Home Alone: What Do Children Do and Why Does it Matter. Mónica Ruiz-Casares, PhD

Child and Youth Mental Health Matters Vancouver, BC May 6-8, 2012 Home Alone: What Do Children Do and Why Does it Matter Mónica Ruiz-Casares, PhD Ass...
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Child and Youth Mental Health Matters Vancouver, BC May 6-8, 2012

Home Alone: What Do Children Do and Why Does it Matter Mónica Ruiz-Casares, PhD Assistant Professor Division of Social and Cultural Psychiatry, McGill University Centre for Research on Children and Families, McGill University [email protected] Learning objectives • To examine what circumstances lead to children being home alone, and the activities they engage on while unsupervised. • To improve our understanding of children’s appraisal of this care arrangement and the impact it has on their physical and mental health. • To generate discussion on alternative ways of supporting parents/caregivers, children and youth when out of school.(Casper & Smith, 2002, 2004; Lopoo, 2005; Monica Ruiz-Casares & Heymann, 2009; Mónica Ruiz-Casares & Rousseau, 2010; M. Ruiz-Casares, Rousseau, Currie, & Heymann, In Press; Vandivere, Tour, Zaslow, Calkins, & Capizzano, 2003)

References Casper, L. M., & Smith, K. E. (2002). Dispelling the Myths: Self-Care, Class, and Race. Journal of Family Issues, 23(6), 716-727. Casper, L. M., & Smith, K. E. (2004). Self-Care: Why do Parents Leave Their Children Unsupervised? Demography, 41(2), 285-301. Kaplan, S. B. (2006). Children’s Views of Self-Care: Concepts of Autonomy and Risk. Paper presented at the annual meeting of the American Sociological Association, Montreal Convention Center, Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Available from http://www.allacademic.com/meta/p104117_index.html Lopoo, L. M. (2005). Maternal Employment and Latchkey Adolescents. Social Service Review, 79(4), 602-623. Ruiz-Casares, M., & Heymann, J. (2009). Children Home Alone Unsupervised: Modeling Parental Decisions and Associated Factors in Botswana, Mexico, and Vietnam. Child Abuse and Neglect, 33(5), 312-323. Ruiz-Casares, M., & Rousseau, C. (2010). Between freedom and fear: Children’s views on home alone. British Journal of Social Work, 1-18. doi: 10.1093/bjsw/bcq067 Ruiz-Casares, M. (2012). “When it’s just me at home, it hits me that i’m COMPLETELY ALONE”: An online survey of adolescents in self-care. Journal of Psychology: Interdisciplinary and Applied, 146(1–2), 135–153. Ruiz-Casares, M., Rousseau, C., Currie, J., & Heymann, J. (2012). “I hold on to my teddy bear really tight”: Results from a Child Online Survey on Being Home Alone. American Journal of Orthopsychiatry, 82(1), 97–103. Vandivere, S., Tour, K., Zaslow, M., Calkins, J., & Capizzano, J. (2003). Unsupervised time. Family and child factors associated with self-care Occasional Paper Number 71. Assessing the New Federalism: An Urban Program To Assess Changing Social Politics. Washington, DC: The Urban Institute.

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Home Alone: What Do Children Do and Why Does it Matter Mónica Ruiz-Casares, PhD Assistant Professor Division of Social and Transcultural Psychiatry, McGill University Santé Mentale Jeunesse, CSSS de la Montagne

Vancouver, 8 May 2012

Overview I. 

Children in self-care a.  Associated factors b.  Framework: Risk & opportunity

II.  Home alone in Montreal III.  Home alone in Canada a.  Survey background ¡ 

Children’s experiences home alone

b.  Mental health and lack of supervision ¡ 

Adaptive coping

¡ 

Maladaptive coping

c.  Lessons for practice & research § 

Ethical & methodological challenges

Factors associated with self-care ¡  Home alone more likely in families with ¡ less parental time/ability for childcare ¡ Poor mental health ¡ Poor working conditions ¡ child’s greater maturity and sense of responsibility ¡ perceived neighbourhood safety ¡ Other factors – inability to afford childcare – Single parenthood/few social supports – Race Source: Casper & Smith, 2002, 2004; Lopoo, 2005; Ruiz-Casares & Heymann, 2009; Vandivere et al. 2003

¡ Inadequate informal child care = no care

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Lack of supervision: A framework

Child Protection System

Source: Ruiz-Casares, 2009

Home alone in Montreal Ruiz-Casares, M. & Rousseau, C. 2010. Between Freedom and Fear: Children’s Views on Home Alone. The British Journal of Social Work, 40(8), 2560-2577

Study overview ¡ Setting & participants ¡ Quebec context—Gardiens avertis ¡ 42 children in multicultural public school in Montreal ¡ 12-14 years ¡ 69% female ¡ 38% born outside of Canada ¡ Method ¡ In-person invitation in school ¡ Parental & child consent forms to interested children ¡ Group lunch discussions + in-class discussion ¡ Digitally recorded, transcribed, coded & analyzed by themes.

