Title An exploration of the social and emotional well-being narratives of children who live with a

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An exploration of the social and emotional well-being
Title narratives of children who live with a parent with a mental
health difficulty
Author(s) O'Shaughnessy, Rebecca
Publication
2016-05-13
Date
Item record http://hdl.handle.net/10379/5809
Downloaded 2020-06-02T01:55:01Z

Some rights reserved. For more information, please see the item record link above.
An Exploration of the Social and Emotional Well-Being Narratives of
Children who Live with a Parent with a Mental Health Difficulty

A Thesis Submitted for the Degree of Ph.D. to the
National University of Ireland, Galway

Rebecca O’Shaughnessy

Supervisor: Dr Cormac Forkan
UNESCO Child and Family Research Centre,
School of Political Science and Sociology
College of Arts, Social Sciences and Celtic Studies
National University of Ireland, Galway

May 2016
Table of Contents
List of Figures ............................................................................................... vi
List of Tables................................................................................................. vi
Acknowledgements ....................................................................................... ix
Abstract ......................................................................................................... xi
Chapter 1- Introduction ................................................................................. 1
Section 1.1 Introduction .......................................................................... 1
Section 1.2 Theoretical Underpinning ..................................................... 3
Section 1.3 Research Rationale ............................................................... 6
Section 1.4 Aim and Objectives .............................................................. 6
Section 1.5 Thesis Overview ................................................................... 7
Section 1.6 Chapter Summary ............................................................... 10
Chapter 2 - Children’s Social and Emotional Well-Being........................... 11
Section 2.1 Introduction ........................................................................ 11
Section 2.2 Understanding Human Well-being ..................................... 12
Section 2.2.1 Defining Well-being.................................................... 13
Section 2.2.2 The Influence of Social Indicators ............................... 15
Section 2.3 Discourses of Childhood .................................................... 17
Section 2.3.1 Reconstruction of Childhood ....................................... 20
Section 2.4 Conceptualising Child Well-Being – Then and Now ......... 24
Section 2.5 What are the Children Saying? ........................................... 26
Section 2.6 Conceptualising Social and Emotional Well-Being ........... 28
Section 2.6.1 Socialising Emotions .................................................... 37
Section 2.7 Chapter Summary ............................................................... 40
Chapter 3 - Parenting and Parenting with a Mental Health Difficulty ....... 43
Section 3.1 Introduction ........................................................................ 43
Section 3.2 Defining Parenting ............................................................. 43
Section 3.2.1 Determinants of Parenting: An Ecological Perspective45
Section 3.2.2 Parenting Styles & Practices ........................................ 46
Section 3.3 The Good Enough Parent – Competence and Capacity ..... 49
Section 3.4 Parenting and Child Outcomes ........................................... 51
Section 3.4.1 Parenting Style ............................................................. 52
Section 3.4.2 Parent-Child Relationship ............................................ 52
Section 3.4.3 Parenting and the Home Environment ......................... 53
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Section 3.4.4 Parenting and Family Structure .................................... 54
Section 3.4.5 Parenting and Stress ..................................................... 54
Section 3.4.6 Parenting, Class and Socio-Economic Status (SES) .... 54
Section 3.4.7 Parenting and Culture ................................................... 55
Section 3.4.8 Parenting and Gender ................................................... 55
Section 3.5 What Children Say About Parenting? ................................ 57
Section 3.6 Parenting with a Mental Health Difficulty ......................... 59
Section 3.6.1 Causes and Challenges for Parents with a Mental Health
Difficulty 59
Section 3.7 Parenting with a Mental Health Difficulty and Child
Outcomes 62
Section 3.8 Supporting Generic Parenting ............................................ 69
Section 3.8.1 Generic Parenting Support Programmes ...................... 70
Section 3.9 What Supports Do Parents with a Mental Health Difficulty
and their Children Need? .......................................................................... 75
Section 3.9.1 What Works For Parents with a Mental Health
Difficulty in Terms of Parenting? ......................................................... 77
Section 3.10 Chapter Summary ................................................................ 81
Chapter 4 - The Policy and Legislation Context - Mental Health,
Parenting Support and Child Well-being In Ireland.................................... 84
Section 4.1 Introduction ........................................................................ 84
Section 4.2 Policy and Legislation - Mental Health in Ireland ............. 84
Section 4.2.1 Current Provision of Services ...................................... 87
Section 4.2.2 Access and Outcomes for Patients ............................... 88
Section 4.2.3 Key Strengths and Weaknesses .................................... 89
Section 4.3 Policy and Legislation –Parenting Support and Child
Well-being in Ireland ................................................................................ 91
Section 4.3.1 Focusing on Well-being and Child Outcomes ................ 91
Section 4.3.2 Improving Child Outcomes Through Parenting Support
93
Section 4.4 Chapter Summary – Rhetoric or Reality? ....................... 98
Chapter 5 - Methodology ...................................................................... 101
Section 5.1 Introduction ...................................................................... 101
Section 5.1.1 Rationale, Aim and Objectives .................................. 101
Section 5.2 Key Theoretical and Methodological Considerations in
Designing This Study ............................................................................. 102
Section 5.2.1 Theoretical Approaches ............................................. 103
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Section 5.2.2 Being Reflexive ............................................................ 110
Section 5.3 Measuring Children’s Social and Emotional Well-Being 111
Section 5.4 Establishing my Research Position and Design ............... 117
Section 5.5 Locating the Sample ......................................................... 120
Section 5.6 Deciding On and Designing the Data Collection Tools ... 122
Section 5.6.1 Quantitative Approaches to Measuring Social and
Emotional Well-being ......................................................................... 122
Section 5.6.2 Participatory/Mosaic Approaches to Understanding
Social and Emotional Well-being ....................................................... 128
Section 5.7 Implementing the Study ................................................... 137
Section 5.8 Research Ethics ................................................................ 141
Section 5.9 Data Analysis ................................................................ 144
Section 5.9.1 Quantitative Data Analysis ........................................ 144
Section 5.9.2 Qualitative Data Analysis .......................................... 144
Section 5.10 Application of an Analytical Framework ..................... 150
Section 5.10.1 Within Case Analysis ............................................... 151
