Welcome to DBS eSource
DBS eSource is an online service hosting full content materials produced by Dublin Business School staff and students. It contains the full text of articles, theses, conference papers, book chapters and more. DBS eSource is an open access repository, with the aim of making all content as widely accessible as possible. Use the Browse functions on the right for an overview of relevant materials. For an advanced search click here
For more information on our institutional repository policy or the steps involved in submitting work to Esource click here
Recent Submissions
Item Exploring the Relationship between Attachment Styles & Mental Disorders in Foster Children(Dublin Business School, 2026.13.01)This dissertation explores the relationship between attachment styles and mental health difficulties in foster children. It begins by outlining attachment theory, its key concepts, attachment patterns and how early caregiving experiences shape emotional and psychological development. The paper then examines how foster children, due to various reasons such as early trauma, neglect, abuse, attachment and placement disruptions, are more likely to develop insecure or disorganised attachment styles. These attachment patterns are linked to a higher risk of mental health disorders, including anxiety, depression, ADHD, and behavioural issues. While there is a strong connection between attachment and psychopathology, other factors such as environmental conditions, caregiver stress and the child’s resilience also play a role. The findings highlight the importance of stable, loving and supportive caregiving and the need for further research to better understand and support the mental health of children in foster care.Item Speaking the Unspeakable: An Exploration of Key Issues Relating to the Disclosure of Childhood Sexual Abuse by Adult Clients in the Psychotherapy Space.(Dublin Business School, 2026.13.01)This research reviews literature relating to the disclosure of child sexual abuse (CSA) by adult clients in the psychotherapy space. It highlights how a range of silencing factors—such as shame, fear, and societal stigma—may contribute to delayed disclosure until adulthood. The therapeutic setting is found to offer survivors a space to begin narrating their traumatic experiences, with disclosure representing a significant moment in the client’s healing journey. This research emphasises the importance of the therapist’s role in managing and responding to disclosure with sensitivity and care. It concludes that trauma-informed, supportive responses by psychotherapists are essential in validating the survivor’s experience and establishing a foundation for further healing.Item Incorporating Trauma-Informed Practices into Psychotherapeutic Supports for Adult Survivors of Child Sexual Abuse.(Dublin Business School, 2026.13.01)There appears to be increasing incorporation of Trauma Informed Practice (TIP) into psychotherapeutic supports for adult survivors of Child Sexual Abuse (CSA) in Ireland. Yet there are also reports of confusion about what TIP means, uncertainty about its practical implications, and considerable variability in the efficacy with which it is implemented. This has led to calls for increased provision of specialist sexual violence services that place trauma at their heart, addressing survivors’ basic safety concerns and minimising the risk of re-traumatisation. This desk-based research study aims to inform and rekindle the debate around provision of TIP-informed services for adult survivors of CSA in Ireland. It synthesises literature that offers a rationale for TIP, and provides clients, psychotherapists, policy makers, and others with a sense of what effective incorporation looks like in the psychotherapeutic encounter. Findings suggest that, not only does TIP profoundly improve the quality and character of psychotherapy for CSA survivors, it is indispensable to this. Practical suggestions are made around how TIP can be used to create safer relational, psychological, and physical psychotherapeutic spaces.Item Out of the closet, into the room: Self-disclosure and involuntary revelation of sexual orientation for gay male psychotherapists in contemporary Ireland(Dublin Business School, 2026.13.01)This dissertation examines self-disclosure and involuntary revelation of sexual orientation of cisgender gay male psychotherapists in the operating environment of contemporary Ireland. Against the backdrop of Ireland’s evolving LGBTQI+ sociocultural and political landscape, the research explores the unique challenges these therapists face in navigating personal authenticity and professional boundaries. The study investigates how therapists manage their sexual identity in and out of therapeutic contexts, considering both deliberate self-disclosure decisions and circumstances of involuntary revelation. Particular attention is given to the implications of Ireland’s LGBTQI+ community structure, use of digital spaces, and expression of identity. The research considers how various therapeutic modalities approach self-disclosure, examines the role of transference/countertransference, and investigates disclosure/nondisclosure as interventions. Findings suggest tensions between traditional therapeutic non-disclosure principles, and both contemporary understandings of cultural influence on the therapeutic alliance and opportunities to judiciously adopt self-disclosure.Item Tender Feelings: Exploring the Role of Psychotherapy in Understanding the Intersection of Shame and Anti-Immigrant Violence in Ireland(Dublin Business School, 2026.13.01)The rise in anti-immigrant violence in Ireland warrants exploration to understand the psyche of perpetrators and inform effective psychotherapeutic intervention. By re-examining psychoanalytic theories of violence, beyond guilt, shame emerges as a potent driver of anti-immigrant violence. The narcissistic pain of chronic shame can fuel aggression towards immigrants, exacerbated by contemporary online humiliation narratives and right-wing, extremist ideologies, transforming rage into contempt, as seen in the Dublin riots of November 2023. Psychotherapists must recognise concealed shame beneath violence alongside experiences of social exclusion, criminality, trauma, prejudice, and an array of complex emotions and psychic defences to work with anti-immigrant violent perpetrators. This dissertation offers a fresh perspective on psychoanalytic theories of violence, highlighting the moral emotions behind contemporary anti-immigrant violence in Ireland.
Communities in DBS eSource
Select a community to browse its collections.