Table of Contents and Abstracts

2

Adolescents' perceptions of parenting and communication in one-parent families as opposed to other family types: Results of a representative study for Flanders.
Christine M.A. Van Peer & Bea R.H. Van den Bergh

Abstract: Questionnaire data from a Flemish study (n = 1955; 10 to 18 year olds) are used to examine whether children living in a one-parent family, in an alternating family context (e.g., shared custody) or in a traditional family differ in their perception of parenting and family communication. These differences are being examined by means of non-parametric tests. The empirical evidence suggests that children's perceptions vary according to the type of family in which they live. Dif­ferences in perception are found with respect to most of the parenting and communication as­pects examined, i.e., monitoring of the child's activities, feeling of acceptance by the parents, behavioural autonomy experienced by the child, the child's communication with mother and father and mutual communication between parents.

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Parents' collaboration and participation in a residential child care setting
Elisabeth Willumsen & Elisabeth Severinsson

Abstract: This study addresses user participation as a democratic right as well as a means to promote ser­vice users' citizenship. The aim of this study is to explore parents' (n = 6) experiences of collaboration and participation with professionals working in child protection service in Norway. The empirical material was collected through open interviews with the parents of young people with psychosocial problems who were accommodated in residential care. The collaboration was structured around core group meetings held approximately every six weeks attended by professionals, parents and sometimes the young people involved. Content analysis was used to analyse the interviews and the emerging themes were concentrated around four categories; "support the child", "fight for help and services", "struggle for an ordinary daily life" and "keep up self-esteem". The over-arching concept was identified as "reconstruction of parenthood". The findings show the emergence of two levels of collaboration and participation: 1) The formal level, also contributing to the parents' status as citizens, 2) The interactional level, also contributing to active citizenship.

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Violence in children's narration
Inkeri Eskonen

Abstract: The article examines how children exposed to violence in their own homes talk about violence and what they say about it. The aim is to highlight the methodological challenges of studying narratives told by young children and to present findings concerning children's narratives about violence. The data was collected at a shelter for battered women run by the Federation of Mother and Child Homes and Shelters. It consists of videotapes shot at the sessions (20) of two therapy groups for children who have been exposed to domestic violence. The participating seven children were 4-9 years old. The analysis aimed to look at the words and expressions used by the children to communicate about violence. The children's narration reveals a variety of violent relationships and demonstrates context-bound rules governing violence. The remarks suggest further research in this area.

46

Abstract: Exploratory research examined the impact of polygamy on first wives and their children in the United Arab Emirates. Twenty-five first wives reported on how polygamy impacted their lives and the lives of their children through responding to a questionnaire with 14 closed-response and 7 open-response questions. Results obtained from primary and secondary data sources were dis­cussed with focus groups of family members and friends. Relationships were found to be espe­cially problematic when the wife did not know her husband planned to marry again or give clear reasons about his decision to take another wife. Over half the children were reported by their mothers to have experienced psychological effects, reduced educational performance and fathers reportedly spent very little time with them after re-marrying.

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