Section 5.10.2 Between Case Analysis ............................................ 160
Section 5.11 Chapter Summary ......................................................... 167
Chapter 6 - Portrait of a Child .................................................................. 168
Section 6.1 Introduction ......................................................................... 168
Section 6.2 Blue Rose ......................................................................... 169
Section 6.3 Petey Pie ........................................................................... 172
Section 6.4 Kathy ................................................................................ 174
Section 6.5 Ishthara ............................................................................. 176
Section 6.6 Josh ................................................................................... 179
Section 6.7 Boldielocks ....................................................................... 181
Section 6.8 Katie ................................................................................. 184
Section 6.9 Chapter Summary ............................................................. 186
Chapter 7 – Results: The Individual and Environmental........................... 187
Section 7.1 Introduction ......................................................................... 187
Section 7.2 Individual Intra-Personal Level ........................................... 188
Section 7.2.1 Self-Concept ............................................................... 188
Section 7.2.2 Parenting .................................................................... 193
Section 7.2.3 Parenting with a Mental Health Difficulty ................. 196
Section 7.2.4 Being Good Enough...................................................... 198
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Section 7.3 Individual Inter-personal Level ........................................ 201
Section 7.3.1 Understanding and Experience of Parent’s Mental
Health Difficulty ................................................................................. 201
Section 7.3.2 Disruption to Children’s Lives - Change ................... 205
Section 7.3.3 My Feelings ................................................................ 206
Section 7.3.4 Struggling to Talk About Parental Mental Health
Difficulties 207
Section 7.3.5 Parental Informal Support .......................................... 208
Section 7.3.6 Children Supporting Parent’s ..................................... 209
Section 7.4 Environmental Level – Family/Home .............................. 210
Section 7.4.1 Parent-Child Relationship .......................................... 211
Section 7.4.2 Sibling Relationship ................................................... 214
Section 7.4.3 The Importance of Pets .............................................. 219
Section 7.5 Environmental Level – School ............................................ 220
Section 7.5.1 School ........................................................................ 220
Section 7.5.2 Friends ........................................................................ 222
Section 7.6 Environmental Level - Community .................................. 224
Section 7.6.1 Child’s Interaction with Adult Mental Health Services 224
Section 7.6.2 Parents’ Experience of Adult Mental Health Services
226
Section 7.7 Future Directions .............................................................. 231
Section 7.7.1 Children’s Advice to Other Children ........................ 231
Section 7.7.2 Parental Advice to Parents Experiencing Mental Health
Difficulties 233
Section 7.7.3 What Would Help? ..................................................... 234
Section 7.8 Linking the Findings to the Study Objectives ..................... 236
Section 7.9 Chapter Summary ......................................................... 242
Chapter 8 - Discussion ............................................................................... 244
Section 8.1 Introduction ...................................................................... 244
Section 8.2 Discussion of Findings in Relation to The Objectives ..... 245
Section 8.2.1 Discussion of the Findings in light of Objectives 1 to 4
245
Section 8.3 How has this Study Added to the Theoretical Knowledge
Base? 257
Section 8.4 Chapter Summary ................................................................ 260
Chapter 9 - Conclusion .............................................................................. 262
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Section 9.1 Introduction ......................................................................... 262
Section 9.1.1 The Aim and Objectives of the Thesis ......................... 262
Section 9.1.2 The Scope of the Thesis ................................................ 263
Section 9.1.3 Gaps in the Literature ................................................... 264
Section 9.2 The Research Methodology ................................................. 264
Section 9.3 Key Research Findings ........................................................ 265
Section 9.3.1 Objectives 1-3 ............................................................ 266
Section 9.3.2 Objective 4: Key Recommendations for Policy, Practice
and Research 267
Section 9.4 Implications for Practice .................................................. 269
Section 9.5 Limitations and Challenges ................................................. 271
Section 9.6 Chapter Summary ................................................................ 275
Reference List ............................................................................................ 277
Appendix A: ............................................................................................... 314
Appendix B: ............................................................................................... 317
Appendix C: ............................................................................................... 325
Appendix D: ............................................................................................... 326
Appendix E: ............................................................................................... 328
Appendix F: ................................................................................................ 331
Appendix G: ............................................................................................... 333
Appendix H: ............................................................................................... 334
Appendix I: ................................................................................................ 356
Appendix J: ................................................................................................ 361
Appendix K: ............................................................................................... 363
Appendix L: ............................................................................................... 365
Appendix M: .............................................................................................. 366
Appendix N: ............................................................................................... 368
Appendix O: ............................................................................................... 379
Appendix P: ................................................................................................ 380
Appendix Q: ............................................................................................... 388
Appendix R: ............................................................................................... 391
Appendix S: ................................................................................................ 393
Appendix T: ............................................................................................... 394
Appendix U: ............................................................................................... 396
Appendix V: ............................................................................................... 397
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Appendix W: .............................................................................................. 398

