Proximity, Defence and Boundaries with Children and Care-Givers: A Sensorimotor Psychotherapy Perspective

2015 ◽  
Vol 40 (2) ◽  
pp. 139-146 ◽  
Author(s):  
Pat Ogden
Keyword(s):  
Child Therapy ◽  
Care Giver ◽  
Adaptive Responses ◽  
Relational Dynamics ◽  
Caregiving System ◽  
Care Givers ◽  
Care Giving ◽  
Limit Setting ◽  
Sensorimotor Psychotherapy

Traumatised children can be easily dysregulated by relational dynamics. These children often experience the sequential or simultaneous stimulation of attachment and defence characteristic of disorganised/disoriented attachment patterns. Expressing their relational needs for proximity and distance can be fraught with conflict, confusion, frustration and fear. Parents/care-givers are often baffled about how to balance boundaries and limit setting with closeness and proximity in a way that is effective for themselves and their children. Additionally, parents/care-givers themselves may have histories of trauma and attachment failure that impair their own ability to balance closeness and distance. Both proximity seeking or closeness and defense or boundary setting actions are organized by innate, psychobiological systems of attachment and defense, and for parents/caregivers, the caregiving system as well. Each action system has to meet particular goals to achieve proximity to and security with a trusted other (attachment system); to defend and protect when needed (defence systems) and to protect and care for offspring (care-giving system). The legacy of trauma and attachment failure, with their consequential neuropsychological deficits, can constrain and disrupt adaptive responses to the arousal of these three systems. This paper clarifies the inborn systems that drive actions of proximity and distance. A case study will explore the interactions of these systems in child/care-giver therapy. Sensorimotor Psychotherapy will be described and somatic relational techniques will be illustrated to address proximity and defence/boundaries in the context of child therapy and care-giver/child therapy.

scholarly journals Understanding the occupational identity of care-givers for people with mental health problems

2021 ◽  
pp. 030802262110181
Author(s):  
Megan L Howes ◽  
Diane Ellison
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Health Care ◽  
Mental Health Care ◽  
Occupational Therapists ◽  
Occupational Identity ◽  
Care Giver ◽  
Care Givers ◽  
Care Giving ◽  
Occupational Participation

Introduction There is recognition within the literature that the role of care-giving can have a negative impact on care-givers’ general well-being. Less is understood about the role of care-giving on an individual’s occupational participation and in turn occupational identity. Occupational therapists have a unique understanding of the interplay between occupational participation and health, though this is an area that has been under researched in relation to mental health care-givers. Therefore, the current research aims to understand how the role of care-giving for an individual with a mental illness impacts on occupational participation and identity. Method A qualitative semi-structured interview the Occupational Performance and History Interview–Version 2 was utilised to understand life experiences. Six mental health care-givers were interviewed, and these interviews were transcribed for thematic analysis. Findings Three main themes were identified: being me, roles and responsibilities associated with care-giving and services. Conclusion The findings suggest being a mental health care-giver does have a detrimental impact on occupational participation and therefore occupational identity. As care-givers gained more experience in their role, they used occupational adaption as a positive coping mechanism that helped them achieve occupational balance. Using their unique understanding of occupational participation and occupational identity, occupational therapists are well placed to utilise their knowledge and skills to work in a systemic way supporting both the person with mental illness and their care-giver.

Changes in adult children's participation in parent care

2012 ◽  
Vol 33 (4) ◽  
pp. 667-697 ◽  
Author(s):  
MAXIMILIANE E. SZINOVACZ ◽  
ADAM DAVEY
Keyword(s):  
Child Care ◽  
Adult Child ◽  
Care Giver ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Pooled Data ◽  
Care Givers ◽  
Care Giving ◽  
The Us ◽  
And Gender ◽  
The Stability

