Children’s agency when experiencing family-related adversities
The negotiation of closeness and distance in children’s personal narratives
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 21724348 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Stina Michelson (0000-0001-6834-7981, Stockholm University, corresponding author) |
| Year | 2023 |
| Volume | 22 |
| Issue | 2 |
| Pages | 286-301 |
| Publication date | 2023-03-01 |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Qualitative Social Work (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 1473-3250 • E-ISSN: 1741-3117 |
| Publisher | SAGE Publications (PUBLISHER • US) |
| DOI | 10.1177/14733250211066823 |
| OpenAlex | W4210925482 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 6 |
| References cited | 32 |
Children’s perspectives on family-related adversities are important to social work practice and theory. Qualitative inquiry into children’s personal narratives can contribute to a deeper understanding of their project of handling difficult relationships and experiences in the family context. The present study explores children’s agency with a specific focus on how they negotiate difficult family-related relationships and experiences in, and through, their personal narratives. The analysis builds on teller-focused interviews with 22 children aged between 6 and 17 who receive support linked to their experiences of family-related adversities. The findings suggest that children negotiate difficult relationships and experiences in terms of closeness and distance. This is shown in their narrative practice of positioning and repositioning themselves and others in, and through, their telling. The findings are theorized in relation to the concepts of power and misrecognition. Finally, the implications for social work practice and research are discussed with an emphasis on how to promote a non-instrumental attitude to children’s perspectives and experiences within the child welfare system. The present study suggests that this pursuit would benefit from a child-centered and narrative understanding of children and their knowledge
Child protection · Closeness · Developmental psychology · Narrative · Narrative inquiry · Negotiation · Political science · Qualitative research · Sense of agency · Social science · Sociology · Child Abuse and Trauma · Children's Rights and Participation · Medicine · Psychology · Social Psychology · Social Work Education and Practice · Social Work
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| Citations per year | 2 |
|---|---|
| Citation span | 2023 - 2026 (4) |
| Highly cited | No |