University of Macau / Faculty of Education

Doctor of Philosophy / Department of Family Studies and Human Services / Rick J. Scheidt / Chronic sorrow has been defined as a permanent and reoccurring experience of pervasive sadness and loss which underlies the life experience and which recurs over time for the parent of a child with developmental, medical, or behavior issues that prevent him from participating in society in a way previously anticipated by parents. The functional question asked of the mothers was: “Some parents have described a sadness that can occur when they think about their child with a disability. Parents can believe they are functioning well, but have times where they feel the loss for their child.” To date, little research has targeted chronic sorrow among parents of adult children who have a disability. Neither is it known how chronic sorrow exists and has changed over the years since the initial diagnosis for this specific sample. This exploratory, qualitative study focused specifically on mothers of adult children with cerebral palsy. Snowball sampling was utilized to recruit six mothers in northeastern Kansas who were primary caregivers to their adult children with CP. Data were gathered with face-to-face mixed self-report surveys, including the Kendall Questionnaire on Chronic Sorrow; two surveys which assessed demographic, potential complications from cerebral palsy, and available resources; and a standard schedule open-ended interview targeting: personal experiences of chronic sorrow, chronic sorrow triggers (developmental milestones), and losses (including support, roles and responsibilities, and quality of life). Two-coder analyses of interview responses were conducted within cases and comparisons were made across cases. Common themes identified in the narratives included sense of isolation, fear for the future, frustration, loss of hope, exhaustion, sadness, financial challenges, guilt, and anger. For example, isolation was another theme that changed over time depending on if the mothers were providing full-time care. Also, fear for the future was a universal theme when the children were much younger, but it changed into loss of hope for some of the mothers when the child was the age of an adult. The relevance of the findings was discussed, with particular focus being the subjective meanings of chronic sorrow for this sample. Recommendations for advancing research, practice, and policy are offered.

published_or_final_version / Social Work and Social Administration / Master / Master of Philosophy

The problem of this study was to assess the impact of growing up in an alcoholic family on adult personality strengths and to determine the perceived levels of autonomy and intimacy in the family of origin. The sample consisted of 115 volunteers, 84 women and 31 men, ages 22 years and older, who had at least one alcoholic parent. The 16 Personality Factor Questionnaires (16 PF) and the Family of Origin Scale (FOS) were administered. A 1 X 3 Chi Square Goodness of Fit analysis was used on each of the 16 personality factors to determine the personality strengths of adult children of alcoholics (ACA). A simple discriminate function analysis was used to determine the degree to which assessed strengths on the 16 PF discriminated self-reported levels of autonomy and intimacy in the family of origin. A multiple regression analysis was used to determine which 16 PF were more closely related to perceived autonomy and intimacy in the family of origin as measured by the FOS.

Made available in DSpace on 2016-04-28T20:39:46Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Mariana Grasel de Figueiredo.pdf: 801075 bytes, checksum: 2042b3b8b2a19fa564dfe90c5dec0529 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2008-05-05 / Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior / The purpose of this study was to comprehend and analyze how parents work through the process of their adult single children remaining in the parental home for an extended period. In contrast to past generations, there is a tendency in contemporary society for children to live for a longer period of time with their parents. In order to investigate this phenomenon, research was undertaken in the city of São Paulo, in which six couples were interviewed, being in each case parents with adult children between the ages of 27 to 35. The method used was qualitative research with the case study approach. The theoretical base employed involved systemic theory authors and researches and literature related to the subject. Through the data analysis of the interviews the categories were constructed to sistematise the subject and to correlate the research data. The knowledge developed with the data analyses demonstrated that these parents live at the same home with their adult children with little conflict. Parents describe the relationship with their adult children as a positive experience and they do not show significant preoccupations connected with the departure of the children from the parental home. The research also showed that the parental role is more in evidence than the marital role for these parents. It was verified that the professional success of the adult single children contribute for this concept observed in these parents, leading to a sense of accomplishment and success in the bringing-up of their children / Este trabalho teve como objetivo compreender e analisar como os pais vivenciam o processo do prolongamento do tempo de permanência em casa do filho adulto solteiro. Em comparação com as gerações passadas, tem sido percebido atualmente em nossa sociedade que os filhos têm saído mais tarde da casa dos pais. Buscando investigar este fenômeno, foi realizada uma pesquisa na cidade de São Paulo na qual 6 (seis) casais de pais com filho na faixa etária dos 27 aos 35 anos, foram entrevistados. A metodologia utilizada baseou-se em pesquisa qualitativa com delineamento no estudo de caso. A base teórica utilizada neste trabalho envolveu pesquisas e literatura que abordassem o tema, bem como autores da teoria sistêmica. Através da análise do conteúdo das entrevistas foram construídas categorias para sistematizar o tema e relacionar os dados encontrados. O conhecimento gerado demonstrou que os pais pesquisados vivenciam de forma tranqüila e sem conflitos o prolongamento do tempo de permanência em casa dos filhos, qualificando positivamente o relacionamento com o filho adulto e não demonstrando preocupação significativa quanto à saída do filho adulto solteiro de casa. Constatou-se ainda que estes pais vivem muito em função de seus papéis parentais e pouco dos conjugais. Foi percebido que o sucesso profissional dos filhos adultos solteiros contribui para a visão encontrada nos pais uma vez que gera um sentimento de vitória e dever cumprido nos mesmos

No description available.

Syftet med den här kvalitativa studien var att få en bild av hur vuxna skilsmässobarn upplever att deras personliga utveckling, relationer till föräldrar och kärleksrelationer med partners, påverkats av föräldrarnas skilsmässa. Studien bestod av åtta självvalda kvinnor mellan 25 och 43 år, som upplevt en skilsmässa mellan föräldrarna under barndomen. Halvstrukturerande intervjuer genomfördes och analyserades med hjälp av Grounded Theory metoden. Tre deskriptiva kategorier grundades i datan; föräldraband, personlig utveckling och vacklande perspektiv. Tillsammans bygger de upp kärnkategorin ”Ambivalens i relationer”. Resultatet visar att kvinnorna upplever en ambivalens i sina relationer. De brottas med en ständig kluvenhet i sina känslor och uppfattningar. / The aim of this qualitative study was to describe how adults, whose parents divorced when they were children, experience that their personal development, relationships to parents and own romantic relationships with partners have been affected by their parents´ divorce. The study sample consisted of eight self selected women between 25 and 43 years of age, who experienced a divorce between their parents during childhood. Semi – structured interviews were transcribed and analysed using a method called Grounded Theory. Three descriptive categories were grounded in the data; parental ties, individual development and an unsettled perspective. Together, they formed the core category “Ambivalence in relationships”. The result showed that these women experience, an ambivalence in their relationships. They grapple with a constant duality in their emotions and conceptions.

Title from title page of PDF (University of Missouri--St. Louis, viewed February 23, 2010). Includes bibliographical references (p. 129-146).

No description available.

Thesis (M. Sc.)--University of Canterbury, 2006. / Typescript (photocopy). Includes bibliographical references (leaves 100-107). Also available via the World Wide Web.