Parents with troubled upbringings and their perception of childhood

Abstract

Applying qualitative data from a 30‐year‐long follow‐up study, this article examines how 30 parents with troubled upbringings talk about and present their children through stories about parenthood. Two overall themes were identified: (a) the perception of childhood with the associated subcategories “being engaged in school” and “the value of eating rituals and leisure activities” and (b) having agency with the associated subcategories “being heard and put first” and “meeting the children's needs.” The findings exemplify how these parents' backgrounds build into current discursive understandings about parenthood and childhood and how conflicting emotions from their own childhood affect their present view of their children. Attention is paid to the idea of how these parents “invest” in discursive positions regarding their children. The findings apply to both theoretical and practical social work, addressing the need for an understanding of how parents with troubled childhoods understand and consequently interact with their children.

Emotional intelligence as a part of critical reflection in social work practice and research

“…This article is both theoretical and empirical, based on reflections from a qualitative longitudinal study interviewing fathers with behavioural and criminal backgrounds, all in their 40 s (Helgeland, 2010;Herland, 2017Herland, , 2018Herland, , 2020Herland et al, 2015;Herland and Helgeland 2017). The analysis illuminates the reflective, emotional aspects of this interview process, which reminded me of the home visits I had made when working as a child welfare caseworker.…”

Conceptualizing motherhood in a context of inequality and vulnerability: Experiences of being a mother after a troubled upbringing

“…This paper is based on a 30-year longitudinal study of a group of 85 participants -54 men and 31 women -who as adolescents had severe adjustment problems (Helgeland, 2005(Helgeland, , 2010Herland, 2017Herland, , 2018Herland et al, 2015: Herland andHelgeland, 2017). All the participants engaged in antisocial behaviours, such as truancy, criminality, prostitution, drug abuse and vagabonding, due to challenging home environments.…”

“…Nonetheless, mothers relate in different ways to the societal expectations around what constitutes ‘good’ mothering, due to their individual childhood histories that shape their understandings of motherhood (Thomson et al., 2012; Woodward, 2016). This article draws on qualitative in-depth interviews with 15 women, following a 30-year longitudinal study of individuals growing up in vulnerable families in Norway (Helgeland, 2005, 2010; Herland, 2017, 2018; Herland et al., 2015; Herland and Helgeland, 2017).…”