Att inte bli hörd : En kvalitativ intervjustudie om vårdnadshavare till barn med problematisk skolfrånvaro

Sammanfattning

In this qualitative interview study, we conducted ten semi-structured interviews with parents of children experiencing problematic school absenteeism to understand their perception of their situation, how they believe the absenteeism has affected them, and the type of responses they have received given their circumstances. The study aims to contribute to knowledge about the parents' situations and perspectives, as there is limited prior research on the topic. The few existing studies indicate that parents of children with problematic school absenteeism are negatively affected in various parts of their lives. The empirical evidence in our study has been processed and interpreted through thematic analysis and the results have been analyzed based on crisis theory and systems theory. The results of our study indicate that the parents are in a very strained situation, bearing significant responsibility with little support. They are experiencing guilt towards their child and are blamed by others in their surroundings. Both their professional lives and social relationships are negatively affected as they lack time and energy for anything beyond the essentials in their situation. Most experience deteriorated mental and physical health, and they are forced to suppress their own feelings and needs to manage the coordinating responsibility they must take for the child's and the family's interactions with authorities and interventions. All parents stated that they need help from professionals to take over the overall responsibility for the child's interventions and that these interventions need to be better adapted to the complex issues at hand.