Search

Purpose Based on our research, the purpose of this paper is to examine the production of knowledge about children's exposure to parental stalking after their parents have separated. The paper addresses the following questions: (1) What dimensions of knowledge has the multimethod qualitative approach produced in our research? and (2) What methodological choices are conducive to conducting ethically sound research on parental stalking? The aim is to contribute to the methodological and ethical discussions in social science research on children exposed to stalking as a specific form of domestic violence and abuse. Method We utilized a multimethod qualitative approach in studying children's exposure to parental stalking. The approach produced five dimensions of knowledge: (1) practice wisdom, (2) experiential knowledge, (3) contextual and situational knowledge, (4) socio-structural knowledge, and (5) norm-related knowledge, which all were important in studying children's exposure to parental stalking. Results In conducting an ethically sound study, the central methodological choices were as follows: employing child-centered practice, respecting intergenerational dialogue, forming trusting relationships with professionals, and valuing different types of knowledge and realities by using a multivoice approach. Conclusions A multimethod qualitative approach enables rich dialogue through which knowledge of parental stalking can be constructed. We argue that the approach makes it possible to bring children's marginalized voices into the academic and professional discussions on parental stalking and thereby to advance the realization of the rights of children who are subjected to a parent's stalking behavior., Author(s): Anna Nikupeteri [sup.1] , Merja Laitinen [sup.1] Author Affiliations: (1) grid.37430.33, 0000 0001 0744 995X, Faculty of Social Sciences, University of Lapland, , P.O. Box 122, FI-96101, Rovaniemi, Finland [...]

This paper examines the way in which parental stalking — as a form of domestic abuse — raises fear in children and affects their sense of safety. The study draws on three therapeutic action groups involving 13 children who have experienced stalking by their fathers/stepfathers after the parents' separation. The research question is as follows: How does children's sense of fear manifest in therapeutic action groups? The qualitative analysis revealed three qualities of fear among the children: (1) internalised, (2) constant and (3) episodic. Internalised fear appeared as a child's mental state that materialised as an overwhelming sentiment in the group sessions and elsewhere. Constant fear activated at times, and the senses of fear and security alternated both in the sessions and elsewhere. Episodic fear related to the children's memories of violent events and father's stalking behaviour. The children were able to sense security in the group and in daily life owing to a temporal distance to their father's stalking. Our findings underscore the importance of professionals' awareness of the qualities of children's fear and the significance of assessing their fear and sense of safety in a child-centered manner in therapeutic practices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article analyses Finnish children's experiences of post-separation parental stalking as a form of domestic violence and explores how the capabilities approach (CA) can help social workers understand the issue and support children. The data consist of thematic interviews with eighteen children and young people (aged 4–21 years) whose father or stepfather has stalked their mothers after separation. The theory-driven data analysis was carried out by utilising the CA as the theoretical framework. Our findings show that parental stalking undermines children's well-being by compromising their safety and reducing their capabilities to use their agency. The study deepened our understanding of issues that children value in their lives and of their possibilities to exercise their agency under parental stalking. Our findings suggest that social workers can support children's agency and their chances of living out their values through interventions which provide internal and external protection. It is important that social workers create a situated understanding of children's experiences through a relationship in which children are considered sentient individuals who are listened to and valued. The article offers a novel contribution to the application of the CA in social work involving children exposed to parental stalking. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper analyses social workers' moral agency in addressing child abuse and neglect. We argue that ethically sound social work requires the capacity to exercise strong, multidimensional moral agency. The contribution is based on a qualitative interpretative meta-synthesis of four studies representing different forms of child abuse and neglect in varied contexts. Drawing on our analysis, we identify three thematic categories of moral considerations in terms of social workers' moral work in addressing child abuse and neglect: genders and generations, agencies and responsibilities, and families and communities. We then proceed to posit four dimensions of moral work in child and family social work – individual; cultural and communal; societal and political; and global – and argue that if they are to exercise strong moral agency, social workers must negotiate these intersecting contextual dimensions. Recognising the salience of these dimensions, how they increasingly intersect, and what this demands of social workers is necessary for the profession. Social workers must embrace individually sensitive, culturally translative, politically engaged and globally aware moral agency. This is crucial in elaborating context-sensitive practice that critically engages with moral complexities when working with individuals, families and communities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The study explores how women victims of post-separation stalking perceive the positions ascribed to them in the help-seeking process by social workers and other professionals. Applying positioning theory, the research identifies ‘critical’ positionings, namely, those hindering the women in seeking help. The ultimate aim of the inquiry is to inform professional practices by identifying how professionals position victims of stalking and the risks of misinterpretation this process entails. The data comprise narratives of 15 Finnish female victims of stalking, who were interviewed either individually or together with a professional (social worker, shelter worker or therapist) who had worked with them. A total of five such professionals participated in conducting the interviews. The analysis of the women’s perceptions posits four critical positionings: Professionals viewed them as (1) alienating parents, (2) unprotective mothers, (3) overcautious women and/or (4) implausible victims. These determinations are seen as rooted in considerations of morality, accountability, rationality and agency. The findings indicate that the complex nature of stalking, women’s reactions to it and the ambivalent appearance of their strategies for dealing with stalking may pose obstacles to professionals in positioning them as help-seekers. This in turn may hinder women in their efforts to receive adequate help or even victimise them further. The study highlights that client–professional interaction in the context of post-separation stalking needs to be more victim-sensitive. It suggests that when analysing women’s situations and providing help, professionals should be more mindful of women’s own understandings and valorise their sensitive experiences. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This qualitative study discusses post separation stalking and its implications in children's everyday lives. Based on narratives of 13 Finnish children and 20 women, the research fills a gap in the knowledge regarding the psychosocial, emotional, and physical impacts of stalking on children when their mothers are stalked by a former partner. It identifies four forms of impact: (a) an atmosphere of fear and feelings of insecurity; (b) disguised acts of stalking and the father's performance of care, love, and longing; (c) exploitation of children in stalking; and (d) physical abuse, acts of violence, and threats of death. The findings indicate that stalking severely constrains children's everyday lives and strengthens, yet often distorts, the mother-child bond. The study concludes that in cases where mothers are stalked, professionals in the social and health services, law enforcement, and criminal justice should view the children, too, as victims and construct supportive social relationships for women and children facing threatening life situations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]