Mitigating Risk Factors for Boarding School TCKs

When TCK Training released our white paper, Caution and Hope: The Prevalence of Adverse Childhood Experiences in Globally Mobile Third Culture Kids, we were only beginning to scratch the surface of the data we collected from 1,904 individuals who completed our 2021 survey on childhood trauma in globally mobile Third Culture Kids. In our second white paper, TCKs at Risk: Risk Factors and Risk Mitigation for Globally Mobile Families, we looked at 12 risk factors and ways to mitigate these risks. This article is part of a series of blog posts that looks a little deeper at certain sub-groups represented in the data.

In the course of our research into Adverse Childhood Experiences among globally mobile young people, we learned a lot of difficult truths about what boarding school students experienced. This blog post will discuss the prevalence of various types of abuse and neglect, but no graphic descriptions.

According to our research, TCKs who were primarily educated in boarding schools were four times more likely than Americans to experience emotional neglect. Our survey also found that nearly 1 in 3 (27%) of boarding school TCKs experienced sexual abuse, and 43% experienced emotional abuse.

For this reason, we are using two types of charts in this blog post. We compare risk factors in different educational experiences, but also compare the rates seen in boarding school students to both missionary and non-missionary groups overall.

Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs)

Research into ACEs has taken place worldwide across 25 years. The ten ACE factors are divided into Child Maltreatment (abuse and neglect directly suffered as a child) and Household Dysfunction (factors affecting the childhood living environment). The ACE questionnaire asks about childhood experiences without using the words "abuse" or "neglect" - helpful for catching abusive or neglectful experiences a person would not label that way themselves. We often compare our results to the CDC-Kaiser study of 17,000 Americans, as this is the largest ACE study done worldwide to date. Comparisons with other global populations can be found in our white paper.

We saw consistently different results across categories among TCKs born before/after 1980 – with the Boomer/Gen X generations on one side, and the Millennial/Gen Z generations on the other. This also delineates the groups who were/were not impacted by the internet during childhood.

Abuse

Abuse is broken down into three categories: physical, emotional and sexual. For physical and emotional abuse, the ACE question asks only about instances within the home. 1 in 5 (20%) TCKs who primarily attended boarding school experienced physical abuse at home, while nearly 1 in 3 (27%) experienced sexual abuse, and 2 in 5 (43%) experienced emotional abuse at home.

While child-to-child sexual abuse was not included in the original ACE study, it is worth noting due to the lasting effects on survivors. Adult TCKs who reported child-to-child sexual abuse also had higher rates of emotional abuse (65%), adult-to-child sexual abuse (44%), and emotional neglect (54%). 30% of boarding school TCKs reported experiencing child-to-child sexual abuse, the highest rate found among all school sectors.

Child-to-child sexual abuse did decrease over time among boarding school TCKs, reducing from 32% among older generations to 27% among younger generations. Child-to-child sexual abuse is a sign that further support may be needed; TCKs who reported child-to-child sexual abuse also had higher rates of emotional abuse (65%), sexual abuse (44%), and emotional neglect (54%).

Neglect

Neglect is defined through the lens of perception, where a child feels/worries their emotional/physical needs will not be met. While physical neglect is often seen as an extension of poverty, in the ACE context it is not just about what the child has access to but also about their security that provision will continue in the future. In the case of emotional neglect, a child feels unloved or unimportant – whether or not their parents actually do love them. In cases of physical neglect, a child feels their physical needs may not be met – even if they are always fed and cared for. This can look like worry that they will not have enough food, shelter, clean clothing, protection, or medical care.

While boarding school TCKs reported the overall lowest rate of adult household mental illness compared to other education sectors, this was still three times the rate seen in the US. These comparably high rates of household adult mental illness among TCKs demonstrates that many expatriate families are under stress, especially those who move abroad for work, and they need support.

Parental Violence

Parental violence is defined as a child being impacted by, even if not actually witnessing, violence toward a mother/step-mother or father/step-father. 3% of boarding school students reported parental violence. Boarding school TCKs experienced parental violence at less than a quarter of the rate found among Americans, and at a slightly lower rate than missionary TCKs (5%).

Risk Mitigation

While some of this data can seem pretty disheartening, there are ways to mitigate the risks we’ve talked about and remain hopeful. In order to raise thriving children and meet their needs, globally mobile families need specific support. These challenges and risks are not unsolvable or reasons to despair, but rather reasons to take action in intentional ways that reflect the urgency of the matter.

In TCKs at Risk we outline a number of ways that organizations can protect children and support families. For example, additional research into Positive Childhood Experiences (PCEs) gives a roadmap for effectively buffering children from difficulties they face.

With 17% of boarding school students reporting 4 or more ACEs, these buffering protections are particularly important (Source: Caution and Hope for Boarding School Students).

Child protection is essential, and school-wide strategies should be put in place to safeguard children. The child protection strategies a school offers is an important factor for parents to research and consider when choosing a school for their children. While child protection laws differ from country to country, many international schools are holding themselves to higher standards than ‘required’ by national law. Accreditation bodies are also beginning to include child protection standards in their requirements.

Robust child safety policies don’t end with hiring or initial onboarding but also include ongoing frequentative trainings in child safety principles for everyone who might encounter children. This training sets up an expectation of how children should be treated, including prevention or ‘above-reproach’ strategies, such as not being alone with a child. These safeguards can help people without intent to harm to succeed in their best intentions, can help people identify suspicious behavior, and can promote healthy vigilance in the protection and safeguarding of children.

Whether you are a parent, educator, or school administrator, TCK Training is here to help! We offer a range of training and support, both organization-wide and for individual families. We have a full range of virtual and in-person services for international schools, including our Virtual Training Courses for International School Staff, Preventing TCK Neglect as an Organization, and Sexual Abuse Awareness Training.

We also offer faith-based resources that Christian international schools may find helpful – especially those serving missionary communities: Faith-Based Resources for TCK Care, Discipling Missionary Kids, and Biblical Foundations on MK Care.

Parents seeking direct support can benefit from workshops such as Raising Healthy TCKs, Understanding Emotional Abuse and Neglect as a Parent, or Risk Prevention for Highly Mobile Families.

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