Some Aspects of Middle Childhood in Croatia and Well-Being of Children from a Parental Perspective

Abstract

This qualitative study aims to examine the perception of the
importance, and positive and negative aspects of digital
technology use, physical activity, and literacy environment for
the well-being of children in middle childhood, as well as
perceived differences in parenting between generations. The
study included 40 parents (25 mothers and 15 fathers) in 9
online focus groups. The results show that participants agree
on the positive influence of all three environments on child
well-being. They also recognise some negative aspects of
digital technology use and the difficulties they encounter in
trying to ensure their children's participation in organised
sports activities. As for differences in parenting between
generations, they mention more supervision displayed by
today's parents and greater involvement in leisure time
organisation. The results enable future quantitative studies on
the parental perception of environmental influences on
children's well-being and the creation of interventions aimed
at removing obstacles that prevent parents from engaging
their children in certain activities.