ABSTRACTCare-giving research has focused on primary care-givers and relied on cross-sectional data. This approach neglects the dynamic and systemic character of care-giver networks. Our analyses address changes in care-givers and care networks over a two-year period using pooled data from the US Health and Retirement Study, 1992–2000. Based on a matrix of specific adult-child care-givers across two consecutive time-points, we assess changes in any adult-child care-giver and examine the predictors of change. A change in care-giver occurred in about two-fifths of care-giving networks. Ability to provide care based on geographical proximity, availability of alternative care-givers, and gender play primary roles in the stability of care networks. Results underline the need to shift care-giving research toward a dynamic and systemic perspective.

scholarly journals Care-giving expectations and challenges among elders and their adult children in Southern Sri Lanka

2013 ◽  
Vol 34 (5) ◽  
pp. 838-858 ◽  
Author(s):  
MELISSA H. WATT ◽  
BILESHA PERERA ◽  
TRULS ØSTBYE ◽  
SHYAMA RANABAHU ◽  
HARSHINI RAJAPAKSE ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Sri Lanka ◽  
Adult Children ◽  
Adult Child ◽  
The Elderly ◽  
Theory Approach ◽  
Care Giver ◽  
Role Modelling ◽  
Care Givers ◽  
Care Giving ◽  
Depth Interviews

ABSTRACTThe elderly population in Sri Lanka is growing rapidly. Elders are traditionally cared for in the homes of their adult children, but the shifting socio-economic environment in Sri Lanka challenges this arrangement. This paper describes the dynamics of elder–care-giver relationships in Southern Sri Lanka. Data included four focus group discussions and five in-depth interviews with elderly, and ten in-depth interviews with adult children of the elderly. Discussion guide topics included care-giving arrangements, and roles/responsibilities of elders and care-givers. Using a grounded theory approach, a comprehensive analytic memo was developed and discussed to explore emerging themes on the care-giver dynamic. Both elders and care-givers felt that elders should be taken care of in the home by their children. They pointed to a sense of duty and role modelling of parental care-giving that is passed down through generations. Even as elders desired support from their children, they feared losing their independence, and saw financial autonomy as important for maintaining relationship balance. Care-giving challenges included: households where both the adult child and his/her spouse worked outside the home; households where elders had a disproportionate amount of household work; economically stressed households; and lack of direct communication between elders and care-givers regarding conflicts. Results point to strong values around caring for elderly in the home, but identify challenges to this arrangement in the future.

Elasticity of care networks and the gendered division of care

2014 ◽  
Vol 35 (4) ◽  
pp. 675-703 ◽  
Author(s):  
WILCO KRUIJSWIJK ◽  
BARBARA DA ROIT ◽  
MARCEL HOOGENBOOM
Keyword(s):  
Primary Care ◽  
Qualitative Analysis ◽  
Gender Gap ◽  
Research Finding ◽  
Family Care ◽  
Care Giver ◽  
Care Givers ◽  
Care Giving ◽  
Dynamic Perspective ◽  
Primary Care Giver

ABSTRACTThe gender gap in family care-giving is an established research finding: men dedicate less time to care-giving and provide specific gendered types of help. This article argues that in order to grasp men's contribution to care arrangements one should recognise the multifaceted nature of care and examine care networks beyond the ‘care receiver–primary care-giver’ dyad with a dynamic perspective. A qualitative analysis of the care networks of three large Dutch families with an older parent in need of care confirms the greater involvement of women in care-giving and men's tendency to provide specific types of care. However, men also contribute to the elasticity and stability of the care arrangement by filling temporary gaps and supporting the female care-givers. This article puts forward the idea that men's contribution is in turn a factor in the perpetuation of the gendered structure of care-giving.

scholarly journals The impact of informal care-giving networks on adult children's care-giver burden

2010 ◽  
Vol 31 (1) ◽  
pp. 34-51 ◽  
Author(s):  
NATALIA TOLKACHEVA ◽  
MARJOLEIN BROESE VAN GROENOU ◽  
ALICE DE BOER ◽  
THEO VAN TILBURG
Keyword(s):  
Informal Care ◽  
Adult Children ◽  
Adult Child ◽  
Path Model ◽  
Care Giver ◽  
Term Care ◽  
Older Parents ◽  
Care Givers ◽  
Care Giving ◽  
The Impact

