Kaur, M, Predictors of Well-Being Among Adolescents. Moldova: Lambert

245 pages, £57.80

This book will interest you if you are working in health, care or education with adolescents. The book applies the talents of an experienced academic author and the content is divided into five key themes. This clear structure within the book is helpful as the content is organised well. As a reader, you are guided through each of these key sections in helpful ways. In the first main section of the book, the conceptual framework is presented. This ‘theory’ deals with key factors that influence the health and well-being of adolescents. ‘Family environment’ is noted as a key factor that influences the health and well-being of adolescents. From this beginning, the book goes on to review the literature that is associated with exploring the factors that are associated with adolescents and their health and well-being. The book is grounded in research processes and the third main chapter of the book outlines the ontological position of the author and how this makes a contribution to epistemology. The fourth chapter of the book presents interesting findings about the well-being of adolescents. Interesting reflections are made about the differences that exist between rural and urban contexts and the associated consequences that this has for health and well-being. Towards the end of the book, suggestions are made for further research that can enrich and develop this topic in the future. There are some interesting reflections provided on the educational implications of health and well-being in adolescents and this links to a number of current debates that are taking place in education today in a number of cultural contexts.

The book has been planned most effectively. The author deserves praise for managing to reveal the complexities of health and well-being in adolescents. Too often, it seems, the policymakers who intervene in this area refer to interventions in entirety. The author reveals the differences that exist within adolescents and their well-being. The book is based on thoughtful reflections that complement each other in their development of the topic.

The book links to the work of Downie and Randall (1999) who argue that the power of the medical profession has become so dominant in many cultural contexts, that it is shaping understandings of health, care, and education. Well-being among adolescents is not defined by the characteristics of Asclepius, the Greek god of healing, because of an obsession that is evident in collating results about the success or otherwise of ‘interventions’. It is argued that Hippocrates, the famous physician, is associated with the mantra that ‘treatment ‘A’ can cure illness ‘B’’. In contrast, Asclepius is associated with more complex processes of healing that are similar to what Schwandt (2005, cited in Urban 2009) refers to as ‘the messiness of human life’. This paradigmatic view, of ‘solving problems’ is centrally located within an obsession over the achievement of results. An emphasis is placed on data and measurement to the detriment of the real human factors that influence the health and well-being of adolescents. This sounds similar to what can happen with professional development. As Kennedy (2005) argues, not all forms of professional development appear to be ‘transformative’. If ‘measurement’ dominates organisational cultures in Hippocratic ways, it is less likely that there will be an emphasis being placed upon reflection, as this cannot be measured. Asclepius is associated with the gleaming eyes of serpents. There was a belief that the healing process was based on looking beyond the self and into the eyes of something that is external to the individual. This belief is not based on numbers and quantifying. The philosophy is mysterious and vague as it is not exact. The contents of this book encourage us to reflect in ways that are similar.

References

• Downie, R. and Randall, F., 1999. Palliative care ethics: a companion for all specialities. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
• Kennedy, A., 2005. Models of cpd: a framework for analysis. Journal of in-service education, 31 (2), 235-250.
• Urban, M., 2009. Strategies for change: rethinking professional development to meet the challenges of diversity in the early years profession. Paper presented a the IPDA conference, 27-28 November, Birmingham, UK.

Review by: Dr Ewan Ingleby, May 2018

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