Parents' perceptions of risk and the influence on children's everyday activities

Abstract

Parents say they just want their children to be happy but there is evidence and growing concern across disciplines that children in Western countries are experiencing unhappiness (e.g., anxiety, depression) in increasing numbers. In a society that is increasingly risk-averse, parents’ perceptions of risk can have an impact on the everyday activities they offer children. The primary purpose of this qualitative study was to develop a detailed understanding of parents’ perceptions of risk gathered from 47 parents and teachers. Some of the children they discussed were typically developing; others lived with disability. I asked the adults about their perceptions of risk and they frames they used for viewing it: as a barrier to or a catalyst for developing practical skills to achieve health, happiness and well-being and resilience. Participants’ narratives were subjected to constant comparative analysis using an adaptation of Charmaz’s approach to social analysis and Packer’s perspectives on qualitative methods of analysis. The first two chapters of this thesis comprise an introduction and an extended review of literature related to happiness and well-being. These are followed by two journal articles(Chapter 3 and 4 ) that include detailed accounts of (a) parents’ perceptions of everyday risks, the costs and benefits, and (b) their struggles and the strategies they used to offer children age-appropriate risk-taking opportunities. Risk reframing is described in a third journal article (Chapter 5) as a process used to help educators and parents shift their perspective of everyday risk as danger and threat to one of challenge, uncertainty and opportunity by helping them to disrupt their automatic protective responses. I conclude (Chapter 6) by discussing the costs and benefits of offering children opportunities for age-appropriate risk taking to achieve common goals for children: health, happiness and well-being and resilience.