Caregiver experiences of public services following child trauma exposure: a qualitative study

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dc.contributor.authorWilliamson, Victoria
dc.contributor.authorHalligan, Sarah L
dc.contributor.authorCoetzee, Bronwyne
dc.contributor.authorButler, Ian
dc.contributor.authorTomlinson, Mark
dc.contributor.authorSkeen, Sarah
dc.contributor.authorStewart, Jackie
dc.date.accessioned2018-04-17T06:17:34Z
dc.date.available2018-04-17T06:17:34Z
dc.date.issued2018-04-10
dc.date.updated2018-04-15T03:18:17Z
dc.description.abstractBackground: Many children in low and middle income countries (LMIC) are exposed to trauma. Contact with public services are a potential infuence on parent–child reactions and coping post-trauma. Little is known about how caregivers perceive these interactions. Methods: The aim of this study was to explore caregivers’ experiences of accessing and interacting with public services post-trauma and perceptions of needed improvements to public services in a LMIC context. Qualitative interviews were conducted with 20 female caregivers from a high-risk settlement in South Africa after child trauma exposure. Results: Three themes and seven sub-themes were identifed regarding caregivers’ perceptions of interactions with public services post-trauma. The key themes identifed related to (1) communication and exchanges with law enforcement, (2) consequences of an under-resourced justice system and (3) importance of communication and empathy in the healthcare system. Interactions with police were often positive. However, caregivers explained that police-family communication post-trauma could be improved and may help to lessen caregiver anxiety and concerns for the child’s safety post-trauma. Caregivers perceived the judicial system to be under-resourced as contact with the judicial system was often protracted and caused child anxiety and distress. Medical treatment was reportedly rushed, with extensive waiting times and little information provided to caregivers regarding the child’s injuries or treatment. Some medical staf were perceived as unsympathetic during the child’s treatment which was found to exacerbate caregiver and child distress post-trauma. Conclusions: This study provides insight into caregiver experiences of accessing public services following child trauma exposure in a high-risk LMIC context. Public services were perceived as oversubscribed and under-resourced and negative interactions often infuenced caregiver responses and appraisals of child safety. Given the impact of poor interactions with public services on families post-trauma, additional research is needed to investigate feasible improvements to public services in LMIC.
dc.identifier.apacitationWilliamson, V., Halligan, S. L., Coetzee, B., Butler, I., Tomlinson, M., Skeen, S., & Stewart, J. (2018). Caregiver experiences of public services following child trauma exposure: a qualitative study. <i>International Journal of Mental Health Systems</i>, http://hdl.handle.net/11427/27788en_ZA
dc.identifier.chicagocitationWilliamson, Victoria, Sarah L Halligan, Bronwyne Coetzee, Ian Butler, Mark Tomlinson, Sarah Skeen, and Jackie Stewart "Caregiver experiences of public services following child trauma exposure: a qualitative study." <i>International Journal of Mental Health Systems</i> (2018) http://hdl.handle.net/11427/27788en_ZA
dc.identifier.citationWilliamson, V., Halligan, S. L., Coetzee, B., Butler, I., Tomlinson, M., Skeen, S., & Stewart, J. (2018). Caregiver experiences of public services following child trauma exposure: a qualitative study. International Journal of Mental Health Systems, 12(1), 15.
dc.identifier.ris TY - Journal Article AU - Williamson, Victoria AU - Halligan, Sarah L AU - Coetzee, Bronwyne AU - Butler, Ian AU - Tomlinson, Mark AU - Skeen, Sarah AU - Stewart, Jackie AB - Background: Many children in low and middle income countries (LMIC) are exposed to trauma. Contact with public services are a potential infuence on parent–child reactions and coping post-trauma. Little is known about how caregivers perceive these interactions. Methods: The aim of this study was to explore caregivers’ experiences of accessing and interacting with public services post-trauma and perceptions of needed improvements to public services in a LMIC context. Qualitative interviews were conducted with 20 female caregivers from a high-risk settlement in South Africa after child trauma exposure. Results: Three themes and seven sub-themes were identifed regarding caregivers’ perceptions of interactions with public services post-trauma. The key themes identifed related to (1) communication and exchanges with law enforcement, (2) consequences of an under-resourced justice system and (3) importance of communication and empathy in the healthcare system. Interactions with police were often positive. However, caregivers explained that police-family communication post-trauma could be improved and may help to lessen caregiver anxiety and concerns for the child’s safety post-trauma. Caregivers perceived the judicial system to be under-resourced as contact with the judicial system was often protracted and caused child anxiety and distress. Medical treatment was reportedly rushed, with extensive waiting times and little information provided to caregivers regarding the child’s injuries or treatment. Some medical staf were perceived as unsympathetic during the child’s treatment which was found to exacerbate caregiver and child distress post-trauma. Conclusions: This study provides insight into caregiver experiences of accessing public services following child trauma exposure in a high-risk LMIC context. Public services were perceived as oversubscribed and under-resourced and negative interactions often infuenced caregiver responses and appraisals of child safety. Given the impact of poor interactions with public services on families post-trauma, additional research is needed to investigate feasible improvements to public services in LMIC. DA - 2018-04-10 DB - OpenUCT DP - University of Cape Town J1 - International Journal of Mental Health Systems LK - https://open.uct.ac.za PB - University of Cape Town PY - 2018 T1 - Caregiver experiences of public services following child trauma exposure: a qualitative study TI - Caregiver experiences of public services following child trauma exposure: a qualitative study UR - http://hdl.handle.net/11427/27788 ER - en_ZA
dc.identifier.urihttps://doi.org/10.1186/s13033-018-0190-6
dc.identifier.urihttp://hdl.handle.net/11427/27788
dc.identifier.vancouvercitationWilliamson V, Halligan SL, Coetzee B, Butler I, Tomlinson M, Skeen S, et al. Caregiver experiences of public services following child trauma exposure: a qualitative study. International Journal of Mental Health Systems. 2018; http://hdl.handle.net/11427/27788.en_ZA
dc.language.isoen
dc.publisherBioMed Central
dc.publisher.departmentDepartment of Psychiatry and Mental Healthen_ZA
dc.publisher.facultyFaculty of Health Sciencesen_ZA
dc.publisher.institutionUniversity of Cape Town
dc.rights.holderThe Author(s)
dc.sourceInternational Journal of Mental Health Systems
dc.source.urihttps://ijmhs.biomedcentral.com/
dc.subject.otherChild
dc.subject.otherTrauma
dc.subject.otherParent
dc.subject.otherPublic services
dc.subject.otherHospital
dc.subject.otherPolice
dc.subject.otherJudicial system
dc.titleCaregiver experiences of public services following child trauma exposure: a qualitative study
dc.typeJournal Article
uct.type.filetypeText
uct.type.filetypeImage
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