M.A. / Child sexual abuse is a phenomenon that affects children all over the world. Over the past years we have seen an increase in child sexual abuse cases being reported (Richter and Dawes (2008). Parents and professionals are all concerned about children's safety, and the alarming number of cases reported daily makes it an even more difficult and destructive phenomenon to deal with. The South African government have gone to great lengths to put measures in place to protect our children. The new Child Care Act (act 38 of 2005) which came into effect in 2008, acknowledge certain rights of children, sets out principles relating to the care and protection of children, defines parental responsibilities and rights, and it makes provision for matters such as children's courts, adoption, child abduction and surrogate motherhood. There are currently scores of literature on child sexual abuse, but hardly any could be found that specifically relate to the non-abusive mothers and their experiences. The aims of the current study are: 1) to explore the lived experiences of non-abusive mothers whose children have been sexually abused by their intimate male partners, and 2) to add to the discourse of sexual abuse within the South African context. It is imperative to understand the experiences of non-abusive mothers, as this will provide new insights into our understanding of a phenomenon like child sexual abuse. The investigation elicited some of the common themes, thoughts and feelings, which describe the experiences that non-abusive mothers share. In order to conceptualise the experiences of non-abusive mothers, this study drew upon an existential phenomenological framework. This framework is useful, as it allows for mothers' own subjective experiences, and their own interpretations and understanding of these experiences to come to the fore, as opposed to the researcher's understanding of the non-abusive mothers' experiences. Non-abusive mothers seem to go through a similar process as those who grief the loss of a loved one, or who has experienced some kind of loss in their lives. This study elicited some of the themes that correspond with this process of grief. The experience for each of the mothers has been different; however there are commonalities in the way in which they describe their experiences. It would seem that non-abusive mothers experience an intense and overwhelming sense of loss, anger, disbelief, blame, shock, guilt, and depression.

M.A. / “Child abuse and neglect is a serious and growing problem. In 1994, the South African Police Service’s Child Protection Unit dealt with 22911 cases of child abuse, which represents a 36% increase over the previous year” (Staatskoerant, no. 18166:60). / Prof. A. Senekal Dr. E. Oliphant

M.A. / Irritable Bowel Syndrome is defined as a chronic relapsing functional bowel disorder of unknown causes (Weber & McCallum, 1992). IBS is characterized by attacks of abdominal pain and change of bowel habit resulting in diarrhoea, constipation or both, where no structural alteration of the colon is found (Varis, 1987). The symptoms appear to result from a dysfunction of the intestine and are therefore said to be “functional” (Heaton & Thompson, 1999). The prevalence of IBS in the general population of Western countries is 14-24% of women. It is the most common cause of gut symptoms, and the most common reason that people go to their family doctor with a gut complaint. Despite all of this, physicians are still groping to understand the pathogenesis of IBS. The secret of success with IBS is to recognize it quickly and confidently. This is done primarily from the history, as there are no clinical tests that may be done to diagnose IBS. Once the diagnosis has been made it is of utmost importance that the sufferer is told, the syndrome is explained, and a good relationship is established with the health-care giver. Thereafter it becomes important to search for unspoken agendas in the life of the sufferer. According to the literature, stress can exacerbate IBS, and sexual, physical and emotional abuse can pose complex problems that require the assistance of a skilled counsellor. These problems, if left, may lead to the intensified symptoms of IBS. Society is becoming increasingly abusive and women and children often bear the brunt of physical, emotional and sexual abuse. Studies in America of women who present at medical facilities as well as those sampled from the community have found abuse rates that range from 20-76%. There is no reason to believe that these figures would be that different for South Africa. These studies have also found that abused women report a significantly higher number of medical problems and health-care system usage. A number of researchers have also found that there was a significant association between IBS and sexual abuse and physical abuse in childhood and adulthood. For the counselling psychologist the challenge is to unravel the mechanisms behind the symptoms, and to provide a rationale for therapy. The role that abuse may play in the development of IBS forms the cornerstone of the present study.

Research in the field of attachment theory and object relations theory has indicated that early attachments between a child and his or her primary caregiver have significant implications for the development of that child. Early relationships begin to shape the child’s sense of self and other and healthy relationships lead to secure attachments. However, children who encounter early maltreatment or a disruption in caregivers are particularly vulnerable to developing insecure attachments and a disrupted sense of self and other, which has consequences for their subsequent psychological development. In the South African context, increasing numbers of children are being orphaned or placed in formal foster care with many children at risk for insecure attachments. This has implications for therapeutic work with an increased need to promote secure attachment relationships and a stable sense of self and other. The current case study aimed to describe the relational experience of play therapy that took place between a maltreated five year old female child and a female trainee therapist with this purpose in mind. The therapeutic process was embedded within a relational therapy framework which included object relations and attachment theory. The researcher made use of a qualitative descriptive dialogic research approach to conduct the research. The data were analysed using content analysis, where the play therapy sessions were analysed according to concepts relating to Fairbairn’s (1963) object relations theory as well as Winnicott’s (1965) object relations theory. Prominent themes that emerged included the role of the holding environment, splitting of good and bad objects and the presence of a false self versus a true self. In addition, the conflicting presence of two repressed ego structures, namely the libidinal and antilibidinal ego structure were noted throughout the therapeutic process.

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published_or_final_version / Social Work / Master / Master of Social Work

M.Ed. / Sexual molestation is a worldwide evil that affects all aspects ,of a child's humanity. It is stated that one out of every four girls and one out of every nine boys in South Africa are exposed to sexual molestation before they reach adulthood. Approximately 75 % of these molestations are committed by people who are well-known to the child and who occupy a position of trust. A disturbed educational relationship deprives a child of actively participating in his own development. It leaves him with a low sense of self-worth so that he feels negative and overwhelmed by the future. Childhood events have an influence on the developing adult and his future thought- and conduct-patterns. It is postulated that, should traumatic events disrupt the normal life cycle, destructive conduct-patterns develop that are detrimental to the individual as well as the broader community. The intervention of the educational psychologist is therefore necessary to break this destructive pattern. Consequently this research was aimed at learning about and understanding the life-world of the sexually molested child. An exploratory, descriptive, contextual and qualitative approach was followed to compile this information. In this research phenomenological interviews and projective techniques were used to involving six children, between the ages of ten and fifteen who were victims of sexual molestation. After the interviews had been recorded on audiotape and transcribed, and the drawings analyzed, the themes were identified and ordered. The results brought the following manifested experiences to light: shame due to own low self-worth; guilt due to a nagging conscience; fury due to violent conduct and humiliation; anxiety and pain due to fear of repetition and disappointment in mankind; distorted perceptions of the future due to deficient guidance by adults. Guidelines for the guidance of sexually molested children by the educational psychologist are discussed in accordance with the above mentioned themes, while Garbers' educational model is also referred to. It is clear that sexual molestation has extensive implications for its victims. It is however believed that these children can achieve personal insight, true healing and maximum inner potential, through the compassionate guidance of the educational psychologist.