The Relevance of Childhood Experiences in Social Care Students

1. TheRelevance of Childhood Experiences in Social Care Students Deirdre McGrath & Lavinia McLean February 2010

2. Childhood Adversity: Anecdotal Evidence If you would like to talk to someone privately about any of the issues raised during this lecture please call or drop over to: Student CounsellorRoom A2, Block A

3. Background and Rationale for Research • Placement issues • Irish research in social care. • Role of social care educators in assessing students fit to practice • Literature seems broadly agreed that the experience of early life adversity is greater for students entering caring professions than it is for students in other professions

4. Family of Origin Experiences : • Less parental care (DiCavvavo, 2002) • Abuse & neglect (Nikcevic et al 2007) • Family mental illness (Olsen & Royse, 2006; Sellers & Hunter, 2005) • Childhood emotional problems and relationship issues with parents (Wilson & Mc Crystal 2007) • Addiction (Russell et al, 1993; Sellers & Hunter, 2005) • Parental role reversal (Fussell & Bonney, 1990, Dicaccavo, 2002).

5. Association between career choice and early family experience • Experience of care giving lead to desire to address earlier imbalance (Lackie,1983) • Inspired through positive experience with helping profession (Wilson & McCrystal, 2007). • Help self vicariously through helping others Maeder (1989). • Positive and negative consequences

6. Methodology • Convenience Sample of second and third year students • Two instruments for data collection • Questionnaire of Childhood Adversity • as modified by Olson and Royse (2006) • Checklist with yes/no responses • Childhood Questionnaire (Fussell and Bonney, 1990) • Six constructs • 6 point Likert type scale • 129 social care students participated • Mean age 26 • 38% s/c enter 17-19 yrs • 80.4% other enter 17-19 yrs • 68 students from other Departments

7. Experiences of Traumatic Events

9. Significant comparisons • Adverse child's experiences social care (m= 1.47, SD= 1.64) and other (m= 1.3, SD= 1.6) not statistically significant. • Recent research focuses not only on investigating the influence of a history of family problems on career choice but also on the influence of the type of problem experienced. • Results suggest 2 main themes - Family - Relationships

10. Significant Comparisons: Family • Addiction • Social Care 36% - Other students: 20% • Similar research with social work vs. other students (Black et al, 1993) • Family Violence • Social Care 20.9% - Other students 11.9% • Sellers & Hunt (2005) 35% social work students in US • Mental Illness in Family • Social Care 20% - Other students 9% • Students who reported more indicators of a family history of psychopathology and /or family violence were more likely to report that family problems influenced their decision to pursue a career in social work (Sellers and Hunter 2005)

11. Significant comparisons: Relationships • Experience of peer aggression • Social Care 30% • Other students 8% • Absence of a close confiding relationship with an adult • Social Care 27.1% • Other students 11.9% Effective practice in social care requires the development of close relationships

12. Childhood Questionnaire: (Fussell & Bonney, 1990) • Parental responsiveness • Early responsibility for self • Childhood happiness • Parent child role inversion • Family care taking • Ambiguous communication

13. Parent Child Role Inversion • Measures role reversal - feeling responsibility for the care and emotional wellbeing of parents • Significant differences between social care and other students (t=2.524, df=195, p≤.05) • Similar finding for psychotherapists (Fussell & Bonney) and social workers (DiCaccavo 2002) vs Olsen & Royse (2006) no difference • Female social workers - parents who abdicated responsibilities (DiCavvaco 2002) • Literature - result of occupying caring roles from early childhood (Di Caccavo 2002) • Link to previous data re family: mental illness, absence adult, family violence and serious drinking

14. Family Caretaking • Measures child’s concern for the wellbeing of all family members (not just the parents) • Significant differences between social care and other students (t=2.121, df=195, p≤.05) • Supported by other literature • Suggestion that as a result to parentification student may have taken caring responsibilities early (DiCavvaco 2002) • Responsibility for others in family (Coombes and Anderson, 2000) • Students bring their roles learnt through childhood to their career choices - good at caring for and addressing the needs of others. • Link to previous data re family: mental illness, absence adult, family violence and serious drinking

15. Ambiguous Communication • Measures unclear communication within the family • Significant differences between social care and other students (t=2.061, df=197, p≤.05) • Found as early life experience that predicts choice of caring in literature • May lead to boundary problems developing in the therapeutic relationship • Appropriate boundaries maybe harder to maintain because of blurred boundaries in their own lives (Coombes and Anderson (2000) • But may help as service users come with confusing life narratives that can be complex and contradictory (Fussell and Bonney 1990)

16. Implications for Practice • Over identification and excessive involvement with service user • Co-dependency and a working out of own issue through the service user “wounded healer” thesis • Compulsive care giving • Seeking validation and recognition for a caring role that was denied as a child • Unresolved issues which can cause difficulties in professional practice • Bias in judgement and decision making • Boundary problems • Self-disclosure and transparency issues • Avoidance of service users issues • Coping with stress and burnout

17. Possible Positive Implications • Empathy, heightened sensitivity and respect for service users • More able to identify dysfunctions • Have developed coping strategies resourcefulness, problem solving and interpersonal skills • Optimism

18. Implications for Education • Adequate supports and awareness prior to placements and sensitive topic. • Awareness of self and opportunities to examine self • Curriculum material: impact that childhood experience may have on interactions with service users • Address burn-out: reflection and strategies for support. • Reason for leaving after first year (similar to O& R: burnout to explain lack of diff?) • Ongoing professional education to enable social care practitioners work on significant life issues

19. Further Research • Happiness not a key finding • Implications for practice – positive and negative • Career path stability and burnout • Self selections from area of after a period of time • Consider first year students • Difference in work-based and f/t

20. Limitations • Larger number social care/F/t and P/t students • Convenience sample - social care students more likely to recognise trauma and disclose feel less stigmatizes and more open to disclose family detail • Retrospective perceptions • Whole family discussed • As students progress in studies and work may reevaluate perception of adversity