Contemporary Conceptualizations and Operationalizations of Child Well-Being: A Scoping Review of Child Well-Being Measures

Background and Purpose: Child well-being has become a key area of inquiry, yet, the conceptualization of the construct remains heterogeneous, with limited consensus on its constituents, determinants, and manifestations. The conceptual diversity has shaped a wide array of measurement approaches, which include(a) using a single item about life satisfaction or happiness, (b) using a limited set of items regarding quality of life that focus only on the child, and (c) using a more comprehensive approach with indicators related to the child and broader contexts such as national, state, or local community levels. This plurality in conceptualizations, and the resulting heterogeneity in measurement, motivates this review. This paper presents an inventory of existing child well-being measures, along with our assessment of these measures, to inform future research.

Methods: We conducted a scoping review guided by Arksey and O'Malley’s framework. Search string was developed in consultation with a librarian and comprehensive literature search was conducted using electronic databases, forward and backward search, and grey literature search up to August 2024. Inclusion and exclusion criteria were iteratively developed. Title abstract and full text screening and was conducted using Covidence while resolving discrepancies through team discussion. Data extraction and synthesis were conducted based on a pre-determined extraction template.

Results: A total of 7,014 records were identified through the initial searches, with 74 articles (representing 82 measures) included in the final analysis. Findings reveal that child well-being measurement is conceptually fragmented, characterized by diverse constructs, overlapping domains, and interchangeable use of terms such as child well-being (61 measures), quality of life (11), life satisfaction (5), flourishing or thriving (4), and happiness (1). Approximately 27% of the measures included domains reflecting the presence of well-being, while 14% focused solely on adversity as indicators of well-being. The majority (n = 48, 59%) incorporated both deficit-based and strength-based indicators. Notably, only 26% of the measures were explicitly grounded in a theoretical framework, and approximately 29% did not report any psychometric properties such as reliability or validity.

Conclusions and Implications: This review highlights the conceptual fragmentation and operational inconsistency in existing child well-being measures, reflecting a lack of consensus on core constructs, domains, and theoretical foundations. The interchangeable use of terms combined with the mixing of deficit- and strength-oriented indicators within individual measures, poses challenges for theory building, measurement development, and cross-contextual comparisons. The limited use of theoretical frameworks and underreporting of psychometric properties further undermine the validity and comparability of existing tools. Future measurement efforts should be grounded in clearly articulated theoretical models and attend to the conceptual boundaries between constructs. Harmonizing language and domains will be critical for improving coherence and enabling synthesis across studies. Greater attention to psychometric rigor is also needed to ensure that instruments are both reliable and valid across diverse populations and settings.