Exploring children's perspectives of engagement with their carers using factor analysis

Tania Withington; Ray Duplock; Judith Burton; Areana Eivers; Bob Lonne

doi:10.1016/j.chiabu.2016.11.022

Exploring children's perspectives of engagement with their carers using factor analysis

Child Abuse Negl. 2017 Jan:63:41-50. doi: 10.1016/j.chiabu.2016.11.022. Epub 2016 Nov 27.

Authors

Tania Withington¹, Ray Duplock², Judith Burton³, Areana Eivers⁴, Bob Lonne⁵

Affiliations

¹ School of Public Health and Social Work, Faculty for Health, Queensland University of Technology, PO BOX 2434, Brisbane 4001, Australia,; Children's Health Queensland Hospital and Health Service, Child and Youth Mental Health Service, Queensland Health, PO Box 5492, West End 4101, Australia. Electronic address: tania.withington@health.qld.gov.au.
² High Performance Computing Group, University of Technology, GPO BOX 2432, Brisbane 4001, Australia. Electronic address: r.duplock@qut.edu.au.
³ School of Public Health and Social Work, Faculty of Health, Queensland University of Technology, GPO BOX 2434, Brisbane 4001, Australia. Electronic address: j.burton@qut.edu.au.
⁴ School of Psychology and Counselling, Faculty of Health, Queensland University of Technology, GPO BOX 2434, Brisbane 4001, Australia. Electronic address: a.eivers@qut.edu.au.
⁵ School of Health, University of New England, Armidale, NSW 2351, Australia. Electronic address: blonne@une.edu.au.

PMID: 27902951
DOI: 10.1016/j.chiabu.2016.11.022

Abstract

Positive engagement between a child and carer in out-of-home care is understood to have long-term benefits for children who have experienced abuse or neglect. This study analysed data from the 'Views of Children and Young People in Foster Care 2009' survey of 937 children in out-of-home care in Queensland, Australia, to identify factors that supported or hindered engagement between a child and carer. Exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis and structural regression were used. Findings suggest that children's engagement with their carer is influenced by a range of internal and external factors including child characteristics, the care experience, contact with biological parents, and placement trajectory. Child engagement is important because it is central to positive outcomes such as placement stability in out-of-home care. Implications for policy and practice include the need for a structural response that supports building and maintaining positive child-carer relationships.

Keywords: Child engagement; Child perspective; Factor analysis; Out-of-home care; Placement stability.

MeSH terms

Adaptation, Psychological
Adolescent
Caregivers / psychology*
Child
Child Abuse / psychology*
Child Abuse / therapy*
Female
Follow-Up Studies
Foster Home Care / psychology*
Humans
Male
Parent-Child Relations*
Queensland