Caught in the net? Interdisciplinary perspectives on a longitudinal view of emotional and behavioural difficulties

Abstract

This article explores some of the challenges of conducting longitudinal studies relating to emotional and behavioural difficulties, with reference to the small number of studies that exist in this area. The authors distinguish between longitudinal and follow up studies, drawing on examples from a range of disciplines. They then begin to explore the new avenues for researching the lives of young people presented by the growth in popularity of social networking sites such as Facebook. The article also breaks new ground by drawing on the disciplines of philosophy and neuroscience in order to begin to theorise the notion of time. This is a fundamental element of the longitudinal view, but one that is not generally addressed in studies that invite people to look back over their lives.

Keywords:

• emotional and behavioural difficulties
• longitudinal studies

Acknowledgement

We should like to thank Catriona Cunningham, a former colleague at the University of the West of Scotland and now a freelance researcher in the arts and humanities, for introducing us to the work of Eva Hoffman.

Notes

1. We use the term emotional and behavioural difficulties (EBD) throughout this article, as this reflects the language used in the original call for papers (Jahnukainen 2010, 179). As readers of this journal will be well aware, there are a number of terms that are used to refer to young people whose behaviour is perceived to be disruptive or challenging. ‘Behavioural emotional and social difficulties’ (BESD), the term used by the Department for Education in England, foregrounds the young person's behaviour. On the other hand, the term used in Scotland, namely ‘social, emotional and behavioural difficulties’ (SEBD) (and the one that appears in the name of the Association – SEBDA) emphasises the social origins of many such difficulties.

2. The study will be informed by the pioneering work undertaken by the Therapeutic Living with Other People's Children Project, an oral history centred project relating to life and work in residential therapeutic environments for young people between about 1930 and 1980. See http://www.otherpeopleschildren.org.uk/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=39&Itemid=47

3. See http://www.cls.ioe.ac.uk/text.asp?section=000100020001

4. The new government has deferred the proposed introduction of the term ‘short stay school’ in place of the term ‘pupil referral unit’ (PRU), pending a repeal of the name change. See http://www.tes.co.uk/article.aspx?storycode=6053502

5. The persistence of the term ‘longitudinal’ in the reference to the rubric of this special issue – ‘the longitudinal view of EBD’ – invites further speculation relating to the relative status of social research in this area as compared to research in neuroscience. This is an issue that is addressed in some detail in Macleod 2010.

6. ‘Enjoy the film: Then try Facebook's real challenge: restoring your privacy’ Timothy Garton Ash in The Guardian, 7 October 2010.

7. See http://open.salon.com/blog/researchethics/2009/06/14/facebook_and_research