Evaluation of the institutional treatment of deviant behaviour in the youth – case of the residential treatment institution Planina

Leonida Zalokar (2013) Evaluation of the institutional treatment of deviant behaviour in the youth – case of the residential treatment institution Planina. PhD thesis.

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Abstract

The main intention of this research is to evaluate the operation of the Residential Treatment Institution Planina in the ten-year period, aiming to identify and determine the elements of the Institution's treatment that foretells more successful behavioural forms of children and youth after their remission from the educational institution. For a number of experts, the treatment in residential facility is more than just a method, with which we try to prevent further antisocial and delinquent behaviour in an individual - efficient treatment must work on an individual, family, school, peer and a broader local level. That is why, the goal of the theoretical part of the research is to explore the concepts and discourses, which revolve around this theme - underage delinquency, re-education in residential institution centres treatments and their directions with the emphasis on »what works?« The first and the main goal of the empirical part of the research is the evaluation of results of treatments in the Residential Treatment Institution Planina, by collecting information on occurrence of different forms of post-institutionalised behaviour, in conjunction with the implementation of re-educational work in the Institution. In order to achieve the goals of this research, we have gathered the necessary information from the documentation of the Residential Treatment Institution Planina and its re-educators and from social workers in the centres for social services. In addition to factors related to treatment in the Institution that impact the post-institutional behaviour, we also address as factors in the post-institutionalised behaviour the degree of a behavioural difficulty before the arrival to the Institution and while staying there, the medical condition, ethnicity, age, drug dependencies as well as psycho-social and economic conditions in the families of these children. The above variables present us with the content of basic research questions and form a basis for development of basic hypotheses. In order to verify these hypotheses , we have used a complex, multidimensional statistical methodology. According to the results of the research, elements of punitive intimidation treatment with dominant use of penal methods are statistically strongly associated with inappropriate behavioural patterns following the remission from the Institution. In addition, the incomplete and partial structure of the Institutional environment has also been found to have an adverse effect on the behavioural success following the remission. The study has also disproved a stereotype, namely that children and adolescents of Slovenian nationality are less likely to show inappropriate behaviour in the post-institutional period compared to other ethnicities. We have also established that the education level of the re-educators does not correlate with post-institutional behaviour. The results of our research have shown that successful behavioural patterns following the remission from the Institution are statistically strongly associated with the element of a warm emotional relationship between a child and a re-educator with elements of attachment and trust, where the focus of the treatment in the studied period is also most evident and unambiguous - the child and adolescent. Contributions of present research is in the context of the fact that so far in Slovenia is very little high quality research on residential treatment institution of children and adolescents. The study in a relevant scientific subject with theoretical background and empirical part and it is an original contribution to the science. The results obtained from the research of one residential care for troubled youths are not narrowly confined to this institution only. The results are important for the whole organisation of care and treatment of troubled youths. Above all, we emphasize social pedagogical paradigm and its not yet fully exploited resources in care for troubled youth.

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