Transcript
Hi, everyone. My name is Chantel, and I am a PhD candidate in Clinical and Child and Adolescent Psychology at the University of Guelph in Ontario, Canada. I will be speaking about a portion of my dissertation titled: “A thematic analysis of strengths and protective factors in youth with FASD and criminal legal system involvement”.
Youth with FASD can have various strengths and needs that can lead to a host of different outcomes. Alarmingly, estimates place youth with FASD at a nineteen times increased likelihood of being incarcerated compared to youth without the disability. Research suggests that youth with FASD may encounter the legal system at an earlier age, accrue more charges, and have a greater risk of re-offending upon release.
However, this is not the whole story. We know that many youth with FASD that have encountered the legal system can live healthy and successful lives with appropriate support. There’s a recent shift in the criminal legal field, and disability field more broadly, from a sole emphasis on risks and deficits, to better understanding strengths and protective factors of youth, to present a more balanced perspective and promote more positive outcomes for this population. As such, the current study aimed to provide an in-depth qualitative analysis of what caregivers believe the strengths and protective factors of their youth with FASD and criminal legal system involvement to be.
Thirty-two Canadian caregivers of youth aged 14 to 32 years old were included in the study. Youth had various levels of involvement with the legal system. Data was analysed using reflexive thematic analysis. Thus far, results demonstrate four overarching themes.
First, a new dialogue. Let’s talk about the good things. This theme reflects the challenges and difficulties caregivers had experienced as part of their youth’s FASD and their involvement in the legal system. Caregivers often reflected that they had never been asked about their youth’s strengths talents, interests, or resources available to them, and felt that their youth had always been thought of as a bad kid even prior to legal system involvement.
Second, the dichotomy of strengths – a double-edged sword. This theme reflects that many caregivers felt the strengths of their youths that had also placed them at risk. For example, some caregivers describe that their youth are highly social and love interacting with peers, although this was sometimes the reason behind their legal system contact, or resulted in victimisation of some other form.
Third, beyond the bad, diverse strengths, talents and resources, reflects the many strengths and protective factors that caregivers were able to share about their youth. Caregivers mentioned things like humour, kindness, pro social peers, stability, and the importance of therapeutic services.
The fourth theme, holding on to hope for the future, reflects how caregivers describe seeing positive outcomes for their youth within both the criminal legal system and beyond. This motivated caregivers to engage in advocacy and support-seeking behaviour.
Overall, this study has illuminated the many strengths and protective factors of youth with FASD involved in the criminal legal system as identified by their caregivers. Professionals of all disciplines are therefore encouraged to identify youth’s talents, interests, social and community supports and incorporate these during interventions, before, during and after legal system involvement. Identifying these can help youth with FASD live successful and meaningful lives, and reduce prevalent stigma regarding FASD.