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Home alone: When & How ¡  ¡ 

90% spend time in self-care Great variation ¡  Frequency ¡ 

Duration

¡ 

Conditions (time of day or week, alone or with sibs)

¡ 

Age & process to begin self-care ¡  Child readiness ¡  Parental perspective & trust ¡  Neighbourhood safety & resources

Activities while home alone ¡ 

Work ¡  ¡ 

¡ 

Entertainment ¡  ¡  ¡ 

¡ 

Do household chores Do homework

Watch TV Use the computer (games, internet, etc) Read

Socialize ¡  ¡  ¡  ¡ 

Talk on the phone Play with, help, or fight with siblings Go out with friend(s) or invite them over “Make out” with girlfriend/boyfriend

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Household responsibilities ¡ Reasons

¡  Gratitude ¡  Shared responsibility ¡  Avoid parental anger ¡  Free parents to do other activities/rest

¡ Tasks

¡  Laundry ¡  Clean/arrange their room ¡  Wash dishes ¡  Dust/vacuum clean/sweep ¡  Clean bathroom ¡  Take garbage out ¡  Look after/assist younger children & pets

“When our parents are there, we cannot watch the programs that we want—like very violent programs; we can watch them when they are not there ... or we cannot have a little private time ... play our video games (PSP).” 12-year old boy

Risks & opportunities in self-care Risks Education



Disruption of education/homework

Exposure to possible injuries & abuses from strangers • Inadequate food

Opportunities •



Physical Wellbeing Psychological Wellbeing Behavior





Feelings of loneliness, boredom & fear Exposure to negative peer influence







Learn practical skills & develop self-sufficiency Protection against abuses from strangers (indoors). Independence, patience, & sense of responsibility Assist siblings with homework

Help with domestic tasks (respite & unpaid care assistance) • Allows other household members to work •

Economic & Labor



Property loss/damage (fire, gas, theft)

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Children’s emotions

+



¡ Independence

¡ Loneliness

¡ Patience

¡ Boredom

¡ Responsibility

¡ Fear

¡ Self-sufficiency ¡ Self-knowledge

¡ Strangers/tramps ¡ Night/noise ¡ Violence/crime ¡ Unexpected

“When it's dark/night, it's scary! (…) I put music; I turn everything on —like the computer, the TV, the radio… all the time!” 12-year old girl

“Before, my mother used to work at a hospital from 3:00pm till midnight (…). I was with my two halfbrothers so we stayed all alone. My step-father was at work—he works late sometimes. We had to stay… sometimes to calm down we played the Nintendo or something else or we told each other jokes or we farted like crazy.” 12-year old boy

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Safety concerns ¡ Object ¡ Property ¡ Environmental hazards ¡ Theft ¡ Physical health ¡ Kidnapping ¡ Harassment/rape ¡ Coping & Protection ¡ Safety lock, response to phone, etc ¡ Cooking vs. buying food ¡ Alone vs. with friends

“I live in an apartment so there are often false fire alarms; I do not like that. It has happened twice and I was all alone. (…) I am obliged to leave, and besides I had a hamster before, so I had to take him out too.” 13-year old girl

Summary of results ¡ Associated factors ¡ Age ¡ Family structure & limited support network

¡ Outcomes ¡ Household work ¡ Healthy immigrant effect ¡ Weaknesses & strengths

¡ Limitations ¡ Children’s views & self-selection ¡ Moderating factors

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Home alone across Canada Ruiz-Casares, M. 2012. “When it’s just me at home, it hits me that i’m COMPLETELY ALONE”: An online survey of adolescents in self-care. Journal of Psychology: Interdisciplinary and Applied, 146(1–2), 135–153. Ruiz-Casares, M., Rousseau, C., Currie, J., & Heymann, J. 2012. “I hold on to my teddy bear really tight”: Results from a Child Online Survey on Being Home Alone. American Journal of Orthopsychiatry, 82(1), 97–103.

Online survey ¡ Content (25 + 6*) ¡  Demographics (individual, family, neighbourhood) ¡  Experiences of child care & home alone* ¡  Feelings/satisfaction with home alone* ¡  Advice to support children home alone*

¡ Pilot tested & translated (French & English) ¡ Posted online 4 consecutive weeks ¡ Anonymous, voluntary, & self-administered

Secondary analysis of survey data

Overview of respondents (n = 364) Characteristic Female (n = 357) Age ≤ 10 years 11-12 years 13-14 years 15-17 years ≥ 18 years Child-care arrangements (n = 356) Parents Older sibs or friends Relatives or neighbors Extra-curricular activity Babysitter Daycare center

N

%

276

77.3

13 41 92 167 49

3.6 11.3 25.4 46.1 13.5

287 117 96 94 34 29

80.6 32.9 27.0 26.4 9.5 8.1

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Overview of respondents (cont.) Characteristic Residence in Canada Type of locality (n = 230) Rural Small town Medium-sized city Large city Family composition (n = 221) Both parents Mother only Father only Not living with parents Home alone

