Aging in the Aftermath of Adversity: Later-Life Impact of Institutional Child Abuse and Disclosure

Until the 1990’s in Ireland, many children in institutional care experienced abuse and neglect, with lasting negative effects, including trauma symptoms and psychopathology. While trauma disclosure can be important for recovery, findings are inconsistent and often lack consideration of wider social and interpersonal contexts. As survivors of this historical adversity enter later-life stages, research is needed on the long-term impact and to clarify the role of disclosure. Therefore, this study aimed to examine the later-life impact of institutional child abuse on health and well-being, and the role of trauma disclosure and socio-interpersonal contexts in an older adult sample. Qualitative semi-structured interviews (60-120 minutes) were conducted with 17 Irish older adults, aged 50-77 years (mean age=60.7 years), who experienced childhood institutional abuse. Audio-recorded interviews were transcribed and analysed using Framework Analysis. Themes for ‘childhood and related later-life adversity’ included detrimental perceptions and interactions, re-exposure and reminders, failure of system and society, and cycle of abuse. Disclosure themes included successful, unsuccessful, and non-disclosure, as well as evidence of socio-interpersonal interactions (e.g., non-disclosure influenced by shame or fear, compounded by socio-cultural values, (lack of) social acknowledgment, or the power of the church in society). Results suggest that childhood institutional abuse can have long-term negative impacts into later life, including social, psychological, physical health, and socio-economic aspects. Disclosure results emphasize the need to consider the complex social, cultural, and interpersonal contexts within which an individual is embedded. This may enhance understanding and facilitate targeted health and social care services for this older adult population.

Apologies as ‘shame management’: the politics of remorse in the aftermath of historical institutional abuse

This paper examines the role of apology as a vehicle for shame management in the aftermath of historical institutional abuse (HIA). It draws on extensive fieldwork in Ireland, North and South, including: archival research on public apologies; focus groups with members of the public and with victims; and semi-structured interviews with key stakeholders. It focuses on the complexities of apology in managing ‘shame’ and ‘self-blame’ for those constituencies affected by HIA – survivors, apologisers, institutions and wider society. Drawing on the notions of ‘shame’ and ‘shame management’, it proposes an interdependent model in order to better understand the function and meaning of apology in such contexts. In addressing the multi-layered relational dimensions of shame surrounding HIA, apology is presented as a potential means of invoking: (a) truth for victims; (b) accountability of offenders; (c) leadership of institutions; and (d) the re-imagination of national identity. The paper concludes by examining the additional performative aspects of shaming and the emotional expression of remorse in establishing proximity to historical wrongdoing.

Money justice

Money justice—defined as money offered and paid to victims in the aftermath of wrongs—permeates society and everyday life. Current mechanisms of money justice are civil justice awards or out-of-court settlements for personal or cultural injury; redress programs or schemes for mass atrocities, political repression, historical injustice, and institutional abuse; and payments for war-related wrongs, terrorism, violent common crime, and contaminated blood products, among many others. In this article, we elucidate the concept of money justice, sketch the relationship of revenge and recompense in human history, distil relevant research, and put forward the money justice matrix, which provides a systematic way to analyse money payments (or lack of payments) in varied contexts of victimisation and with different justice mechanisms. Money justice is a new concept that analyses diverse wrongs studied in criminology, socio-legal studies, other social sciences, transitional justice, and historical injustice. Its contribution to new knowledge is two-fold. First, it will map and compare payments to survivors for diverse wrongs, investigate why payments differ, and assess inequalities in payments. Second, it will critically examine the money justice paradox. If, as victims say, money cannot recompense a wrong, why is money sought by victims and offered as justice? More generally, what does money achieve (or not achieve) as justice and for victims?

Breaking Consensual Silence through Storytelling: Stories of Conscience and Social Justice in Emer Martin's The Cruelty Men

In recent years Irish society has witnessed an upheaval in public opinion before the discovery of conspiracies of silence hiding stories of institutional abuse which had remained concealed from the public domain. These narratives of secrecy have been consistently identified and stripped away by writers like Emer Martin whose novel The Cruelty Men (2018) denounces the fact that forgetting and silence are woven into the fabric of society and politics in Ireland. Drawing on the notion of consensual silence, the article explores The Cruelty Men as a text that addresses institutional abuse and challenges official discourses by rescuing the unheard voices of the victims and inscribing their untold stories into the nation’s cultural narrative. As the article will discuss, ultimately the novel calls attention to the healing power of storytelling as a way of renegotiating Ireland’s relationship with the silences of the past.

Childhood Trauma and Adult Psychological Adjustment: Resilience in Older Adult Survivors of Institutional Abuse

Several international cohorts of older adults share past experiences of welfare-related adversity. In Ireland, reports of childhood maltreatment, neglect, and abuse within institutional welfare settings included a harsh regime, childhood labour, and physical and sexual assault. Preliminary research with these Irish survivors revealed a high prevalence of psychological disorders in adulthood. A pathological perspective of aging is often applied to such older adults, due to the long-term health consequences associated with childhood trauma. However, little is known about later life resilience or resilience mechanisms in this population. Therefore, using conceptual models of resilience, this qualitative study aimed to investigate factors associated with resilience in older adult survivors of childhood institutional abuse. Participants were 17 Irish older adults, 50-77 years of age, with experiences of childhood abuse in institutional care settings. Semi-structured interviews were conducted, lasting 60-120 minutes. Transcribed interviews were analysed using the Framework Analysis method. Nine themes were derived from the data, including core, internal, and external resilience factors: Individual characteristics, personality characteristics, support systems, goal attainment, adaptive belief systems, processing, influential events and experiences, recognition and collective identity, and access to services. Results suggest that resilience can be understood not only as an inherent trait, but also as a learnable set of behaviours, thoughts, and attitudes, which can be supported by external resources in an older adults’ environment. The identification of personal and contextual factors underpinning resilience in older adults with trauma experiences may help foster a more positive, strengths-based approach to aging in psychological research and practice.

Introduction to the Special Issue: Contemporary Irish Television

This special issue examines aspects of Irish television at the current political, economic and cultural conjuncture in Ireland, and against the backdrop of two major crises since the 1990s: the first deriving from the Catholic Church’s institutional abuse scandals, which progressively weakened its power and influence; the second from the 2008 collapse of the Celtic Tiger economic boom, following which years of austerity have deepened social inequality. Focusing primarily on Ireland’s public service broadcaster RTÉ, the articles consider how national television in Ireland has represented and negotiated the resultant tensions and divides within Irish society. They examine the endurance and evolution of a daily Catholic ritual on national television; the weaknesses of a transnational drama in addressing the legacy of institutional abuse; varieties of progressive post-2015 Marriage Equality referendum “queer” television; “property television” and the current housing crisis; and intergenerationally themed reality television in the context of growing generational inequality.