Coming to terms with oneself: a mixed methods approach to perceived self-esteem of adult survivors of childhood maltreatment in foster care settings

Abstract

BackgroundA broad range of psychopathological sequelae was found in adult survivors of institutional childhood maltreatment (IM). Childhood maltreatment is also associated with lower self–esteem (SE). In previous qualitative research, adult survivors of IM reported feelings of worthlessness and self-doubts, but research on IM and its associations with SE is still scarce.MethodTo investigate the emotional facet of SE in 46 adult survivors of IM in foster care settings provided by the City of Vienna we used the Emotional SE subscale of the Multidimensional Self-Esteem Scale (‘Multidimensionale Selbstwertskala’, MSWS) and applied a semi-structured interview with open-ended questions. Qualitative data were analyzed with thematic analysis. Finally, qualitative and quantitative data were merged in a mixed method approach to detect similarities and differences between both assessment modalities.ResultsFindings showed a significantly lower emotional SE level (MSWS) in adult survivors compared to a norm sample. Qualitative findings revealed five main themes reporting positive and negative emotions and attitudes towards oneself. Merged data showed a tendency of more positive attitudes and emotions within participants with higher emotional SE levels and more negative attitudes within participants with lower levels. No gender differences were found in both data sets.ConclusionsIM seems to predict lower emotional SE. Observed qualitative aspects of emotional SE seem to concur with symptoms of disturbances in self-organization (DSO) that are typically present in persons suffering from Complex PTSD. Considering emotional SE in future research could facilitate the understanding of the sequelae of complex trauma.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (10.1186/s40359-018-0259-7) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

Impact of Childhood Maltreatment on Self-esteem among Adolescence at Zagazig City

“…In agreement with this, a study in Nepal demonstrated a positive effect of parents' knowledge and awareness of proper parenting on their children's selfesteem (Banstola et al,) (26) . In agreement with the forgoing present study findings, a study carried out in Austria on adults who were exposed to childhood maltreatment demonstrated that maltreatment was a negative predictor of their self-esteem, and this was irrespective of their gender (Weindl et al,) (27) . Similarly, a more recent study in the United States revealed that the adolescents exposed to maltreatment were having low levels of selfesteem, associated with more delinquent behavior (Cui et al,) (28) .…”

Imbalances in the Study of the Relationship between Leisure and Self-Esteem: A Systematic Review

“…Finally, if we are to deepen our understanding of the relationship between leisure and self-esteem, an important advance, apart from research where the participants structure information and the experiential and multidimensional approaches are valued, would be to develop research from a mixed perspective, i.e., with studies that combine the internal and external approach, as seen in one of the articles in this review [76]. This approach, which could be multi-method or mixed-methods, would constitute an important source of new findings, as shown by the leading role occupied by this methodological movement in recent years [56,108,109].…”

“…This framework for the analysis of self-esteem is based in the model proposed by Kleiber, Walker and Mannell [ 16 ] and also serves to assess the plurality of approaches to the study of the phenomenon. Then again, as regards the necessary complementarity of perspectives noted in the case of leisure, such complementarity in self-esteem emerges in the participant’s and the researcher’s perspectives, and the differences provide information that generates new knowledge [ 37 , 39 , 56 ]. On these lines, for example, it has been observed that the results obtained from unstructured and semi-structured interviews question the meaning of certain sections of the recommended scales.…”

The effect of complex posttraumatic stress and poverty on quality of life among adult survivors of childhood institutional maltreatment: evidence from survivors of the ‘Hyeongje Welfare Institution’ in South Korea

“…Institutional maltreatment (IM) may occur in childcare welfare institutions where prolonged abuse and neglect take place under a system of power. Childhood IM harms both the physical and mental health of a child and hinders positive development, eventually having a pervasive negative influence on adulthood life and the self (Knefel & Lueger-Schuster, 2013 ; Lueger-Schuster et al, 2018 ; Weindl & Lueger-Schuster, 2018 ). While previous studies have reported on limitations of and challenges in institutionalized care (Sherr et al, 2017 ), childhood IM is underrecognized worldwide (Carr et al, 2019 ).…”