N

%

340

93.9

26 51 76 77

11.3 22.2 33.0 33.5

137 69 11 4 344

62.0 31.2 5.0 1.8 95.0

Experiences & satisfaction –  Almost 1/3 home alone since 20 hours/week –  60.5% enjoy being home alone

Activities while home alone

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When home alone, caretakers…

Narrative groups No Symptoms disclosed (n = 64)

Symptoms

disclosed

(n = 119)

¡ Internalizing Behaviours ¡  Depression ¡  Anxiety

¡ Externalizing Behaviours ¡  Self-mutilation ¡  Suicide ideation/attempt ¡  Substance abuse ¡  Violence & delinquency ¡  Eating disorders

“I feel depressed and worry that i might hurt myself or get very scared of alien, monster, murder etc.” girl aged 12 years “When im home alone is the time i usually cry or get upset, it's a time where i can cut or a time when i can just take my frustrations out.” girl aged 15 years

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“I struggle with an eating disorder, self harm, and depression. When I am home alone, things tend to get out of control in terms of my "maladaptive" coping skills. Sometimes, I need medical treatment but there is no one to take me to my doctor or the hospital.” girl aged 17 years

Coping & support ¡  Adaptive ¡  Humour, denial (appraisal) ¡  Distraction, meditation ¡  Initiative & self-control ¡  New information and skills ¡  Safety (lock, response to phone, etc) ¡  Cooking vs. prepared food

¡  Attachment & reaching out ¡  Relationships (people, pets, toys) ¡  Alone vs. with siblings or friends

__ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ ¡  Maladaptive ¡  Retreat & ‘bottle-up’ ¡  Risk behaviours

Adaptive coping “When i get scared, i will just stay in my room and think positively. When i'm lonely, i will call a friend. When i'm hungry, i will make something simple like cereal or not eat at all. When i'm cold, i cuddle with blankets in my bed.” girl aged 15 years

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Denial to distraction “[I] ignore them [concerns] (or say to myself) that the chance of being kidnapped & raped is very slim :)” girl aged 15 years “I just ignore [noises]." girl aged 14 years “[I] usually cry .. sometimes just go to sleep.” girl aged 15 years

Distraction “I play with my brother, try to teach my dog tricks, and watch television to distract me from being afraid.” girl aged 11 years

“I’ll call my friends or my boyfriend or go on msn and facebook (…) read a book or go on the computer and do something that will help take my mind off being scared.” girl aged 10 years

“I (…) do things I normally wouldn't do in front of people

for fear of embarrassment. Like singing (really badly) to music I like, or playing dress up.” girl aged 14 years

Relationships & reaching out “When i feel really lonely and there’s no one around sometimes i just drop by my neighbours because they have kids there too.”

girl aged 15 years

“If I need help, I go call my (…) friend. But if things get out of hand, I would call my parents and they would come home and if they think things need to be taken care of medically, they will call the psych.” girl aged 14 years

“I usually try to talk to a friend or kids help phone if I’m not safe.”

girl aged 15 years

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Alternative resources “I usually just ask a friend for their help, or go online and google it, or figure it out myself.”

girl aged 12 years

“I just cook something in the microwave or toaster.” girl aged 14 years

“If I needed a ride somewhere, I'd call my dad or maybe my grandma (…) If it was something with friends I might be able to get their parents to drive us. If it's in walking distance then I'd walk. If I can't walk or get a ride then I plan it for later.”

girl aged 15 years

Maladaptive coping “I can't really handle my feelings so I just bottle them up.” boy aged 16 year

“Sometimes

i lock myself in the main bathroom with a knife

and wait for the person who i think is there to walk in ... but usually all that leads to is crying hysterically and cutting myself.”

girl aged 17 years

Maladaptive coping (Cont.) “i take drugs. it's funny, i know. the thing that’s killing me helps me cope with it.”

girl aged 17 years

“ sometimes i pass out from drinking too much and wake up hours later still alone. it sucks, i feel really dizzy and hungry after but i'm too weak to get up and make food.” girl aged 17 years

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Lessons for care-giving & service delivery ¡ Assess each case within cultural context ¡ Provide age & culturally-appropriate support ¡ Strengthen family networks & community resources ¡ Avoid (or special provisions) leaving children with mental suffering home alone ¡ Confidential child phone and internet counselling services may provide valuable support

Lessons for research ¡  Assess prevalence & consequences of self-care across socio-demographic groups ¡  Include caretakers’ & children’s views and changes overtime ¡  Clarify decision-making process & influence of working and community conditions ¡  Attention to ethical & methodological implications ¡  Child participation & protection ¡  Tool capabilities & limitations ¡  Sampling hard-to-reach population

Contact: [email protected]

Gratitude to: Respondents

Institute of Human Development, Child and Youth Health

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