Publication
The role of affect regulation in developmental trauma: an empirical study of children in residential care
Paper for the special edition of the Journal of Child Psychotherapy on trauma Feb 2022
What is it about?
The assessment of developmental trauma in children is complicated and there is as yet no agreed set of procedures for use in research. This novel study was conducted between 2017 & 2019 using Farnfield's Child Attachment and Play Assessment (2015). It used video recorded data from 50 children, aged 5-13, in a UK residential therapeutic school.
Why is it important?
This is the largest known UK study to use story stem data from traumatised children in a residential therapeutic setting. During a two year period, nearly three-quarters of the children showed positive changes in their attachment security, in resolving trauma and loss, and in the quality and coherence of their play.
Perspectives
Being able to research my work setting like this is new and exciting. I think it's important work because there is little research within this type of setting and the children in the study have experienced traumatic early lives. With our collaborator Dr. Steve Farnfield, I'm looking forward to share these findings further with other similar settings.
