Understanding Physical and Emotional Sibling Violence: Perspectives From Group Facilitators of Parent Intervention Groups for Child Maltreatment

Physical and emotional sibling violence is a common form of family violence with negative repercussions. Research on the experiences and perceptions of practitioners regarding sibling violence is scant. The researchers interviewed facilitators of parent intervention groups for child maltreatment to understand how sibling violence impacts the families they work with. This exploratory qualitative study examines the perspectives on sibling violence of five group facilitators. An inductive thematic analysis process was used to code the data and develop themes. Five themes emerged from the analysis including Parents lack of knowledge and awareness regarding sibling violence, Stress in parents and the family system, Crossing the line, Individual and developmental aspects, and Mechanisms to help parents address sibling violence. Facilitators identified challenges with definition and assessment of sibling violence, potential contributing factors for the occurrence of sibling violence, as well as strategies to help these families. Implications and future directions are discussed.

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Teen Suicide Attempt: The Subjective Experience of the Family

Journal of Psychiatry & Mental Disorders ◽

10.26420/jpsychiatrymentaldisord.2021.1048 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 6 (4) ◽

Author(s):

Szmulewicz T ◽

◽

Echávarri O ◽

Morales S ◽

Maino M de la P ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Suicide Attempt ◽

Subjective Experience ◽

Family System ◽

Metropolitan Region ◽

Relational Dynamics ◽

Entire Family ◽

Analysis Process ◽

The Family ◽

Before And After ◽

The Impact

This study aimed to understand the impact of a teenage child’s suicide attempt at a family level, based on the subjective experience of the family as a whole. A qualitative study based on an hour and a half interview with the entire family was performed within two weeks of the suicide attempt. Ten adolescents hospitalized in a psychiatric unit of a Health Service of the Metropolitan Region, in Chile, and their families, were interviewed. The interviews were recorded, transcribed and analyzed using the Grounded Theory methodology. Three major categories emerge from the analysis: Process Vision, Family Dynamics and Hospitalization Experience. Families perceive a before and after of the suicide attempt in the subsequent evolution of the family system. Changes occur in the way they ‘read’ the experiences and signs prior to the suicide attempt, in the understanding of what happened, and in the transformations of the relational dynamics as a consequence. Family resilience will depend on their history and how they have learned to cope with difficulties. Although one of the most recurrent reports regarding the suicide attempt refers to the traumatic component that it had in all the family members, they also state that this event has meant great learning as a family and an opportunity to grow, to get to know each other better and help each other. The benefits for the family of having a safe space to talk about how they feel and elaborate on what happened, without fear of being judged, has been highlighted. This enhance the need to incorporate the family as a whole when we think about an adolescent suicide attempt, both in understanding the phenomenon and in intervention and treatment.

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Family functioning guidelines for the care of people with spina bifida

Journal of Pediatric Rehabilitation Medicine ◽

10.3233/prm-200720 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 13 (4) ◽

pp. 535-542

Author(s):

Tessa K. Kritikos ◽

Grayson N. Holmbeck

Keyword(s):

Spina Bifida ◽

Family Functioning ◽

Family System ◽

Child Outcomes ◽

Vulnerability Factors ◽

Fourth Edition ◽

Future Directions ◽

The Family ◽

Clinical Questions ◽

The Impact

Research supports a resilience-disruption model of family functioning in families with a child with spina bifida. Guidelines are warranted to both minimize disruption to the family system and maximize family resilience and adaptation to multiple spina bifida-related and normative stressors. This article discusses the spina bifida family functioning guidelines from the 2018 Spina Bifida Association’s Fourth Edition of the Guidelines for the Care of People with Spina Bifida, and reviews evidence-based directions with the intention of helping individuals with spina bifida achieve optimal mental health throughout their lifespan. Guidelines address clinical questions pertaining to the impact of having a child with spina bifida on family functioning, resilience and vulnerability factors, parenting behaviors that may facilitate adaptive child outcomes, and appropriate interventions or approaches to promote family functioning. Gaps in the research and future directions are discussed.

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Treating Mental Illness and Relational Concerns in Incarcerated Settings

The Family Journal ◽

10.1177/10664807211000083 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 106648072110000

Author(s):

Eman Tadros

Keyword(s):

Mental Illness ◽

Mentally Ill ◽

Family System ◽

The United States ◽

Relational Therapy ◽

Future Directions ◽

The Family ◽

High Prevalence ◽

Relational Concerns ◽

Racial And Ethnic Disparity

Rates of incarceration in the United States have grown dramatically over the past 50 years. These high rates of incarceration call for mental health and relational therapy to incarcerated individuals and their families. In conducting a literature review on incarceration, several topics emerged: mental illness, racial and ethnic disparity, and recidivism. When studying incarceration, mental illness is a necessary topic of inclusion due to high prevalence of mentally ill incarcerated individuals. When exploring issues related to incarceration, it is important to discuss diverse disparities to be able to put the individuals into context of their social location as well as address how contextual factors impact incarceration. The purpose of this article is to highlight the systemic, relational issues within incarcerated settings and then to display how treating mental illness and relational concerns allows for a healthier integration back into the family system. Clinical implications and future directions are also provided.

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