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Summary of Report:
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NEW ZEALAND - STUDY REVEALS IMPACT
OF COMMUNE LIFE ON CHILDREN
27 May, 2010
A
three-year study involving a group of children in
A
260-page report by a research team from the
The
psychologists, Dr Kerry Gibson, Dr Mandy Morgan and Cheryl Woolley, were
commissioned by a trust set up by a High Court order a decade ago to manage the
Centrepoint assets after the commune was disestablished and its "spiritual
leader", Bert Potter, had served jail sentences for drugs and child sex
offences.
Centrepoint
is described as an "intentional community" - a term that embraces
cults and non-cults to describe people drawn together through shared principles
in a communal environment. Centrepoint was based on therapeutic encounter
groups popularised in California in the 1960s promising social transformation
by encouraging open communication. At Centrepoint the open philosophy included
sharing toilets, showers, sleeping quarters, and open sexual relations among
adults and children.
The
report, based on interviews with 29 men and women, now in their 20s, 30s and
40s, looked at their experiences of growing up at Centrepoint, including how
psychological manipulation, neglect, sexual abuse and drug taking affected them
at the time and subsequently. About 300 children lived at the Centrepoint in
Oteha Valley Rd, Albany, over the 22 years it operated.
The
qualitative study, titled A Different Kind of Family: Retrospective accounts of
growing up at Centrepoint, and implications for adulthood, contains testimonies
from some of the 29.
Researchers
reported a variety of experiences, both good and bad. Participants spoke of how
their being given drugs and coerced by adults into having sex either with other
children or with adults made it difficult for them to adjust to life since they
left the community. However, some also reported positive effects, such as
developing resilience, independence and good social skills.
Potter
was convicted and sentenced to three and half years in jail in 1990 on drug
charges and seven and half years jail in 1992 for indecent assaults on five
children. Five other men were convicted on charges of indecently assaulting
minors, sexually assaulting minors and attempted rape of a minor. Two women
also faced sex abuse charges but were not convicted.
The
study authors say while the court cases and related allegations attracted
considerable public attention, little has previously been revealed about what
it was really like for the children who lived at Centrepoint and how their
experiences continue to affect them.
Some
of the key findings are: "Centrepoint was an environment which potentially
exposed children to a range of adverse circumstances that extended well beyond
the widely reported sexual abuse. Drug use, psychological manipulation,
parental neglect, witnessing abuse, corporal punishment, adult conflict, peer
bullying and a parent's imprisonment were just some of the additional factors
that may have impacted on them.
"Negative
impacts include psychological disorders, substance abuse problems, difficulties
in intimate and family relationships, financial problems, lack of direction in
education and career, fear of social stigma and, for some, uncertainty about
their perception of reality.
"Different
experiences, beliefs and coping strategies create a tendency towards
factionalised perspectives about Centrepoint with some [study] participants
arguing it was fundamentally abusive and others that it was an ideal place to
grow up. "Stigmatised perceptions of Centrepoint were reported as being
further sources of psychological distress for participants." The study
says most participants agreed it was common for young people to have sex for
the first time between the ages of 11 and 13. Boys "propositioned" by
older women found it easier to resist unwelcome advances, while sexually abused
girls - some as young as 10 - were "idealised" in the community as
"being in touch with their loving".
"From
the perspective of some participants, sexual abuse was widespread at
Centrepoint. For others, though, the way in which sexual activity was valued
and normalised...led them to doubt the incidents they witnessed or experienced
were abusive at the time," the report says.
Many
expressed anger at the passivity and lack of responsibility shown by their
parents, with one woman recalling being chastised as a teenager for
"shaming" her mother after she challenged Potter's lewd suggestions.
One
participant is quoted, saying: "What's really fascinating to me is how
reasonable human beings, adults, can suddenly alter their thinking in a way
that allows them to normalise abhorrent behaviour...why are people more
comfortable doing nothing when they know something is so terribly wrong, than
get uncomfortable stopping it."
For
some the impact on them was as a result of witnessing what happened to other
children. A woman said she felt "sick" after resisting Potter's
sexual advances then watching her sibling engage in sexual acts with him. She
said she later learnt that Potter blackmailed children into having sex by
threatening to separate them from their families.
The
study authors say the varied experiences of the participants reflect changes
during the 20 years the community existed, from its initial phase when
"open communication and sexual practices appeared to have dominated the
life of the community..." and included children and underage adolescents
as both observers and participants in sexual practices. A second phase revolved
around a greater use of drugs, and in its last years, sexual activity and drug
use declined as a result of police raids, interventions by welfare agencies and
the threat of dissolution of the community.
The
researchers were told of former community members who now avoided all contact
with other former members as a result of the damage they had apparently
suffered, which they say "raises the possibility that some of those worst
affected by their experiences chose not to participate in this research".
"There
were, however, others that valued their sense of belonging at the community,
and who miss their childhood home."
Although
participants spoke about traumatic experiences, some felt strongly that they
had experienced good things, such as the value of having contact with a wide
range of adults and children and learning more open communication, and gaining
independence and a good work ethic.
The
study's authors say that recognising and respecting those quite different
experiences was one of complex aspects of the research. They say a flexible
package of responses is needed to meet the needs of former Centrepoint children
and help some of them cope with ongoing psychological, substance abuse,
financial management problems, life skills deficits, educational and career
issues and justice as well as housing and health needs.
"The
publicity around Centrepoint made it difficult for people to feel they could
talk about their experiences," says Dr Gibson. "A better
understanding of what it was like to be a child at Centrepoint will be useful
for health professionals and the broader public to respond more sensitively to
the needs of former members of the community."
The
New Zealand Communities Growth Trust, which was established by High Court order
in 2000 to manage the former community's assets and is administered by the
Public Trust, commissioned the study. It hopes to use the findings to help
determine what further assistance it should provide the beneficiaries.
Study
authors: Dr Kerry Gibson is the Director of Massey's Centre for Psychology in
Albany. She is a clinical psychologist with extensive experience in trauma work
with adults and children.
Dr
Mandy Morgan is an Associate Professor in Critical Psychology and head of
Massey's School of Psychology. She is currently involved in a research
programme on domestic violence services and interventions.
Cheryl
Woolley is a senior lecturer in the School of Psychology, and is coordinator of
clinical training at the Manawatu campus. She is a clinical psychologist with
extensive experience in sexual abuse research.
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