A Community Partnered Approach for Defining Child and Youth Thriving

To develop a community-informed definition of child and youth thriving and identify community priorities for child/youth thriving.

Through concept mapping, a mixed-methods community-based participatory research method, this study examined community and health professionals' conceptualizations of child and youth thriving. We conducted brainstorming, sorting and rating, and interpretation sessions in 3 geographically distinct neighborhoods with concentrated disadvantage; simultaneously, researchers and health professionals participated in online sessions.

Participants included 91 community members, health care and social service professionals, and researchers who identified 104 items related to child and youth thriving and grouped these items into 7 distinct clusters. Two clusters focused on child-level factors (Strong Minds and Bodies; Positive Identity and Self-Worth), 2 focused on place-based factors (Healthy Environments; Vibrant Communities), and 3 focused on relationships and interactions between children and their environments (Caring Families and Relationships; Safety; and Fun and Happiness). The community-informed conceptualization of child thriving builds on previous models, adding dimensions of physical health and safety. Participants ranked having "someone to talk to," being "comfortable in their own skin," having "pride in themselves," and having a "strong sense of self and self-worth" as most important to child and youth thriving.

By integrating perspectives of community members from diverse neighborhoods with those of researchers and health professionals, this study captures novel domains to inform a conceptual model of thriving that focuses on stakeholder priorities. Findings will guide development, implementation, and evaluation of community-based interventions and their impact on child and adolescent health and thriving.