List of Figures
Figure 2.1: A Set of National Child Well-Being Indicators in Ireland.
(Hanafin and Brooks, 2005) ......................................................................... 27
Figure 2.2: Conceptualisation of Children’s Social and Emotional Well-
being: An Ecological Approach (Bronfenbrenner and Ceci, 1994,
Bronfenbrenner, 1979, Hamilton and Redmond, 2010) ............................... 32
Figure 3.1: Parental Perceptions of Core Aspects Required for Effective
Parenting Programmes (Kane et al., 2007) .................................................. 74
Figure 3.2: Crossing Bridges The Family Model (Falkov, 1998, 2012) ...... 78
Figure 5.1: The Embedded Mixed Methods Narrative Research Design .. 117

List of Tables
Table 5.1: Number of Participants Per Category and Gender Along with
Total Sample Size ...................................................................................... 122
Table 5.2: Relationship of Selected Measurement Scales to Children’s
Social and Emotional Well-Being .............................................................. 123
Table 5.3: An Overview of Chosen Sources and Methods of Data Collection
and a Rationale for Same (Clark, 2005, p.32) ............................................ 136
Table 5.4: Participant Profile ..................................................................... 140
Table 5.5: Example of Open Coding Process ............................................ 157
Table 5.6: Example of Within Case Themes from Child and Parent
Narratives ................................................................................................... 159
Table 5.7: Example of Between Case Coding ........................................... 162
Table 5.8: Final Themes That Construct the Tentative Conceptual
Framework (Hamilton and Redmond, 2010) ............................................. 165
Table 6.1: Scales, subscales and score range ............................................. 169
Table A.1: Typology of Ten Constructs of Childhood (Sorin and Galloway,
2005) .......................................................................................................... 316

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