Contenu du sommaire : Difficultés vécues dans l'enfance et conséquences à l'âge adulte

The consequences of child abuse on physical and mental health in adulthood: an epidemiological approach to public health. English scientific literature includes numerous retrospective studies and, more specifically, prospective studies (birth cohorts). These show that, compared with control subjects, adults who have been abused as children experience significantly more somatic (poor general health, hypertension, etc.) and mental (depression, addictions, crime, suicide attempts, etc.) health problems. The latter problem is more specifically a result of sexual violence. There have been very few studies in France on the long-term consequences of childhood abuse. It is therefore necessary to develop research by including child abuse in the subjects covered by the Elfe cohort, to develop evaluative studies and psychological analyses into the protective factors that constitute “resilience”. Early behavioural disorders are the main signs of child abuse and general screening should be made of these regardless of socio-economic category. This screening process should be subjected to professional secrecy and organized as part of school health checkups in accordance with the Act of 5 March 2007 reforming child protection.

Childhood difficulties, premature entry into adulthood and victimisation – the example of Martinique. This article analyses the results of the Gender and interpersonal violence in Martinique statistical survey. The data gathered makes it possible to establish a link between violence suffered during childhood and incidents of violence in later life. Indeed, the survey revealed that 30 % of the female respondents and 26 % of the male respondents had suffered at least two out of the ten difficulties listed in the survey questionnaire. In addition, 8.5 % of the female respondents and 2.2 % of the male respondents mentioned at least one incident of sexual abuse before the age of 18. This combination is among the most frequent factors associated with violence in adulthood reported by both men and women. Based on this, and putting aside other factors connected with violence, the probability of violence is therefore doubled, even trebled or quadrupled. However, the majority of respondents who reported having difficult childhoods did not experience violence in adulthood (although in some cases, they did report incidents that were qualified as minor or rare). This would suggest that the pattern of violence does not necessarily repeat itself. Furthermore, interviews carried out in the course of the enquiry revealed that it was possible to break out of this pattern.

The road towards to marginalisation of young people who have broken their ties with society: the importance of “significant others” when requesting social assistance. Childhood experiences and, more specifically, difficulties with family relationships, significantly contribute to situations of vulnerability during transitional periods in adulthood. Not only do these childhood experiences affect the primary socialization of young people, they also affect their ability to be helped. Based on several interviews with young people and social and medico-social professionals, this article analyses the histories of young people who have experienced emotional and social trauma during childhood and are now living in situations of economic and social uncertainty. It shows that in addition to these traumatic experiences, relational systems (including the presence or absence of protective relational systems during the transition to adulthood) influence the way young people go about seeking social assistance. This also affects their relationships with professionals and how they plan for their future.

When children leave a Mother and Child centre – the impact of their trajectory on their quality of life. Within the framework of the child protection policy and with the aim of giving material and socio-educational support to families in extremely vulnerable situations, Mother and Child Centres provide residential care to women and their children under the age of three. The author of this article wanted to gain a better understanding of the outcome of children in the six to seven year period after they leave residential care. Using questionnaires and interviews, she carried out a survey on a group of thirty-three children (whose family, residential and educational trajectories had been tracked and recorded following their departure from the Mother and Child Centre). The aim was to explore the links between the children's trajectories and their quality of life when they reached elementary school age (9 to 10). She was able to demonstrate that mothers' personal difficulties and material living conditions did indeed have a negative impact on their children's quality of life. However, the fact that children were able to integrate a stable environment and managed to build positive relations with their peers after leaving the Mother and Child centre was considered to be a contributing factor to their protection.

Trajectories of children previously taken into care by social child and youth care services. This paper analyses the trajectories of children in care. It is based on retrospective and exhaustive data gathered in 2007 from records archived in care services and juvenile courts of two French departments. These 809 trajectories lead to a 6-cluster typology of placement histories: long trajectories in foster families; long trajectories in residential care, with or without homecoming; trajectories of early prevention; trajectories starting later: mixed trajectories of preparation for placement and late trajectories. This typology shows the differentiation of placement histories according to age at entry into care, family situation and ties, local policies and care availability, and youth behaviors inside and outside care. Thus we aim at offering a broad and quantitative description of the variety of childcare patterns and histories, which is essential to a better understanding of adulthood outcome of ex-carer children.

Discussion of both the potential and limits of the Elfe multi-disciplinary cohorts study on children's physical environment. When the Elfe multidisciplinary cohort study was launched in 2011, it generated a lot of interest in the world of research. This type of longitudinal study tracking children from birth to adulthood makes it possible to answer the many questions raised about early development of children. Indeed, the Elfe cohort study provides valuable information on both children's everyday living space and the important role this space plays in their social construction. For example, when the breakup of a parental couple results in residential mobility (for example, shared custody or a new home in a different area) it is not necessarily easy for children to adapt and find their place in their new environment. Clearly, the question of children's living space refers to the physical description of their environment and housing conditions but it also includes how children relate to this living space in terms of perception and symbolism. It is not possible to understand how a child uses his or her space and what it signifies for him/her without recourse to complementary methods. Whereas this article seeks to retrace the potential of the Elfe study it also seeks to identify its limits when it comes to analysing the question of living space.

Understanding the future of young people placed in residential care – why it is necessary to carry out a longitudinal and representative observation taking both sociocultural and political contexts into account. Many young people who have experienced family, social and educational difficulties at the time of their placement in residential care are still in a vulnerable position when they come out of the system. Using an international literary review, the first step will be to identify the challenges young people face when they come out of care. The aim is to draw attention to the accumulation of difficulties young people face during these transitional periods as well as to the need to develop support systems to counteract the inequalities they face. Secondly, the article will introduce the theoretical and methodological challenges involved in research done within the framework of studies on the “adult outcome”, i. e., the long-term outcome of young people in care, specifically focusing on the time they leave the childcare system. Based on the shortcomings of existing international studies, the representative longitudinal studies project will be presented in two national contexts – one in France and the other in Quebec.

The Obama Presidency and the Future of Social Protection in the United States. This article explores key debates on social protection that took place during the first mandate of President Barack Obama (2009-2013). In light of his call for « change » at the heart of the 2008 presidential campaign, from a social policy standpoint, how can we assess his first four years in the White House? To answer this question, the article offers a social policy overview of the Obama presidency, which is divided into three main sections. The first section discusses the nature of the US « liberal regime » while emphasizing the weight of political institutions and other explanatory factors in the development of social protection in the United States. The second section focuses on the reform of health insurance that remains, despite its limitations and its controversial nature, the main social policy achievement of President Obama. The final section discusses the role of fiscal issues and rising social inequalities in contemporary debates about the future of social protection in the United States. This final section analyzes the impact of the recent Great Recession (the one associated with the financial crisis of September 2008) on such debates, as well as the exclusion of certain significant social policy issues from the federal policy agenda and discourse.