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Disrupting the disruption cycle - care disruption, aggression, stress and resilience in clients and professional caregivers in youth residential care

Kind, Nina / NK. Disrupting the disruption cycle - care disruption, aggression, stress and resilience in clients and professional caregivers in youth residential care. 2020, Doctoral Thesis, University of Basel, Faculty of Psychology.

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Official URL: https://edoc.unibas.ch/79089/

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Abstract

Background: Care disruptions have recurring negative impacts on health and development in many children and adolescent clients living in youth residential care. After difficult living circumstances at home, institutional care aims to provide a supportive setting with uninterrupted care for vulnerable clients. Violations of professional caregivers’ personal boundaries, such as client aggression, pose a threat to fulfilling this mandate because care termination sentiments arise, or caregivers burn out and quit. Clients remain stuck in recurring cycles of care and relationship disruptions. What individual resilience factors and intervention strategies at client and caregiver level could break the cycle? Aim: To explore emotional and psychophysiological stress reactions in clients and professional caregivers, associated with care disruptions and client aggression, as well as resilience factors that may protect against such stressors. Methods: Research was conducted with clients and professional caregivers in German and Swiss youth residential care services. Repeated measures were taken with well-established self and informant report questionnaires regarding adverse life events, aggressive behavior, psychopathological symptoms, quality of life, burnout, resilience, as well as hair samples for the analyses of the hormones cortisol and dehydroepiandrosterone as markers for chronic stress. Results: Early care disruptions were associated with later psychopathological symptoms and chronic stress in clients. Verbal and physical client aggression increased the risk of burnout and chronic stress in professional caregivers. At client level, reductions in client aggression were predicted by positive changes in peer relationships, managing school requirements, substance use, suicidal thoughts and perceived self-efficacy. At caregiver level, especially the resilience factors sense of coherence and self-caring behavior lowered burnout risk. Future research and implications for intervention strategies at client and caregiver level, as well as for institutional management are discussed.
Advisors:Gaab, Jens and Schmeck, Klaus
Faculties and Departments:07 Faculty of Psychology > Departement Psychologie > Health & Intervention > Klinische Psychologie und Psychotherapie (Gaab)
UniBasel Contributors:Kind, Nina and Gaab, Jens and Schmeck, Klaus
Item Type:Thesis
Thesis Subtype:Doctoral Thesis
Thesis no:13939
Thesis status:Complete
Number of Pages:67
Language:English
Identification Number:
  • urn: urn:nbn:ch:bel-bau-diss139399
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Last Modified:05 Feb 2021 05:30
Deposited On:04 Feb 2021 10:28

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