Arlene Arstad Thorsen

Experiences of daycare children of divorce

Research shows that children of divorce are at risk of adjustment problems and school problems. In previous studies of young children of divorce, most often parents or teachers have supplied data. In this study, we explore the childrens own feelings and experiences through Q methodology with visual images. The study includes 17 children of divorce and 20 living with both biological parents. Three child viewpoints were detected: the first was characterised by many happy feelings, and few sad or angry feelings. The second was more mixed with a variety of feelings. The third view was characterised by several sad and lonely feelings among adults and child. Children of divorce seemed to be more prone to end up on the two latter factors. Possible implications are discussed.

Suffering related to dignity among patients at a psychiatric hospital

This article discusses dignity from a Q-methodological study among patients at a psychiatric hospital. The aim of this study is to gain a deeper understanding of the subjective experiences of patients in a psychiatric hospital with respect to dignity. A Q-sample of 51 statements was developed. A total of 15 participants ranked these statements from those they most agreed with to those they most disagreed with. Post-interviews were also conducted. Principal Component Factor Analysis and varimax rotation followed by hand rotation produced the clearest results. Four different viewpoints emerged: being met as equal human being, experience of dignity despite suffering, suffering due to inferior feelings and suffering and fighting for one’s own dignity. There seem to be variations in those with dignity-promoting experiences in Viewpoint 1 and to some extent in Viewpoint 2, to those with dignity-inhibiting experiences in Viewpoints 3 and 4.

Transition from Day-Care Centres to School: What Kind of Information Do Schools Want from Day-Care Centres and Parents, and What Kind of Information Do the Two Parties Want to Give Schools?.

SUMMARY The study has focused on the transition from day-care centre to school. Questionnaires were completed by staff at several day-care centres, at three schools recruiting pupils from these and by the parents of these children. Schools were asked what kind of information they thought it was important to receive from the other parties about children beginning school. Similarly, the pre school teachers and the parents were asked what kind of information they thought of as important to convey to the schools. All three groups of respondents reported broadly similar priorities regarding information, the highest being information about special needs, followed by information about social competence. The parents attached more importance to their childrens development and cognitive characteristics than did the professionals, expressing most concern about insufficient challenges in school. The paper will give further results and in particular discuss how the parties see risk factors.

The significance of small things for dignity in psychiatric care

Background: This study is based on the ontological assumption about human interdependence, and also on earlier research, which has shown that patients in psychiatric hospitals and their relatives experience suffering and indignity. Aim: The aim of this study is to explore the experience of patients and relatives regarding respect for dignity following admission to a psychiatric unit. Research design: The methodological approach is a phenomenological hermeneutic method. Participants and research context: This study is based on qualitative interviews conducted with six patients at a psychiatric hospital and five relatives of patients who experienced psychosis. Ethical consideration: Permission was given by the Regional Committee for Medical Research Ethics in Western Norway, the Norwegian Data Protection Agency and all wards within the hospital in which the patients were interviewed. Findings: The analysis revealed one main theme: ‘The significance of small things for experiencing dignity’ and four subthemes described as follows - ‘to be conscious of small things’, ‘being conscious of what one says’, ‘being met’ and ‘to be aware of personal chemistry’. Discussion and conclusion: Staff members seem not to give enough attention to the importance of these small things. Staff members need to explore this phenomenon systematically and expand their own understanding of it.

Revealing Children's Experiences and Emotions through Q Methodology

Over the last two decades, there has been a greater readiness to view children as competent contributors to our understanding of children’s lives and experiences. As a consequence of this, we have witnessed an increased focus on including children in research. When research aims at revealing children’s perspectives, experiences, and emotions, we need to employ methods that are easy-to-use means for obtaining their stories. In this paper, we argue that Q methodology is particularly suitable for facilitating children’s participation in research. We will give a brief presentation of the methodology and demonstrate its relevance for research with children. We do so by presenting two research examples aiming at revealing children’s experiences and emotions in challenging life circumstances. In the first example, Q methodology was used with five-year-old children where the research topic was divorce. The second example is a study on family perceptions among adolescents in foster home care.

Daycare Staff Emotions and Coping Related to Children of Divorce: A Q Methodological Study

This Q methodological study explores emotional experiences and coping of daycare staff when working with children of divorce and their families. Two main coping strategies among daycare staff were identified: 1) Confident copers, and 2) Non-confident copers. Interviews exemplify the two main experiences. Both groups may struggle with coping in this work. Still, Non-confident copers seem to experience more problems than do Confident copers. Both Confident and Non-confident copers find it difficult to work with parents who argue in front of the children. Accordingly, we suggest tailored education and counseling in this field to increase knowledge and coping among staff, to help them in their work with children of divorce.