published_or_final_version / abstract / toc / Social Work and Social Administration / Doctoral / Doctor of Philosophy

published_or_final_version / abstract / Psychology / Master / Master of Philosophy

published_or_final_version / Social Work and Social Administration / Doctoral / Doctor of Philosophy

published_or_final_version / Psychology / Master / Master of Philosophy

published_or_final_version / Social Work / Master / Master of Social Work

published_or_final_version / Social Service Management / Master / Master of Social Sciences

This exploratory study was designed to discover the culture of living with a head injured spouse. Using the ethnographic approach, five spouses of head injured survivors were interviewed. Analysis of data yielded five domains of meaning: concerns as a result of role transition, social isolation, loss, future and coping. Two cultural themes emerged as "no one understands" and a "wish list." Implications for nursing practice include increasing awareness of health care professionals regarding perceptions and needs of spouses of head injured survivors.

Many historically disadvantaged South Africans are entering into universities, where they are expected to perform academically not only to secure themselves a continued place at university, but also to secure themselves a place in the competitive job-market post university. Not only have these individuals been disadvantaged by an inferior schooling system, which is the legacy of apartheid, but they also struggle against the grasp of poverty, attempting to sustain themselves financially in order to afford the necessities for their survival, while still attempting to cope academically. Resilience has been presented as a process that helps individuals deal effectively with stressful events and adverse conditions. An attempt is therefore made to investigate whether resilience plays this role in the experience of disadvantaged students at university, where academic performance and adjustment represent the expected measures of coping. The aim of the study was therefore to explore the role of resilience constructs in the relationship between socio-economic and demographic variables and academic coping. The study is based within the broad framework of Psychofortology, which is the science of psychological strengths. The resilience constructs used included fortitude (measured by the Fortitude Questionnaire), hardiness (measured by the Personal Views Survey) and sense of coherence (measured by the Sense of Coherence Scale). Demographic variables included age, sex, language, town (urban/rural), with household income as an indicator of socio-economic status. Academic coping (outcome) was measured using students&rsquo / academic performance (average grade) and their adjustment to university (measured by the Student Adaptation to College Questionnaire). Participants included 164 third year Psychology students from the University of the Western Cape. Results indicate statistically significant relationships between various demographic and resilience variables / between various demographic and outcome variables / and between various resilience and outcome variables. Resilience variables were also found to play a role in the relationship between demographic and outcome variables, as various resilience variables emerged as significant predictors of outcome variables, or as having either direct, moderating, mediating or indirect effects on the relationship between demographic and outcome variables. Research suggesting the health-sustaining and stress-reducing (buffering) roles of resilience constructs, as well resilience constructs as influencing the perceptions of adverse conditions or stressors is therefore supported by these findings. Limitations of the study were also discussed, as well as recommendations for future research put forward.

Circumstances of an increasing proportion of elderly persons in the population of the United States and the incidence of pain among elderly persons established the need for this research project. Significant to nurses was the lack of information regarding responses to the pain experience and evidence of inadequate pain control. The purpose of this study was to explore the relationship between pain and coping strategies used by a group of elderly persons experiencing pain and living in long-term-care facilities. The population included individuals residing in long-termcare facilities in Indiana. A convenience sample of 36 persons from six facilities in central Indiana participated in the study.Gate Control Theory of pain and Lazarus' theory of stress and coping were the theoretical frameworks of the study. The independent variable, pain, was measured by two Parts of the McGill Pain Questionnaire, pain rating index andpain intensity. Coping, the dependent variable, was measured by the Ways of coping checklist; scoring methods yielded coping, problemfocused coping, emotion-focused coping, and eight subscales. Data was collected by the researcher through use of these two instruments and interviews. Pearson product moment correlations were used for statistical analysis.There were no significant correlations between pain intensity and coping measures. There were no significant correlations between pain rating and coping and emotionfocused coping. Additional findings were based on the data analysis with coping subscales. There was a significant positve correlation between pain rating and the coping subscale escape-avoidance. There was a significant negative correlation between pain rating and the coping subscale distancing.Results of the study indicated elderly individuals experiencing pain used several coping strategies. This finding is consistent with research involving elderly persons living in the community. / School of Nursing

The present study tested a model addressing whether interpersonal Openness and interpersonal and intrapersonal Coping Resources mediated the relationship between interpersonal Victimization and the Psychological Symptoms women experience as a result of these traumas. Victimization indicators (physical violence, sexual assault, psychological abuse, and revictimization), Coping indicators (optimism, self-esteem, private self-consciousness, social network and therapy), Openness indicators (self-silencing, communal orientation, trust, self-monitoring, and network orientation), and Psychological Symptoms indicators (global distress, dissociation, and suicidal ideation) were examined separately for African American (n = 245), Euro-American (n = 185), and Mexican American (n = 202) women. Structural Equation Modeling revealed that for African American and Euro-American women, Openness partially mediated the victimization-distress relationship. The model for Mexican Americans was the most complex with Openness and intrapersonal Coping fully mediating the psychological effects of victimization. Approximately 50% of the variance in psychological symptoms resulting from victimization was predicted by this model for African American and Euro-American women; over 80% of the variance was predicted for Mexican Americans. Thus, the importance of Openness to relationships in alleviating the psychological sequelae following interpersonal victimization was underscored by the results. Similarities and differences between these models are discussed. Implications of the results for future research and intervention are addressed.