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Exploring the basic psychological needs of low income clients in family service centre interventions
Author
Pan, Ephraim Hean Cheng
Supervisor
Koh, Caroline
Abstract
The family service centres in Singapore provide case management and counselling services to residents with personal, social, and financial problems. These clients are assigned to case workers, counsellors and social workers, whose role is to support and assist them in resolving their issues.
At the family service centres, one form of financial assistance given to clients is the School Pocket Money Fund, a Conditional Cash Transfer program, which aims to encourage clients to use the various services available at the family service centre, and to work towards goals mutually agreed with their case workers. Clients who use the services often experience stress during the intervention process, and may be averse to the goals set at the family service centre. Case workers also face the challenge of motivating the clients’ towards initiating change and persevering through their harsh circumstances.
In this study, the Self Determination Theory was used as a basis to investigate the effect of the case workers’ interventions on the satisfaction of their clients’ basic psychological needs.
To answer these questions, a qualitative research was conducted with a convenience sample selected from clients and case workers at a local family service centre. A total of 11 clients and 7 case workers were interviewed using semi-structured interviews. The interviews were conducted after the sessions held by the case worker, and both case workers and clients were asked about their opinions on the intervention process. All interviews were audio recorded, transcribed and coded with the help of an assistant researcher. The inter-coder reliability assessment showed a percentage agreement of 76% between the two coders. A Cohen Kappa coefficient of 0.52 was obtained, showing moderate agreement.
From the interview transcripts, a total of nine main themes were identified. Eight of these themes described how the intervention process supported the satisfaction of clients’ basic psychological needs for autonomy, competence and relatedness. The ninth theme revealed that clients also sought support for their emotional needs during the intervention process.
At the family service centres, one form of financial assistance given to clients is the School Pocket Money Fund, a Conditional Cash Transfer program, which aims to encourage clients to use the various services available at the family service centre, and to work towards goals mutually agreed with their case workers. Clients who use the services often experience stress during the intervention process, and may be averse to the goals set at the family service centre. Case workers also face the challenge of motivating the clients’ towards initiating change and persevering through their harsh circumstances.
In this study, the Self Determination Theory was used as a basis to investigate the effect of the case workers’ interventions on the satisfaction of their clients’ basic psychological needs.
To answer these questions, a qualitative research was conducted with a convenience sample selected from clients and case workers at a local family service centre. A total of 11 clients and 7 case workers were interviewed using semi-structured interviews. The interviews were conducted after the sessions held by the case worker, and both case workers and clients were asked about their opinions on the intervention process. All interviews were audio recorded, transcribed and coded with the help of an assistant researcher. The inter-coder reliability assessment showed a percentage agreement of 76% between the two coders. A Cohen Kappa coefficient of 0.52 was obtained, showing moderate agreement.
From the interview transcripts, a total of nine main themes were identified. Eight of these themes described how the intervention process supported the satisfaction of clients’ basic psychological needs for autonomy, competence and relatedness. The ninth theme revealed that clients also sought support for their emotional needs during the intervention process.
Date Issued
2015
Call Number
BF636.6 Pan
Date Submitted
2015