Izvorni znanstveni članak
https://doi.org/10.3935/ljsr.v24i2.181.
EFFECT OF POVERTY ON THE WELL-BEING AND QUALITY OF LIFE OF FAMILIES FROM THE PERSPECTIVE OF CHILDREN
Marijana Kletečki Radović
orcid.org/0000-0001-7647-8076
; Studijski centar socijalnog rada, Pravni fakultet Sveučilišta u Zagrebu, Zagreb, Hrvatska
Lucija Vejmelka
orcid.org/0000-0002-7531-8457
; Studijski centar socijalnog rada Pravnog fakulteta Sveučilišta u Zagrebu, Zagreb, Hrvatska
Olja Družić Ljubotina
orcid.org/0000-0003-4298-0409
; Studijski centar socijalnog rada Pravnog fakulteta Sveučilišta u Zagrebu, Zagreb, Hrvatska
Sažetak
This paper presents the results of qualitative research with the objective of gaining insight into
the effect of poverty on the well-being and quality of life of children living in the conditions of poverty in communities with different capacities for social resources. Specifically, the objective was to gain insight into the possibility of mitigating the effects of poverty on children from the perspective of children. Three focus groups were organised that included secondary school students from families using the right to guaranteed minimum remuneration. The students attend four-year (grammar school, professional school) or three-year (vocational school) secondary school programmes. The results show that the children are aware of the adverse effects of the economic crisis on their own lives, the lives of their parents, and the family as a whole. They identify the specific aspects of life in which they experience the effects of material scarcity, such as the basic living conditions, education, health, peer relations, free time, access to information, and the opportunity to express their own opinions and
convictions. In their life, they rely on the informal sources of support and emphasize the responsibility of society and the state in mitigating the consequences of poverty on the life of children and their families. Specific differences were detected in terms of whether children live in poorer or richer communities. Children who live in a poorer community point to even more modest living conditions, opportunities for education and the organisation of leisure, and the substantially lowered availability of many services. Children who live in a richer community emphasize the importance of education for escape from poverty. This is the first research that included poor children who voiced their personal experiences to deepen the understanding of how it is to be growing up in poverty and its effects on the well-being of children. Via the inclusion of their perspective, the children were able to express their opinion and cast their “vote” concerning this unfavourable social problem for themselves personally and for society as a whole.
Ključne riječi
poverty of children; well-being; poorer and richer communities; perspective of children
Hrčak ID:
192737
URI
Datum izdavanja:
22.1.2018.
Posjeta: 8.044 *