SINGLE PARENT, CHILD WITH AGGRESSIVE BEHAVIOUR

Description of circumstances drawing on parent’s verbal account

This family, by contrast with other examples were defined by the parent as having no severe problems. Their issues, by contrast with the other cases were relatively mildly problematic, reflected in the way the PCQ was completed. This was a single parent headed family of four, with one boy aged ten, and three girls aged, respectively 8, 4 and four months. The parent worked part time as a shop assistant

She was in receipt of benefits, but found it hard to manage a family of 4 with part time shop assistant’s wages topped up by benefits. She had to be very careful with money, and was always ‘flirting’ with getting into debt. She also did not feel very secure in her job – she was unsure whether she might be laid off at some point, although she was Ok for the moment.

The parent’s description of their situation reflected the PCQ completion. She was estranged from her husband (the father of their children) who had a sporadic mental health problem, but its effect on her and her children was limited because they were living separately. The relationship had been problematic before they separated, with arguments and aggressiveness on his part, but this was no longer an issue following the separation. Hence she would not regard that as problematic. Indeed, he was happy to take the children off her hands, ‘take them out for the day’ (particularly the more challenging one, the four year old girl) if things got too much for the mother.

She stated that the four year old girl was aggressive, not just in the house, but outside as well. The girl was described by her mother as a bit of a ‘tearaway’ who would ‘fight with anyone who crosses her path’. She also commented that it did not matter how much she tried to discipline her, she still continued to behave in that manner. She also wet her bed occasionally.

However, the mother pointed out that they lived on a tough estate and that ‘if she didn’t do that she’s gonna have it done to her’. The mother felt she had to be the way she was because if she were not she would be like her quieter older (8 year old) sister who is in ‘every two minutes crying because someone has hit her’. The mother stated that she did not like to encourage aggressive behaviour, but if she were not like that, at least to some degree, she would never be able to go out at all.

The four year old swore more than the mother liked. The swearing, the mother stated, was very directed. It did not just ‘come out of her mouth’, but was stated strategically, emphasising when she was angry and part of her armoury of aggression. She wasn’t sure how to deal with it, so she stopped swearing herself (she had apparently sworn a fair amount previously). However, other people in her life – her father and others on the estate – continued to swear so the mother was not sure what her abstinence from swearing was achieving.

She felt some of the behavioural difficulties stemmed from the first two years of her life, when her mother and father were still living together, and frequently in conflict (a problem that no longer existed now they were separated). To compensate for this, her mother gave her even more attention than she would otherwise have given. When she had tantrums or was aggressive she was reluctant to punish her because she felt it was not really her fault, but was a reaction to parental conflict.

The mother used ‘grounding’ (not letting the four year old out, as a means for controlling her behaviour. However,, for example, she might tell her she was grounded for the day after the four year old had behaved badly. By mid day of the ‘grounded’ day she would have behaved well, and might go to her mother and ask if she could go out. When her mother refused, she would say that, although she had not been good the previous day, she had been good that morning, and her mother felt she could not really understand why she remained grounded.

Use of the Parent Concerns Questionnaire

The Parent Concerns Questionnaire was completed as follows - see next page

PARENT CONCERNS QUESTIONNAIRE
Child Development / Family and Environmental
Present / Severe / Present / Severe
Emotional / Housing
Behavioural / 0 / Financial / 0
Cognitive / Occupational / 0
Social involvement / Formal organisations
Uncertain/confused identity / Race/Culture
Physical health / Marital/partner
Somatic / 0 / Extended family
Education / Friends
School behaviour / Isolation/lack of relations
Deviant/criminal behaviour / Sex abuse/violence
Loss
Parenting Capacity
Parenting / Parenting context
Limited attachment/bonding / Home management
Provision of guidance / 0 / Primary Parent criminal
Involvement with child[ren] / Other parent adult family criminal
Unrealistic expectations of child / Drug/alcohol
Hostility/criticism of child / Personal illness/disability
Physical care of child / Family illness/disability
Reproduction
Acute psychological distress
Feelings of depression
Family [adult] mental illness / 0

Commentary

This family, by contrast with other examples were defined by the parent as having no severe problems.

There were no severe problems identified in any of the three domains.

In the Child Development domain, the following problems that were not severe were identified:

Child Behavioural

Child Somatic

This indicated one or more children was defiant or aggressive or has tantrums and expressed emotional problems in a physical way, such as bedwetting, but neither of these were severe problems

In the Parenting Capacity domain, the following problems that were not severe were identified:

Provision of Guidance

Adult family mental illness

This indicated that boundary setting, control and discipline of one or more children was a problem, as was mental illness in a close adult family member, but again, neither was severe.

In the Family and Environmental Factors domain the following problems that were not severe were identified:

Financial

Occupational

This indicated problems with money, such as debts or managing money and difficulties at work such as conflict with bosses, or work mates or threat of unemployment, but these were not severe problems.