A qualitative study of the emotional coping and support needs of children living with a parent with a brain injury

Primary objective: To examine emotional coping and support needs in children of persons with acquired brain injury, with a view to understanding what interventions would be helpful for these children. Design: The study was qualitative, using a thematic analysis approach. Methods and procedure: Six children between 9 and 18 years of age, six parents (three with ABI), and three support workers were interviewed either at home or at a support centre, using a semi-structured interview guide. Results: Children reported using a variety of adaptive and maladaptive emotional coping strategies, but were consistent in expressing a need for credible validation, i.e. sharing experiences with peers. The results are presented under four overarching themes: difficulties faced; emotions experienced; coping strategies; and reported support needs. Conclusions: The results reveal an interaction between the child’s experiences of complex loss that is difficult to acknowledge, emotional distancing between parent and child, and the children’s need for credible validation. All children expressed a desire for talking to peers in a similar situation to themselves, but had not had this opportunity. Interventions should set up such peer interaction to create credible validation for the specific distress suffered by this population.

Disaster preparedness, adaptive politics and lifelong learning: a case of Japan

Preparedness for disaster scenarios is progressively becoming an educational agenda for governments because of diversifying risks and threats worldwide. In disaster-prone Japan, disaster preparedness has been a prioritised national agenda, and preparedness education has been undertaken in both formal schooling and lifelong learning settings. This article examines the politics behind one prevailing policy discourse in the field of disaster preparedness referred to as ‘the four forms of aid’ – ‘kojo [public aid]’, ‘jijo [self-help]’, ‘gojo/kyojo [mutual aid]’. The study looks at the Japanese case, however, the significance is global, given that neo-liberal governments are increasingly having to deal with a range of disaster situations whether floods or terrorism, while implementing austerity measures. Drawing on the theory of the adaptiveness of neo-liberalism, the article sheds light on the hybridity of the current Abe government’s politics: a ‘dominant’ neo-liberal economic approach – public aid and self-help – and a ‘subordinate’ moral conservative agenda – mutual aid. It is argued that the four forms of aid are an effective ‘balancing act’, and that kyojo in particular is a powerful legitimator in the hybrid politics. The article concludes that a lifelong and life-wide preparedness model could be developed in Japan which has taken a social approach to lifelong learning. © 2016 Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group