Mothers’ Experiences with Child Protection Services: Using Qualitative Feminist Poststructuralism

Background: The postpartum period is often portrayed as a blissful, calm and loving time when mothers, partners and family members bond with their newborn babies. However, this time may be experienced quite differently when mothers are monitored by Child Protection Services. Having a baby under these circumstances can be very difficult and traumatizing. While all new parents require support and information to help them through the transition to parenthood and address physical and psycho-social changes, mothers who are involved with Child Protection Services require more specialized support as they encounter higher incidences of postpartum stressors and higher rates of poverty, mental illness and substance abuse. The impact of support for mothers involved with Child Protection Services is not well-understood from the perspective of mothers. Aim: The aim of the study was to understand how new mothers in Nova Scotia prioritized their postpartum needs and where they went to obtain information and support. Methods: Feminist poststructuralism was the methodology used to understand how the experiences of five mothers who accessed a family resource center and had been involved with Child Protection Services in Nova Scotia Canada had been personally, socially and institutionally constructed. Results: Themes include: (1) We are Mothers, (2) Being Red Flagged, (3) Lack of Trust, (4) Us Against Them and (5) Searching for Supportive Relationships. Conclusion: Personal stories from all participants demonstrated how they experienced stigma and stereotypes from healthcare workers and were often not recognized as mothers. They also struggled to find information, supports and services to help them keep or regain their babies.

The Prevalence of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder in Birth Parents in Child Protection Services: Systematic Review and Meta-analysis

Background Birth parents of children in the statutory child protection system have disproportionally high rates of trauma exposure and mental health problems, however, little is known about the extent to which this population display symptoms of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) or Complex PTSD. This study provides a systematic review and meta-analysis of the PTSD rates in parent samples involved in the child protection services. Method Articles were identified by searching PSYCINFO, Medline, CINAHL, and PILOTS. The search included terminology pertaining to parents, trauma, and child protective services and we included all peer-reviewed articles that reported a valid measure of PTSD and child protection service involvement. Results Fifteen studies were included in the review with a combined prevalence estimate for PTSD based on 11 studies ( n = 4871) was 26.0% (95% CI 20.0–32.0%) for mothers, and estimate based on three studies ( n = 2606) was 13.0% (95% CI 7.0%–18.0%) for fathers and 23.0% (95% CI 17.0–29.0) for all parents based on 7848 responses. Four studies that did not report prevalence rates, reported sample mean scores for PTSD that were consistently higher than in general population. Factors associated with parents’ PTSD symptoms included mental health co-morbidities, victimization of physical and sexual violence, and perpetration of child abuse. Conclusion There are high rates of PTSD in parents involved in the protective system, thus more targeted efforts are needed to identify and adequately address trauma symptoms of parents as part of child protection interventions.

A Longitudinal Examination of Developmental Covariates of Sexual Behavior Problems among Youth Referred to Child Protection Services

Little is known about the development of childhood sexual behavior problems (SBP) in terms of continuity and discontinuity into adolescence. Prior studies have espoused a nondevelopmental approach focusing on the clinical profiles of these youths at the time of their referral. To address this gap, the current study proposes an examination of the developmental covariates involved in the continuity of SBP among a sample of 340 children and adolescents referred to Child Protection Services (CPS) in Quebec, Canada. Children’s CPS contacts from birth up to age 17 were inspected, allowing to recreate the life history of social and familial adversities during that period. Logistic regression models were performed and helped to identify developmental covariates of childhood-onset SBP and its persistence into adolescence. Findings suggest that children with childhood-onset SBP that persisted into adolescence have experienced various life adversities. The study findings provide some preliminary evidence of the developmental pathways of SBP.

Child Sexual Abuse

The sexual abuse of children is not a new phenomenon, but the traumatic short- and long-term mental health consequences make it essential to study and, ultimately, prevent. The labels for child sexual abuse (CSA) vary and have changed over time, examples being “child sexual abuse,” “child sexual assault,” “child sexual exploitation” and “unwanted sexual experiences.” Each has slightly different meanings and implications. Researchers, practitioners, criminal justice personnel, and policymakers also differ on how to define other aspects of CSA (e.g., age of the child, age differential between child and offender, what acts constitute CSA [touch or penetration only, or non-touch such as exposure to pornography], and risk factors that may become targets of prevention strategies). Such definitional debates impact all aspects of studying the concept, such as examining prevalence, assessment, and clinical interventions. Whether the perpetrators are known to the child (true in the majority of cases) or are strangers affects the length of time that the child is victimized sexually and whether and how they disclose the abuse. The sexual abuse of boys, while a relatively small proportion of sexual victimizations, was not given the attention it warranted until relatively recently. Perpetrators are both males and females (an estimated 20 percent), but the type of CSA differs based on the sex of the offender. Special circumstances in which CSA occurs include the abuse of children in institutions and the CSA of children with disabilities. Disclosing CSA is difficult for many children and, rather than directly disclosing, many mention the abuse indirectly or much later on. Once disclosed, intervention typically consists of child protection services assessment and trauma-focused counseling. Child advocacy centers (CACs) have become the standard agencies to investigate and support CSA victims and non-offending family members. There are a number of ways to provide CSA prevention programs, such as media education, but the most common approach is educating children about the risks and teaching them strategies that may assist them in avoiding abusers or seeking assistance early on. The launch of the Internet has introduced new ways to sexually abuse children, with easier access to child pornography, abuse in real time, and trafficking children for commercial sexual exploitation.