Yes

Bullying is a serious problem for many adolescents, and one that can have detrimental effects on normal developmental processes, as chronic and severe bullying can obstruct the fulfilment of essential psychological needs. However, there are currently few targeted interventions available for chronic and severe bullying cases. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of the Red Balloon Learner Centres (RBLC) which are a full time personal and academic recovery programme for bullied adolescents. A mixed-methodology was utilised, and quantitative outcome measures included: depression, anxiety and trauma symptoms, self-esteem and academic engagement and self-concept. The study was non equivalent groups design (NEGD) and incorporated a comparison group of bullied adolescents from Hertfordshire local authority (LA). The aim was to compare the recovery process between groups over time by taking an initial baseline measure, and conducting follow-up assessments every three months. Both groups demonstrated significant improvements in outcome variables over time, but there were no significant differences between groups at six month follow-up on any outcome variable. Both groups reported similar recovery themes that related to need fulfilment in the areas of safety and security, control, belonging and self-esteem. Recovery is not just the absence of internalising symptomology, but constructive fulfilment of needs. Social needs were felt to be most affected by chronic and severe bullying and most difficult to fulfil constructively. It is recommended that interventions for chronically and severely bullied adolescents should enable constructive need fulfilment, which may involve changes to the ethos and culture of schools, collaborative therapeutic intervention and targeted skill building.

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This qualitative phenomenological study was designed to gain an in-depth understanding of the lived experiences of Nigerian citizens on corruption and conflict. A review of the literature found a gap in the understanding of the lived experiences of participants on corruption and conflict in Nigeria, and this study was designed to fill that gap. Using a purposeful sampling method, the investigator targeted 20 Nigerian citizens who have experienced corruption and conflict. The phenomenological method provided the basis for a reflective structural analysis that exposes the meanings and essences of the lived experiences of the participants on corruption and conflict in Nigeria. Participant interviews showed that many Nigerians encounter bribery on a daily basis because of the following reasons: they were encouraged by a perceived culture of greed, a culture of impunity, a culture of impropriety and a culture of no accountability. All of the participants indicated the need to survive the harsh realities of living in Nigeria. The study revealed a broad variety of corruption and conflict situations in Nigeria. This dissertation adds value and richness to existing body of knowledge, which suggested to policy makers, advocates and civil society of the need to develop policies and strategies to stem corruption as part of a wider strategy for resolving the negative conflicts that currently characterize the socio-political and economic landscape of Nigeria. Overall, as part of the major contributions and objectives, this dissertation illuminated the psychological impacts of corruption and conflict in Nigeria. In other words, this research bridged the gap between the social structural understandings and impacts of corruption and the personal component.

Tanzania’s natural resources are national resources for the benefit of all Tanzanian citizens (The Arusha Declaration, 1967). The liberalization of the Mining Industry in the mid-1990s sparked hope in the country that the socio-economic status of all citizens across the nation would improve as a result of the mineral resource revenues obtained by the Government of Tanzania. Contemporary literature on mining in Tanzania has mostly riveted on issues surrounding a triangular relationship between the mining girdle and its population, foreign mining companies, and the Government of Tanzania. Hardly any attention has been given to the non-mining rural districts where the poor majority reside. This qualitative study using a phenomenological approach explored the shared experiences of citizens living in non-mining rural districts and their ascribed meanings of inequitable distributive realities in mineral resource revenues in Tanzania. The study employed the theories of relative deprivation and human needs for the theoretical framework. Study findings revealed seven core essences: socio-economic insecurity, inequity and injustice, communication and trust, investment and technology, moral leadership and human capital, growth and a culture of dependency. Understanding these essences should help determine policies and practices that promote equitable distribution of not only mineral resource wealth but also in other types of natural resource wealth found in the country; allowing for a true/win-win tri-partnership relationship involving all stake-holders: Tanzanian citizens, foreign investors, and the Government of Tanzania.