Home representations of at-risk children in an emergency shelter

IF 2.3 Q2 PSYCHOLOGY, CLINICAL
Ofir Shtern-Eden, Michal Bat Or
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引用次数: 1

Abstract

ABSTRACT Background Research is limited about the home representations of at-risk preschool children staying in emergency shelter care. Aims To examine representations of home in the house drawings and play narratives of eight at-risk children aged 5–6.5 years, in emergency shelter care. The one-on-one sessions held with the children has a uniform structure of a drawing task followed by play, forming an intermodal transfer. Methods The qualitative data analysis of the drawing processes, the drawings and observation of the dramatic play is based on phenomenological and thematical approaches. Results Three main themes were found: the house as a threatening space; expressions of difficulties in creating and maintaining the potential space; the added value of using drawing and play in the context of difficulties in creating or maintaining the potential space. Implications for practice and future research The study’s findings illustrate the potential advantage of intermodal transfer – this apparently allowed them to move between languages of expression, and offered them different opportunities for emotional regulation. In addition, the different layers of information that were expressed can help art therapists to support the child’s mentalization process. Future research is encouraged to further examine home representations of at-risk children with larger sample using intermodal transfer. Conclusions The study’s findings demonstrate the paradox that is bound within the invitation to draw/play about painful contents in art therapy, and the possible advantage in using intermodal transfer to mend the potential space’s interruptions and to enable further expression and working through. Plain-language summary The present study sought to examine home representations of eight maltreated children (age 5–7 years) staying in an emergency shelter in Israel, following domestic violence, abuse, and neglect. During individual meetings with the first author, the children were invited to draw a house using coloured pencils, and then to play the events happening in the drawn house, using a set of tiny animal figures, and a magic wand. Qualitative analyses of the data identified three main themes: the first was the house as a threatening space that exposes the figures to negative events such as rejection, injury and death; the second theme identified the children’s play/creative-space as interrupted and fragmentary; for example, there were pauses in the drawing process and/or play due to repetitive behaviours such as sharpening pencils; the third theme was the potential advantage of movement between drawing and play mediums that enables these children to express themselves despite interruptions in the play/creative space. Thus, we suggest that the invitation to engage in two expressive mediums during art therapy sessions may enable the child to move back and forth between them, while creating additional opportunities for expressing the unbearable on one hand and keeping a safe distance from these contents on the other. We recommend future research based on a session that provides access to different creative mediums, thus enabling further exploration of at-risk children’s expressiveness; a better understanding of the experiences of these children; and a better grasp of their needs in therapeutic contexts.
紧急收容所里处境危险儿童的家庭代表
摘要背景关于处于紧急避难所护理中的高危学龄前儿童的家庭代表性研究有限。目的研究八名5岁至6.5岁的高危儿童在紧急避难所护理中的家庭绘画和游戏叙事。与孩子们进行的一对一课程有一个统一的结构,先是绘画任务,然后是游戏,形成了一种联运。方法运用现象学和主题学方法对戏剧的绘画过程、绘画和观察进行定性数据分析。结果发现了三个主要主题:房子是一个具有威胁性的空间;表达在创造和维持潜在空间方面的困难;在创造或维护潜在空间的困难背景下使用绘画和游戏的附加值。对实践和未来研究的启示该研究的发现说明了多式联运的潜在优势——这显然允许他们在表达语言之间移动,并为他们提供了不同的情绪调节机会。此外,所表达的不同层次的信息可以帮助艺术治疗师支持孩子的心理化过程。鼓励未来的研究使用多式联运进一步检查样本较大的高危儿童的家庭表征。结论这项研究的发现表明,在艺术治疗中,绘画/播放痛苦内容的邀请中存在着悖论,以及使用互调转移来修复潜在空间的中断并使其能够进一步表达和完成的可能优势。简明语言摘要本研究试图调查八名被虐待儿童(5-7岁)在遭受家庭暴力、虐待和忽视后,在以色列的紧急避难所中的家庭表现。在与第一作者的个人会面中,孩子们被邀请用彩色铅笔画一所房子,然后用一组小动物雕像和魔杖玩画好的房子里发生的事情。对数据的定性分析确定了三个主要主题:第一个主题是房子是一个威胁性的空间,它使人物面临排斥、受伤和死亡等负面事件;第二个主题将儿童的游戏/创作空间界定为间断的、零碎的;例如,由于诸如削铅笔之类的重复行为,绘画过程和/或游戏出现停顿;第三个主题是绘画和游戏媒介之间移动的潜在优势,这使这些孩子能够在游戏/创意空间中表达自己。因此,我们建议,在艺术治疗期间邀请孩子参与两种表达媒介,可以让孩子在它们之间来回移动,同时创造额外的机会,一方面表达难以忍受的东西,另一方面与这些内容保持安全距离。我们建议未来的研究基于一个提供不同创造性媒介的会议,从而能够进一步探索高危儿童的表达能力;更好地了解这些儿童的经历;以及更好地了解他们在治疗环境中的需求。
本文章由计算机程序翻译,如有差异,请以英文原文为准。
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来源期刊
CiteScore
5.40
自引率
0.00%
发文量
19
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