Young People’s Experiences of
Family Connectedness
Elise Woodman
Presentation Outline
The research context
How the research was conducted
Key themes
Findings and recommendations
Why research this area?
Concerns
about the extent of mental health
issues experienced by young people
Family
connectedness well established as an
important factor for wellbeing
connectedness: “the family’s sense of
belonging and being psychologically close in ways
perceived and defined by the adolescent” (Crespo et
al., 2010, p. 1394).
Family
Limited
qualitative research on what things
actually help young people feel connected to
family
Research Question
How
do young people understand
and experience family
connectedness?
Key Priorities
Recognising the value of young people’s perspectives
Valued
Use
in their own right as competent social actors
of a young person’s reference group
Systems Theory
Person-in-environment
social work perspective
Consideration
of the impact of the broader context on
families and young people
Qualitative Methodology
young people’s experiences of family
connectedness in depth
Explore
Add
greater insights on connectedness to the current
literature
Who I spoke to
31
young people
13
females, 18 males
From
23
4 schools
participants lived with both biological parents
7 participants
from separated families
6 participants
identified with cultures other than
Australian
5 participants
spoke 2 languages at home
Factors important for family
connectedness:
Global Themes
Being
present and engaged in family life
Having
Young
things in common
people feeling valued
Connections
over time
Factors that can affect family
connectedness:
Global themes
Family
dynamics including parent
relationships, level of family stress and
young people’s participation
Factors
outside the family such as work
pressures and school
Insights into Young People and
Families
Valuing
the basics
Valuing
young people and their
insights
Recognising
unique experiences and
family contexts
Variety
of supporters
Starting early
Considering the broader
social context
Individualism
Support surrounding
families
Time, work
expectations and
materialism
Stress
and busy lives
What does all this mean for
how we work with families?
Recommendations for:
Parents
Young
people
Schools
Practitioners
For Parents
Spend time with young people, eat dinner as a family, and
listen to what young people have to say
Remember family is of ongoing importance for young
people despite increasing peer relationships
Value young people for their individuality and avoid sibling
comparisons
Respect young people as equal and important members of
the family with valuable opinions
Consider ways to manage and reduce family stress
For Parents
Connect with children as early as possible
Adapt their parenting as young people mature
Remember that young people value boundaries and
parents showing interest in their lives (even if they tell you
to stop nagging them)
Balance boundaries with appropriate
freedom and trust
Consider the impact of their family’s
technology use on connectedness
For Young People
Open communication
Showing
interest in parent’s interests
Considering
impact of outside activities
and technology use
Prioritising
family time
Communicate needs
Consider
their role in connectedness
For Schools
Safe environments
Parent
education on family
connectedness
Supported
by research findings
and visual presentation of
themes
Additional
risk
support for those at
Practitioners who work with
young people and families
Assist efforts to support connectedness and wellbeing
Theme map as an assessment and therapeutic tool
Evidence base to support social work interventions
Flexible
approach to working with families
young people’s expertise and individual
circumstances
Recognise
Consider
the impact of the
broader environment
Conclusions
Support
efforts to understand and build
family connectedness
More
detailed insights into what family
connectedness looks like and how to
achieve it
Key
themes to assist with parent
education
Importance
of talking to young people
Considering
broader social pressures
Questions
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