Delving into Palestinian children’s agency and well-being: perspectives from Palestinian experts in a context of colonial realities

The present study aims at qualitatively exploring the perceptions of experts regarding the construct of agency among Palestinian children living in a context of ongoing colonial violence and structural racism. The aim was to unravel the culture-specific and context-specific dimensions of agency, throughout a critical and decolonial lens, in comparison to the conventional understanding of this concept in Western contexts. We engaged in a series of interviews (n=14) with experts with different backgrounds (university professors, hospital staff, NGOs representatives), all rooted in the field of mental health and all coming from different areas in Palestine, among the Gaza Strip and the West Bank. The analysis of our findings yielded a framework comprising few key themes, collectively shaping a culturally nuanced model of Palestinian children's agency. The Palestinian understanding of child agency emerged as inherently complex, reflecting the multifaceted nature of the concept, uniquely reframed within a context characterized by numerous layers of complexity, spanning cultural, political, social, and economic dimensions. The present study has the potential to make a meaningful contribution by aiding in the development of indicators to assess the agentic behaviors of Palestinian children and by providing a more refined operationalization of this concept that considers the unique challenges they face.