Adverse childhood experiences among clients of juvenile detention centres: Research in Czech Republic

Marie Pinďáková, Soňa Kalenda Vávrová
University of Ostrava, Czech Republic
Ilona Kočvarová
Tomas Bata University, Czech Republic

The issue of educational work with trauma in juvenile detention centres (JDC) is a less explored area in the Czech Republic, even though the literature points to a higher incidence of trauma among children at risk in this target group. The aim of our research was to determine the extent of adverse childhood experiences among young people in detention centres in the Czech Republic. A quantitative research strategy was applied in the research. The results show that more than 90% of the surveyed adolescents living in JDC had more than one adverse childhood experience (captured in the ACE-Q). In light of the findings, it seems important to pay attention to traumatic experience of youth in JDC and to design comprehensive holistic interventions based on the individual needs of the at-risk youth with traumatic experiences.
[ PDF full text for this article ]

Authors: Mrs Marie Pinďáková (corresponding author) is a doctoral student in the field of social work at the Faculty of Social Studies of the University of Ostrava, Czech Republic. In her research, she deals with the experience of trauma in young adolescents placed in educational institutions. ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0000-3783-156X Email: marie.pindakova@osu.cz Professor Soňa Kalenda Vávrová is a professor of social work at the Faculty of Social Studies, University of Ostrava, Czech Republic. She specialises in qualitative methodologies in social work research, human rights, and participatory approaches to social work. ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3147-0457 Email: Sona.Kalenda@osu.cz Dr Ilona Kočvarová is a research fellow at the Research Center of the Faculty of Humanities, Tomas Bata University in Zlín, Czech Republic. Her research has mainly focused on quantitative data analysis, pedagogical evaluation, and quality management in the context of adult education. She works as a vice-dean for creative activities at the Faculty of Humanities, Tomas Bata University in Zlín, Czech Republic. ORCID: http://orcid.org/0000-0002-7070-7998 Email: kocvarova@utb.cz Please cite as: Pinďáková, M., Vávrová, S. K. & Kočvarová, I. (2024). Adverse childhood experiences among clients of juvenile detention centres: Research in Czech Republic. Issues in Educational Research, 34(1), 183-202. http://www.iier.org.au/iier34/pindakova.pdf