Children’s perspectives on their changing families

Judy Dunn

Institute of Psychiatry

King’s College London

Children’s perspectives

• It is increasing argued that we need to include the views of children on family transitions

• Over 70% of the children who experience separation of their parents are under 10 years old (ONS)

• How can we assess their perspectives?

Children’s perspectives

• In the programme of research based on the ALSPAC study, a nested design included the Avon Brothers and Sisters Study, in which various forms of family were over represented: 50 single mother, 50 stepfather, 50 complex stepfamilies, and 50 control families. More than one child in each family was studied.

Percentage of families in different family types who took part in the study

Single but not alone families 7%

Two biologicalparent families26%

Single-parentfamilies18%

Two step-parent families12%

Stepmotherfamilies11%

Stepfatherfamilies26%

0 50 100 150 200

16+

13-15

Ages of participating children

10-12

8-9

6-7

5

Number of children

Age

s

Children’s perspectives

• Children aged between 7 and 15 were interviewed and completed various self-report assessments

• Children between 4 and 8 completed ‘maps’ of their families (n = 258)

• Children between 4 and 7 drew their families (n = 182)

• Longitudinal assessments were made at 2 year intervals

Children’s perspectives

• Who is part of the family? Interviews:• Fathers:

*Resident f. included in family by all children living with him

*Nonresident: 40% children with NR fathers did not include as member of family

* Stepfathers: * 84% children included resident stepfathers *Only 36% children included nonresident stepparents as family members

Children’s perspectives

• Children’s age, time in household, extent of conflict between resident parents, extent of shared family activities—all important in relation to children’s adjustment and well-being—not related to their views on who is part of the family

Children’s perspectives: Interviews

• Confiding and communication at time of separation

• Key confidants: Grandparents and friends

• Longitudinal data on child-grandparent relations over 5 years shows stability in closeness, though decrease in contact

Child-grandparent relations

• Follow-up five years later

• Stability of child reported closeness

• highlights intergenerational links: mothers’ accounts of childhood relations with g.mother correlated with current closeness to g.mother reported by child. Association especially strong for single mother families

Children’s accounts of conflict between parents

• Children’s involvement in conflict between mother and NR father key to adjustment problems

• This particularly clear for children in single-mother families

• Involvement in conflict between mother and Stepfather also linked to adjustment

x

FAMILY (M = Mother, SF = Stepfather, YS = Younger Sister)

RELATIVES (MGM/MGF = Maternal Grandmother/Grandfather, A = Aunts, U = Uncle, C = Cousins, SFM/SFF= Stepfather’s Mother/Father, F = Father)

SCHOOL (Fr = Friends, T = Teacher)

FRIENDS/ NEIGHBOURS (Fr = Friends, N = Neighbour)

c

F

Fr

Fr 1 2 3 4 5

Figure 3.1a An example of a fourfield map from a child in a stepfather family

cc

c

cc

u

A

A

A

SFF

SFM

A

A

MGF

MGMFr

Fr

FrFr YS

M

FrFr

Fr

Fr

Fr

SF

Fr

N

Fr

T

Female

Male

Close Not close

Percentage of children

Figure 3.1b Closeness to fathers: Differences in map placement by relatedness and family type

* Significantly different from father’s own child in stepfather family

0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90

**

Child from non stepfamily

Father’s own child in stepfather family

Stepchild in stepfather family

Closeness to fathers: map placement and adjustment

• Significant association between where children placed their father/stepfather, and children’s adjustment (externalising)

• Stepfathers most likely to be placed ‘not close’

Closeness to fathers: map placement and adjustment

• Regression analyses showed this made an important additional contribution to externalising beyond the variance explained by mother-father conflict, father’s account of his relationships with child, his educational level, emotional well-being, biological relatedness to child and family income

5-7 year-old children’s drawings of 5-7 year-old children’s drawings of their familiestheir families

182 children, average age 5.6 years182 children, average age 5.6 years

Who did they include/exclude from their Who did they include/exclude from their drawings?drawings?

How did they group the family members?How did they group the family members?

Was exclusion or grouping related to family Was exclusion or grouping related to family type?type?

Was exclusion or grouping related to Was exclusion or grouping related to children’s adjustment?children’s adjustment?

Full sibling

Mother

Half sibling

Child

Figure 1.2 a

Non resident father

SiblingSelf

Half Sibling

Mother

Figure 1.2b

Figure 1.2 c

Cousin Self

Grandmother

Grandfather

Mother

Sibling

Who is excluded?Who is excluded?

Step-parents were more likely to be Step-parents were more likely to be excluded than biological parentsexcluded than biological parents

Stepfathers were more likely to be Stepfathers were more likely to be excluded than stepmothersexcluded than stepmothers

Half- and step-siblings over four Half- and step-siblings over four times more likely to be excluded than times more likely to be excluded than biological siblingsbiological siblings

Grouping parents: 62% of Grouping parents: 62% of children drew their parents children drew their parents together:together:

Children with 2 biological parents Children with 2 biological parents much more likely to draw them much more likely to draw them togethertogether

No children in stepfather families No children in stepfather families drew their stepfather in the same drew their stepfather in the same group as themselvesgroup as themselves

Longitudinal follow-up on drawings, interviews and maps

• Stability of ‘who is excluded’ from drawings over 3 years

• Notable sensitivity of young children to distinction between relations with birth and stepparents

• Significance of g.parents in adjustment

• Longitudinal stability children’s views