ABSTRACTPrevious research on the care-giver burden experienced by adult children has typically focused on the adult child and parent dyad. This study uses information on multiple informal care-givers and examines how characteristics of the informal care-giving network affect the adult child's care-giver burden. In 2007, 602 Dutch care-givers who were assisting their older parents reported on parental and personal characteristics, care activities, experienced burden and characteristics of other informal care-givers. A path model was applied to assess the relative impact of the informal care-giving network characteristics on the care-giver burden. An adult child experienced lower care-giver burden when the informal care-giving network size was larger, when more types of tasks were shared across the network, when care was shared for a longer period, and when the adult child had no disagreements with the other members of the network. Considering that the need for care of older parents is growing, being in an informal care-giving network will be of increasing benefit for adult children involved in long-term care. More care-givers will turn into managers of care, as they increasingly have to organise the sharing of care among informal helpers and cope with disagreements among the members of the network.

The assessment experience of spousal dementia care-givers: ‘It's made me realise that I am a person also’

2018 ◽  
Vol 39 (11) ◽  
pp. 2443-2464 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nancy Guberman ◽  
Janice Keefe ◽  
Pamela Fancey
Keyword(s):  
Cognitive Impairment ◽  
Nursing Student ◽  
Structured Interview ◽  
Assessment Instrument ◽  
Care Giver ◽  
Care Givers ◽  
Care Giving ◽  
Post Test ◽  
Quasi Experimental ◽  
The Impact

AbstractThis article is based on a study that used a validated care-giver assessment instrument known as ‘The C.A.R.E. (Caregivers’ Aspirations, Realities, and Expectations) Tool’ to understand its usefulness in working with older adults caring for a spouse with cognitive impairment. It draws on data collected as part of a larger, quasi-experimental pre- and post-test study examining the impact of a care-giver assessment on older spousal care-givers of a partner with cognitive impairment. One hundred community-living individuals (average age of 74) participated in the study. Participants met with a third-year nursing student who administered The C.A.R.E. Tool. Within three to seven days following this, a research team member conducted a semi-structured interview by telephone. This interview provided participants with the opportunity to comment on their experience and the usefulness of The C.A.R.E. Tool. Transcriptions of the interviews were analysed using a thematic analysis. Results indicate that the assessment experience was evaluated positively by most participants. Two broad themes emerged: assessment encourages care-givers to take stock of their situation, and it provides a relationship with a caring professional. In particular, the assessment experience gave these care-givers to have the opportunity to reflect, while expressing emotions and developing awareness, and provided them with an appreciated relationship with a caring professional who helped to validate and normalise their situation. For care-givers, the results suggest that assessment may serve as a catalyst for taking action in their care-giving situation or turning to services for help. For practitioners, assessment may increase awareness of the experience of spousal care-givers, potentially leading to interventions to support them. This study found that the attitudes and knowledge of practitioners play a role in care-givers’ experience of the assessment as positive. However, the goal of assessment must be clarified, as outcomes of other tools will differ depending on the aims.

Geographic distance and social isolation among family care-givers providing care to older adults in Canada

2021 ◽  
pp. 1-26
Author(s):  
Lun Li ◽  
Andrew Wister
Keyword(s):  
Social Isolation ◽  
Short Distance ◽  
General Social Survey ◽  
Geographic Distance ◽  
Family Care ◽  
Analysis Of Covariance ◽  
Care Giver ◽  
Long Distance ◽  
Care Givers ◽  
Care Giving

