. 2022. Ageing and health. https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/ageing-and-health

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