ERIC Number: EJ1449761
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2024-Dec
Pages: 18
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-1866-2625
EISSN: EISSN-1866-2633
Available Date: N/A
Children's Reentry to School after Psychiatric Hospitalization: A Qualitative Study
Madeline DiGiovanni; Amber Acquaye; Erika Chang-Sing; Mary Gunsalus; Laelia Benoit; Andrés Martin
School Mental Health, v16 n4 p1275-1292 2024
School reentry after inpatient psychiatric hospitalization requires careful coordination between multiple team members to ensure stability across transitions, given documented negative academic and socioemotional impacts in the post-discharge period. Existing investigations are limited by the fact that no articles examine the perspectives of multiple participant types simultaneously. We conducted a qualitative study of multiple children transitioning out of psychiatric hospitalization and their adult reentry team members, utilizing thematic analysis informed by grounded theory. Across 16 semi-structured interviews, we analyzed perspectives from 17 participants: four children, four parents, five school staff, and four hospital staff. We identified four key themes informing an overarching theory: 1) Centering the socioemotional role of school; 2) Clarifying what constitutes good communication; 3) Reconciling multiple sources of authority; and 4) Navigating limitations with creativity. Together, these themes converge into two new theoretical concepts. First, "stereovision" represents the synthesis of multiple "lines of sight," which cross to create a densely interactional system. Second, "patchworking" represents the cobbling together of case-by-case solutions to develop an adequate support plan in the face of multiple limitations or barriers. In conclusion, by incorporating the above four thematic findings into a novel theoretical framework, we argue that when navigating school reentry after psychiatric hospitalization, children and adults must use stereovision and patchworking to create a strong, flexible support fabric. These reflections increase representation of child and adult team member voices in the literature and inform future school--hospital--family partnerships for school reentry after psychiatric hospitalization.
Descriptors: Psychiatric Hospitals, Reentry Students, Patients, Children, Student Adjustment, Teamwork, Parent Attitudes, Student Attitudes, School Personnel, Allied Health Personnel, School Role, Communication (Thought Transfer), Barriers, Creativity, Family School Relationship
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Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: N/A
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A
Author Affiliations: N/A