MASTITIS CONTAGIOSA

Young people most commonly transition into boarding school between the ages of 11 to 13 when primary school ends and high school begins, coinciding with the onset of adolescence. Adolescence is often thought of as a social construct, usually associated with the cognitive and social development occurring in the teen years between childhood and adulthood. Traditionally adolescence was thought to be between 13 to 19 years; however, more recently in Western societies it is now considered to be between 11 to 21 years (Krause et al., 2010).

Adolescent behaviour and projected health outcomes in young adulthood has been the motivation for considerable research, and while many variables have been explored regarding adolescence, there is scant research into adolescence

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and boarding students. During this period of rapid physical development young people are simultaneously evolving cognitively, psychologically and morally along with gaining a sense of their identity. All of these factors are normal developmental stages for all adolescents; what is different however for boarding students is the changed relationships with the adults and peers in their microsystem. Boarding students are removed from their parents for extended periods of time and are placed in an environment where the ratio of adults to children is likely to be significantly reduced and where peers may play a much greater role in modeling expected behaviours.

This research sought to understand if there are statistically significant differences in the transitioning and homesickness experiences of young people who move into boarding at different ages, and therefore different developmental stages. Parents of boarding students, when deciding the age at which their children will begin their boarding experience need to evaluate a number of factors, for example the cost of sending their children away, the educational opportunities their children may miss should they delay the move, and whether they feel their child is emotionally ready to make the transition into boarding. A better understanding of any significant differences between the entry age of boarding students, and variables such as loneliness, connectedness, homesickness and homesickness help-seeking will provide parents with valuable information to assist in deciding when to send their children to boarding school. Current literature regarding adolescence does provide useful information for consideration regarding why this is an important factor for parents and schools to explore when designing transition programs for boarding students.

The majority of boarding students do not have their immediate family available on a daily basis to support them through the changes they experience during puberty. Physical changes, in particular, may be difficult for students to discuss with people outside of their immediate family, adding to the social anxiety experienced (Miers, Blote, de Rooij, Bokhorst, & Westenberg, 2013; Sumter, Bokhorst, & Westenberg, 2009). For example, the onset of menstruation may have little or no warning and could be an awkward experience for boarding students, particularly for those students who do not know where or how to

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access necessary sanitary requirements. Such anxiety could be overcome with this topic being discussed as girls transition into boarding so they understand the procedures in place and feel more comfortable in accessing the support they require. Additionally, students who begin their boarding experience later such as in year ten rather than year seven or eight, are likely not to be faced with this particular challenge. Rapid physical changes may also shock parents of boarding students who are geographically isolated or live in other countries and may not see their children for weeks and in some cases months at a time. Educating parents, as a part of the transitioning process, about the changes occurring during puberty may help prepare them for what could be significant physical changes to their child’s appearance between each visit. For both boys and girls, understanding how young people seek help within a boarding school and from whom they access support, may provide vital information for boarding house staff as they work with young people to reduce the level of anxiety they may experience as their bodies change and develop.

Cognitively young people are also further developing their capacity to remember the world around them and to understand, think and reason (Krause et al., 2010). Theorists have studied the psychology of cognitive development from numerous perspectives, with Piaget’s stages of development used as an effective means by which to understand and explain this process of maturation. Many theorists share common key concepts when exploring cognitive development including: problem solving, thinking and reasoning. When boarding students’ transition into their new complex environment most will need to engage in problem solving, thinking and reasoning at a higher level than in their home environment. There is capacity for this change of environment to possibly hasten cognitive development, accelerating the movement from Piaget’s concrete to formal operations developmental stages. Even more significant cognitive gains may occur when considering the experiences of boarding students through the lens of Seigler’s overlapping waves model that advocates strategies employed to situations through experiential learning leads to cognitive development (Krause et al., 2010).

The complex nature of social systems and contacts evident in boarding communities could additionally influence the rate of moral development in these

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students. Hart and Carlo (2005) in their review of research into moral development, note the many influencing factors including social institutions, peers, cultural practices, parents and psychological processes. Boarding school communities are social institutions that develop their own cultural practices that are understood and respected by the members of the community. The influences of peers and the changed relationship with parents brought about by physical separation are likely to be significant influential factors, according to the work of Hart and Carlo (2005).

While many characteristics of moral development show specific patterns of change, the development of sympathy and helping, which impact upon moral reasoning (Eisenberg & Miller, 1987; Eisenberg et al., 1987), appear to be related more to life experiences than age (Eisenberg et al., 2005). An awareness of the suffering of others and early exposure to the needs of others, additionally was found to facilitate a helping disposition and lead to a greater likelihood of developing generative tendencies in adulthood (Matsuba & Walker, 2005). The life experiences of boarding students when transitioning into boarding is significantly different from that of other students who continue to live with their families for the duration of their schooling.

Understanding how boarders of different ages cope with witnessing the suffering of their peers who experience high levels of homesickness and how they exhibit sympathy or seek help when they are feeling homesick may provide important information in preparing students for the transition into boarding school. Perhaps most relevant of all is Lawford’s (2005) work on the relationship between community involvement and generative concern. This longitudinal study followed 198 adolescents for three data collection points over a six-year period. The study collected information on personal adjustment, community involvement and parenting style, with the findings indicating community involvement was a stronger link to prosocial moral concern in adulthood than was parenting style (Lawford et al., 2005). As all boarding students must live as members of a shared community, celebrating the long-term benefits this community involvement may have, could assist in supporting parents of boarding students who often struggle with the decision of sending their child to boarding school. While this work indicates positive outcomes for many young

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people from their boarding experience, for others the psychological difficulties they face during this transition may require them to choose between healthy or unhealthy crisis resolution strategies.

Healthy or unhealthy conflict resolution is significant in identity development and is representative of how a number of theorists view this period of development during adolescence (Erikson & Erikson, 1997; Krause et al., 2010). Marcia explains adolescence as both the time immediately preceding early adulthood and any time in an adult’s life when faced with ‘important life-alternatives’ (Marcia, 2002, p. 199). Marcia’s work is important to consider in a boarding context as both the students and their parents experience significant life changes during this transitioning time, meaning there is capacity for parents and children to be simultaneously experiencing ‘adolescence’ and exploring their own identity. Positive crisis resolution is critical to a boarding student’s capacity to successfully transition into their new environment. The fact that this transition coincides with the time when young people are developing a sense of their identity may lead them to reach identity foreclosure sooner than other students who are not faced with such dramatic changes during this period of development (Kroger, Martinussen, & Marcia, 2010). Understanding how identity development can be affected from a student and parent perspective may assist in drawing conclusions from the phenomenological analysis of the parent focus groups and interviews.