Abstract Family care-giving is associated with social isolation, which can lead to adverse health and wellbeing outcomes among family care-givers. The role of geographic distance in care-giver social isolation (CSI) is unclear and has received mixed research findings. Framed by the Ecological Model of Caregiver Isolation, this study examined the relationship between geographic distance and CSI, including the interaction between geographic distance and care-giving intensity for CSI. Linear regression and analysis of covariance were used to test these hypotheses using a sub-set of family care-givers from the 2012 Canadian General Social Survey (N = 2,881). Care-givers living a short distance from receivers reported lower levels of social isolation than co-resident, moderate-distance and long-distance care-givers. Being involved in higher-intensity care-giving as the primary care-giver, undertaking more care-giving tasks and providing care more frequently resulted in higher CSI scores. Long- and moderate-distance care-givers reported greater CSI than co-resident and short-distance care-givers only when providing higher-intensity care-giving. Employing a granulated measure of geographic distance positioned within an ecological framework facilitates an understanding of the nuanced association between geographic proximity and CSI. Furthermore, the identified interaction effects between geographic distance and care-giving intensity on CSI further explicate the complexity of care-giving experiences. The findings are relevant for programmes supporting care-givers in different contexts, especially distance care-givers.

scholarly journals Data From a Mindfulness Program for Family Caregivers to Persons With DD, and Application for Older Individuals

2020 ◽  
Vol 4 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. 508-508
Author(s):  
Jeffrey Kahana ◽  
Lawrence Force ◽  
Roger Monthie
Keyword(s):  
Developmental Disabilities ◽  
Family Caregivers ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Mindfulness Practice ◽  
Older Individuals ◽  
Healthy Behaviors ◽  
Care Givers ◽  
Care Giving ◽  
Cognitive Reframing ◽  
Practice Meditation

Abstract Parents who care for their children (young and adult) with developmental disabilities face many stressors and challenges. This paper reports on an intervention using mindfulness and cognitive reframing to improve psychological well-being of care-givers. We report on results based on 92 care-givers who participated in the program. An innovative component was utilizing parent care-givers along with trained peer facilitators. The program was conducted over six weeks, with three in person sessions, and three at home web-based sessions. The content emphasized mindfulness practice (meditation) along with cognitive reframing (aimed at boosting optimism) to address the stress family-caregivers experience in managing worry and the perceived lack of control that accompanies caring for children (young and adult) with developmental disabilities. Post-test data revealed increased awareness of stress coupled with greater competence in stress management. Given the life-long demands for care-giving of parents to the developmentally disabled, normative stressors of aging interact with stressors posed by care-giving demands. Implications for improving well-being of older parental care-givers will be discussed around the topics of (1) optimism and hope; (2) support of healthy behaviors; and (3) development of a mindset of gratitude.

The Mother Working Outside the Home

PEDIATRICS ◽  
1984 ◽  
Vol 73 (6) ◽  
pp. 874-875 ◽  
Author(s):  
Keyword(s):  
Young Infant ◽  
The United States ◽  
Child Rearing ◽  
Care Giver ◽  
Older Children ◽  
Group Setting ◽  
Her Family ◽  
Substitute Care ◽  
Care Giving ◽  
Sociocultural Background

Sixty percent of women (35% of mothers of children less than 18 years of age and 45% of mothers with preschool-aged children) in the United States work outside the home either of necessity or by choice. The pediatrician, who has an important role in helping such women find the best way of dealing with their multiple and demanding roles as workers, wives, and mothers, is often asked to address some of the questions posed below. 1. Is my working harmful to my child? The answer to this question depends upon (a) the provision of a safe, caring environment for the child; and (b) the mother's satisfaction in her outside work, the support and help of her family, and her vitality at the end of the day to nurture her children. 2. How do I evaluate a substitute care-giving situation? In addition to safety, sanitation, and the provision of proper nutrition, the kind of care giver to whom a young infant or young child is entrusted is the overriding consideration. This person must be warm, caring, responsible, and able to provide the child the stimulation of new learning experiences. In all cases, parents should talk frequently with the care giver about the child-rearing practices they desire, especially if the substitute mother is inexperienced or comes from a different sociocultural background. Although the needs of each child in a group setting vary with his or her age and personality, a ratio of one adult to three infants less than 2 years of age is advised, with the desired ratio increasing to 1 to 4 or 1 to 5 for older children.

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