Mitigating Risk Factors for Local 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 local/national school students experienced. This blog post will discuss the prevalence of various types of abuse and neglect without graphic descriptions.

According to our research, TCKs who were primarily educated in local schools were over four times more likely than Americans to experience emotional abuse at home. Our survey also found that nearly 1 in 3 local school TCKs (29%) experienced sexual abuse, and nearly half of those born after 1980 (47%) reported household adult mental illness.

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 local school students to TCKs overall and Americans.

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. (The ACE questionnaire only asks about physical and emotional abuse that occurs within the home.) 1 in 4 (26%) locally educated TCKs were physically abused at home, while nearly 1 in 3 (29%) experienced sexual abuse, and nearly half (48%) were emotionally abused at home.

Another risk factor not included in the ACE questionnaire is grooming. 68% of TCKs who reported grooming also reported experiencing child sexual abuse. 29% of local school students reported grooming behaviors directed toward them by adults. This statistic should be a call to action for those caring for TCKs attending local schools.

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.

Household Adult Mental Illness

Household adult mental illness is an ACE assigned to anyone who had an adult living in their home during childhood who was depressed, mentally ill, or attempted suicide.1 in 5 of local school TCKs (40%) reported that an adult with mental illness lived in their childhood home; this is more than twice the rate reported among Americans and slightly higher than the rate reported among TCKs overall (39%). Local school TCKs reported the second highest rate of adult household mental illness across sectors, second only to homeschooled TCKs (47%).

The high rates of household adult mental illness among TCKs in comparison to Americans 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. 9% of local school TCKs reported parental violence. This is a lower rate than Americans (13%), a higher rate than TCKs overall (6%).

Risk Mitigation

Even though elements of this data may seem daunting, there are ways to remain hopeful and mitigate the risks we’ve discussed. Globally mobile families need support in order to raise thriving children and meet their needs. These challenges and risks are not unsolvable or reasons for 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 one quarter of local school TCKs (25%) reporting 4 or more ACEs, these buffering protections are particularly important. (Source: Caution and Hope for TCKs who Attend Local Schools.)

School systems vary, even within a country – some have great child protection policies in place, others have none. It is important to ensure that every child is given excellent safety education and that the adults who care for them are safe. We need to consider child protection policies specific to the education system in question, what is considered “normal” discipline, and under what circumstances a school is expected to take action and contact parents about incidents involving their child(ren). Child protection is essential, not a nice bonus. Laws differ country to country, and the onus is on parents to investigate the situation where they send their children to school.

Whether you are working to implement organizational-level strategies to care for families being sent abroad, are a parent, or a TCK Caregiver, 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 servies, including Preventing TCK Neglect as an Organization, Sexual Abuse Awareness Training, and applying our research in context.

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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