Walker Janet, Crawford Karin, Taylor Francesca
School of Health and Social Care, Faculty of Health, Life and Social Science, University of Lincoln, George Street, Hull, England, HU1 3BW, UK.
Health Soc Care Community. 2008 Jul;16(4):429-36. doi: 10.1111/j.1365-2524.2008.00781.x. Epub 2008 Apr 21.
This paper reports on the experiences and views of children and young people of single-parent families, as findings from a European Union-funded research project undertaken in England, Greece and Cyprus. The objectives of the research project were to investigate how children and young people of single-parent families understand and experience their worlds as members of these families: whether and to what extent they experience poverty and social exclusion and how they cope with the challenges that this confronts them with. Methodology was replicated in each of the countries; however, this paper draws on the English experiences. Semistructured interviews (40) and focus groups (four) were undertaken with children of single parents. In addition, focus groups were undertaken with children of two-parent families (four), focus groups with single parents, focus groups with two-parent families (four) and individual interviews with key professionals. Detailed discussion guides were followed, with open-ended questions to allow participants to express their feelings and ideas in their own words. The research sample included children from single-parent and two-parent families, aged 6 years to 16 years, balanced in terms of age, gender and geographical location. Findings demonstrate the children's and young people's understanding of the impact of poverty and social exclusion on their family life and their everyday experiences. The positive benefits of being in a single-parent family are highlighted, with 'time poverty' raised as a significant issue. Children and young people are aware of their poverty and how it influences exclusion from friendships, play, leisure and community activities. Policy needs to take account of the systematic reality of children's experiences; alliances with adults that support meaningful involvement and participation by children and young people will make a significant contribution to this.
本文报告了单亲家庭中儿童和青少年的经历与观点，这些是在英国、希腊和塞浦路斯开展的一个欧盟资助研究项目的成果。该研究项目的目标是调查单亲家庭中的儿童和青少年如何作为这些家庭的成员理解并体验他们的世界：他们是否以及在何种程度上经历贫困和社会排斥，以及他们如何应对由此面临的挑战。每个国家都采用了相同的方法；然而，本文借鉴了英国的经验。对单亲家庭的儿童进行了40次半结构化访谈和4次焦点小组访谈。此外，还对双亲家庭的儿童进行了焦点小组访谈（4次），对单亲家长进行了焦点小组访谈，对双亲家庭进行了焦点小组访谈（4次），并对关键专业人士进行了个人访谈。访谈遵循详细的讨论指南，提出开放式问题，让参与者用自己的语言表达感受和想法。研究样本包括来自单亲家庭和双亲家庭的6至16岁儿童，在年龄、性别和地理位置上保持平衡。研究结果表明儿童和青少年对贫困和社会排斥对其家庭生活及日常经历的影响的理解。研究强调了单亲家庭的积极益处，同时提出“时间贫困”是一个重要问题。儿童和青少年意识到自己的贫困状况以及这如何影响他们被排除在友谊、玩耍、休闲和社区活动之外。政策需要考虑到儿童经历的系统性现实；与支持儿童和青少年有意义地参与和融入的成年人建立联盟将对此做出重大贡献。
