6533b82ffe1ef96bd12950e4
RESEARCH PRODUCT
Plunging Into a Dark Sea of Emotions: Professionals' Emotional Experiences Addressing Child Abuse in Interviews With Children.
Ane Ugland AlbaekAne Ugland AlbaekAnne Marita MildePer-einar Bindersubject
Child abuseAdultmedia_common.quotation_subjectHealth PersonneleducationEmotionsPoison control050109 social psychologyDysfunctional familySuicide preventionDevelopmental psychology03 medical and health sciences0302 clinical medicineInjury preventionHumans0501 psychology and cognitive sciences030212 general & internal medicineChild AbuseChildQualitative Researchmedia_commonNorway05 social sciencesPublic Health Environmental and Occupational HealthHuman factors and ergonomicsMental healthFeelingPsychologydescription
Comprehending professionals’ emotional challenges when addressing child abuse can help to improve identification, protection, and care for exposed children. This study presents an interpretive description analysis of qualitative interviews with ten child protective services workers and nine child mental health services psychologists in Norway. The participants described intense negative reactions due to addressing child abuse during assessments and investigations. We identified five main themes: (a) facing children’s suffering caused by adults, (b) feeling mean, (c) doubting one’s ability and skills, (d) feeling that one is betraying children, and (e) being obstructed by heavy workload and dysfunctional structure. To improve professionals’ capacity to help exposed children, it is necessary to change the organizational structure and culture. In addition, professionals would benefit from systematic training in handling complexity and in efficient emotion regulation. Finally, we strongly suggest that institutions responsible for investigating child abuse facilitate and prioritize deliberate practice for their staff.
| year | journal | country | edition | language |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2019-01-25 | Qualitative health research |