THE SOCIAL ADJUSTMENT OF CHILDREN FROM HOMELESS SHELTERS: AN AREA OF APPLICATION OF CRITICAL REFLEXIVITY IN SOCIAL WORK
Abstract
On a global scale, the number of families with homeless children is growing. Foreign research shows that homelessness is linked to social adjustment problems. In the Czech Republic there are no surveys on social adjustment in the homeless children population. This article presents partial data from a research survey focused on the situation of homeless mothers with children residing in shelters. The article aims to find out how mothers residing with their children in homeless shelters in the city of Ostrava interpret the social adjustment of their children. The research strategy is qualitative, based on a participatory approach (cooperation with two peer researchers). 33 interviews and 6 focus groups were implemented as part of the research. The research findings also point to a close link between the situation of homelessness and social adjustment of homeless children in the Czech environment, namely as a result of the necessity of socialization in a specific environment with negative consequences on the parenting style and success in school of the children combined with their experience of domestic violence. The research findings imply in practice the need to apply the concept of critical reflexivity in social work with children from homeless shelters.References
Achenbach, T. M., & Rescorla, L. A. (2001). Manual for the ASEBA school age forms and profiles. Burlington, V. T: University of Vermont, Research Centre for Children, Youth and Families.
American Psychological Association (APA). (2010). Ethical principles of psychologists and code of conduct. Retrieved from http://www.apa.org/ethics/code/
Anooshian, L. J. (2005). Violence and aggression in the lives of homeless children: A review. Aggression and Violent Behavior, 20(6), 373-387.
Bassuk, E. L. (2010). Ending child homelessness in America. American Journal of Orthopsychiatry, 80(4), 496-504.
Charmaz, K. (2006). Constructing Grounded Theory: A practical guide through qualitative analysis. London: Sage.
Chow, K. A., Mistry, R. S., & Melchor, V. L. (2015). Homelessness in the elementary school classroom: social and emotional consequences. International Journal of Qualitative Studies in Education, 28(6), 641-662.
D'Cruz, H. et al. (2007). Reflexivity, its meanings and relevance for social work: A critical review of the literature. The British Journal of Social Work, 37(1), 73-90. doi: https://doi.org/10.1093/bjsw/bcl001
Fazio, X. (2009). Teacher development using group discussion and reflection. Reflective Practice, 10(4), 529-541.
Fook, J. (2016). Researching critical reflection. Multidisciplinary perspectives. NY: Routledge.
Fook, J. & Askeland, G. (2006). The ʻcriticalʼ in critical reflection. In S. White, J. Fook & F. Gardner (Eds.), Critical reflection in health and social care (pp. 40-54). Buckingham: Open University Press.
GAC. (2015). Analýza sociálně vyloučených lokalit v ČR [Analysis of socially excluded localities in the Czech Republic]. Retrieved from http://www.gac.cz/userfiles/Analyza_socialne_vyloucenych_lokalit_GAC.pdf
Hetmánková, R. (2014). Ženy bez domova: Identita, strategie a bezpečný prostor [Homeless women: Identity, strategy and safe area]. Gender, rovné příležitosti, výzkum. 15(1), 81-84.
Hinton, S., & Cassel, D. (2013). Exploring the lived experiences of homeless families with young children. Early Childhood Education Journal, 41(6), 457-463.
Hirschfeld, R. M. A., Montgomery, S. A., & Keller, M. B. (2000). Social functioning in depression: A review. Journal of Clinical Psychiatry, 61(4), 268-275.
Illner, M. (2010). Deindustrializace průmyslových měst – projevy, příčiny, důsledky a strategie revitalizace [Deindustrialization of industrial cities – manifestations, causes, consequences and strategies of revitalization]. In L. Hruška et al. (2010). Industriální město v postindustriální společnosti I. [Industrial City in Post-Industrial Society I.]. (pp. 9-20). Ostrava: VŠB – Technická univerzita Ostrava.
Jones, C. (2010). Voices from the front line: State social workers and new labour. British Journal of Social Work, 31, 547-562.
Levendosky, A. A., & Graham-Bermann, S. A. (2001). Parenting in battered women: The effects of domestic violence on women and their children. Journal of Family Violence, 16(2), 171-192.
Lipschitz-Elhawi, R., & Izhaky, H. (2005). Social support, mastery, self-esteem and individual adjustment among at-risk youth. Child and Youth Care forum, 34(5), 329-346.
Masten, A. S. (2012). Risk and resilience in the educational success of homeless and highly mobile children: Introduction to the special section. Educational Researcher, 41(9), 363-365.
Nebbitt, V. E., Lombe, M., Yu, M., & Vaugnh, M. G. (2012). Ecological correlates of substance use in African American adolescents living in public housing communities: Assessing the moderating effects of social cohesion. Children and Youth Services Review, 34(2), 338-347.
Nilson, D. (2007). Adapting coping theory to explain the concept of adjustment. Social work in Health Care, 45(2), 1-20.
Novotný, S. J. (2015). Zdroje resilience a problémy s přizpůsobením u dospívajících [Sources of resilience and adaptation problems in adolescents]. Ostrava: Ostravská univerzita.
Obradović, J., Long, J., Cutuli, J. J., Chan, Ch., Hinz, E., Heistad, D., & Masten, A. S. (2009). Academic achievement of homeless and highly mobile children in an urban school district: Longitudinal evidence on risk, growth, and resilience. Development and Psychopathology, 21(2), 493-518.
Ponizovsky, A. M., Levov, K., Schultz, Y., & Radomislensky, I. (2011). Attachment insecurity and psychological resources associated with adjustment disorders. American Journal of Ortopsychiatry, 81(2), 265-276.
Powell, T. L. (2012). The impact of being homeless on young children and their families. NHSA Dialog, 15(2), 221-228.
Reiter, S., & Lapidot-Lefler, N. (2007). Bullying among special education students with intellectual disabilities: Differences in social adjustment and social skills. Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities, 45(3), 174-181.
Reynolds W. M. (2001). Reynolds Adolescent Adjustment Screening Inventory (RAASI). Odessa, FL: Psychological Assessment Resources.
Salvation Army. (2016). Dotazníkové šetření uživatelů azylových domů a domů pro matky s dětmi [Questionnaire survey of users of shelters and houses for mothers with children]. Praha: Armáda Spásy.
Swick, K. J. (2008). The dynamics of violence and homelessness among young families. Early Childhood Education Journal, 36(1), 81-85.
Swick, K. J., & Williams, R. D. (2010). The voices of single parent mothers who are homeless: Implications for early childhood professionals. Early Childhood Educational Journal, 38(1), 49-55.
United States Conference of Mayors (2006). A status report on hunger and homelessness in America´s cities. Retrieved from http://usmayors.org/hungersurvey/2006/report06.pdf
Copyright information
- Authors retain copyright and grant the journal right of first publication with the work simultaneously licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution License (Creative Commons Attribution License 3.0 - CC BY 3.0) that allows others to share the work with an acknowledgement of the work's authorship and initial publication in this journal.
- Authors are able to enter into separate, additional contractual arrangements for the non-exclusive distribution of the journal's published version of the work (e.g., post it to an institutional repository or publish it in a book), with an acknowledgement of its initial publication in this journal.
- Authors are permitted and encouraged to post their work online (e.g., in institutional repositories or on their website) prior to and during the submission process, as it can lead to productive exchanges, as well as earlier and greater citation of published work (See The Effect of Open Access).
info@iseic.cz, www.iseic.cz, ojs.journals.cz
