Parents' Experiences of Being Abused by Their Adolescent Children

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Parents' Experiences of Being Abused by Their Adolescent Children Parents’ experiences of being abused by their adolescent children: an Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis Study of Adolescent-to-Parent Violence and Abuse Major Research Project Kerry Rose Clarke Submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements of the University of Hertfordshire for the degree of Doctor in Clinical Psychology The Programme of study was carried out in the School of Psychology, University of Hertfordshire June 2015 Acknowledgement I wish to acknowledge the help of my supervisors, Dr Clare Norris (University of Hertfordshire) and Dr Amanda Holt (University of Roehampton) for their continued support throughout this research. I wish to also acknowledge the support of Pieter Nel (University of Hertfordshire) for his tuition and support in the method of Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis. I must also acknowledge the Youth Offending Services and the dedicated parenting workers and multi-agency staff who contributed to this research by identifying and liaising with parents affected by APVA. Their time and commitment to the research has been central in reaching the voices of parents who otherwise may have remained silenced. My gratitude also goes to the individual parents and families with whom I have worked with and who have shared their experiences. I wish to also acknowledge my friends and family who have provided constant support and a sounding board throughout this process especially Mike Jackson, Ellen Mackey, Phillippa Burton, Andreea Chitiu, the IPA supervision group, my father, John Clarke and his wife, Jenny Clarke. Special thanks to my mother, Eve Clarke who though no longer with me, remains in my heart and mind and has guided my thinking throughout this study. 12239424 2 Table of Contents Acknowledgement .................................................................................................................................. 2 List of Figures .......................................................................................................................................... 7 List of Tables ........................................................................................................................................... 7 List of Abbreviations ............................................................................................................................... 7 1.0 Abstract ............................................................................................................................................. 8 2.0 Introduction ...................................................................................................................................... 9 2.1 The emergence of adolescent-to-parent violence and abuse .................................................... 10 2.2 The problems with definition and terminology .......................................................................... 11 2.3 Theoretical perspectives of APVA ............................................................................................... 13 2.3.1 Parent-abuse as a form of family-abuse .............................................................................. 13 2.3.2 Family Structure ................................................................................................................... 16 2.3.3 Parenting Style ..................................................................................................................... 16 2.3.4 Attachment Style ................................................................................................................. 17 2.3.5 Family Systems ..................................................................................................................... 18 2.3.6 Mental health and illness ..................................................................................................... 18 2.3.7 Substance use ...................................................................................................................... 18 2.3.8 Summary of theoretical perspectives of APVA .................................................................... 19 2.4 The prevalence of parent-abuse: What does the quantitative literature tell us? ..................... 21 2.4.1 The overall prevelance of APVA ........................................................................................... 21 2.4.2 Prevalence of Parent-abuse in the United Kingdom ............................................................ 22 2.4.3 Age ....................................................................................................................................... 22 2.4.4 Ethnicity, culture and religiosity .......................................................................................... 23 2.4.5 Summary of quantitative literature ..................................................................................... 23 2.5 Research on parents’ experiences of APVA ................................................................................ 24 2.5.1 Emergence and escalation of abuse .................................................................................... 24 2.5.2 Emotionality of parenting an abusive child ......................................................................... 25 Table 2 Chronological empirical findings from qualitative methodology studies concerning parents experiences (adapted and updated from Hong, 2012) ........................................... 26 Table 2 continued .......................................................................................................................... 27 2.5.3 Implication of gender ........................................................................................................... 28 2.5.4 Responsiveness and help-seeking behaviour ...................................................................... 29 2.5.5 Summary and appraisal of the qualitative literature ........................................................... 29 3.0 Conclusions and rationale for research .......................................................................................... 30 12239424 3 4.0 Aims of the research ....................................................................................................................... 31 4.1 Research Question ...................................................................................................................... 31 5.0 Methodology ................................................................................................................................... 32 5.1 Qualitative approach................................................................................................................... 32 5.2 Interpretive Phenomenological Analysis (IPA) ............................................................................ 32 5.3 Study Design ................................................................................................................................ 34 5.3.1 Context ................................................................................................................................. 34 5.3.2 Inclusion and Exclusion Criteria ........................................................................................... 34 5.3.3 Recruitment ......................................................................................................................... 35 5.3.4 Challenges of Recruitment to the Study .............................................................................. 35 5.3.5 Sample Demographics ......................................................................................................... 36 5.3.6 Participants .......................................................................................................................... 36 5.4 Ethical Considerations ................................................................................................................. 38 5.4.1 Informed Consent ................................................................................................................ 38 5.4.2 Confidentiality ...................................................................................................................... 38 5.4.3 Potential Distress ................................................................................................................. 39 5.5 Data Collection ............................................................................................................................ 40 5.5.1 Interview Design .................................................................................................................. 40 5.5.2 Interviews ............................................................................................................................. 40 5.6 Data Analysis ............................................................................................................................... 41 5.6.1 Individual Case Analysis ....................................................................................................... 41 5.6.2 Multiple Case Analysis ......................................................................................................... 41 5.6.3 Clustering Emergent Themes ............................................................................................... 41 5.6.4 Cross-Case Analysis .............................................................................................................. 42 5.6.5 Quality in Qualitative
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