THE FAMILY CONTEXT OF THE SCHOOL REFUSING ADOLESCENT (ROLES, PHOBIA, PROCESS).
Item
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Title
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THE FAMILY CONTEXT OF THE SCHOOL REFUSING ADOLESCENT (ROLES, PHOBIA, PROCESS).
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Identifier
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AAI8601655
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identifier
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8601655
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Creator
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JACKSON, ELIZABETH.
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Date
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1985
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Language
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English
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Publisher
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City University of New York.
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Subject
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Psychology, Clinical
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Abstract
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This study investigated clinical reports that school refusers live within the context of dysfunctional families in which the school refusers are overly involved with their parents as overresponsible or underresponsible children. It tested these reports using the following hypotheses: (1 & 2) School refusing adolescents will report differences in average family cohesion and in family adaptability in comparison to non-symptomatic adolescents. (3) School refusing adolescents will report chronic participation in roles that cross generational boundaries in comparison to non-symptomatic adolescents, who will report participation in roles with clear generational boundaries.;Sixty-seven male and female adolescents, 26 school refusers and 41 adolescents with excellent attendance were homogeneous in personal and socio-demographic variables.;School refusers differed significantly from the control group in their report of overall lower cohesion in their families as measured by FACES II (Olson et. al.). The two groups did not differ in their report of degree of family adaptability.;A family role questionnaire (Goldklank) examining generational boundary crossing was modified for use with adolescents. Significant differences emerged between the two groups in their response to this measure; school refusers identified with the underresponsible child roles while the non-symptomatic adolescents identified with roles with clear generational boundaries.;The study also revealed that the two groups shared similar attitudes toward school and subjective concern for their parents' well being.;This study suggests that family cohesion is a dimension that calls for the clinician's concern where an adolescent refuses school. It is suggested that the symptom of school refusal and the acceptance of the role of the underresponsible child comprise a response to family anxiety about the security of family bondedness.
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Type
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dissertation
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Source
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PQT Legacy CUNY.xlsx
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degree
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Ph.D.
