The aim of the diploma thesis "Maternal Identification in Anorexia Nervosa" is to map the developmental context of the onset of anorexia nervosa in female patients related with the formation of relationships with immediate caregivers and the detailed focus on the daughter's relationship with the mother. The theoretical part offers a cross-section of psychoanalytic theories that specifically deal with such process. These are mainly the object relations theory, the attachment theory as well as the recent theory of mentalization. The initial premise of the whole work is the femininity itself, the age of the patients when the period of adolescence and female gender are amongst the main risk factors for the development of anorexia nervosa and contribute to the disproportion between male and female patients. The concept of identification between daughter and mother within the separation-individuation process is described both in early childhood and during adolescence. The empirical part focuses on a particular examination of the patient's relationships with primary caregivers, the immediate environment from childhood to adulthood and the factors involved in the development of the disease. Through a semi-structured in-depth interview, the study monitors key moments of psychosocial development in four...

La presente investigación tuvo como objetivo describir el vínculo afectivo entre padres e hijos, en estudiantes de universidades privadas que cambian de carrera en los primeros ciclos. Para ello, se realizó un estudio cualitativo, de diseño fenomenológico. Se aplicó la entrevista semiestructurada a 12 participantes, divididos en cuatro núcleos familiares, conformados por un padre, una madre y el o la estudiante. Además, se realizó un análisis de contenido a la información recolectada. Los resultados demostraron que ante el cambio de carrera algunos padres se involucraron más de lo que sus hijos perciben como necesario, y esto limitó su autonomía para elegir la carrera. Por otro lado, otros padres acompañaron desde el diálogo y la escucha, lo cual fomentó la libertad de elección de los hijos y promueve sentimientos de seguridad. Asimismo, se evidenció que el estado emocional de los padres influenció directamente en los recursos del hijo para afrontar el cambio, tanto de forma positiva como negativa. Por último, se encontró que el cambio de carrera podría originarse, en parte, debido a procesos inconscientes que se ponen en juego en el vínculo entre padres e hijos. / The purpose of this research was to describe the emotional bond between parents and their children, in private university students who change majors in the first semesters. For this, a qualitative study was carried out, with a phenomenological design, using an in-depth interview for each of the participants, as a data collection technique. In addition, there were 12 participants, divided into four family systems which were composed of a father, a mother and the student. A content analysis was executed. Results showed that, when changing majors, some parents were overly-involved in the process, limiting the student's sense of autonomy. On the other hand, some parents established an open dialogue, promoting the student’s liberty of choice and enabling feelings of security in them. The parents' emotional state had a direct influence, both positive and negative, on the student’s ability to face the challenges related to the process. Finally, it is suggested that changing majors could be, partially, a result of the unconscious processes that occur in the parent-student bonding dynamic. / Tesis

Guided by attachment theory and principles of positive psychology, a conceptual model was developed depicting the direct and indirect effects of attachment insecurity, state hope, belongingness, and meaning in life on wellness indicators (i.e., life satisfaction, physical health, and depression) of first generation Latino immigrants in the U.S. Specifically, the present study proposed that the effects of attachment insecurity on Latino immigrants' wellness would be mediated by two tiers of factors. The first tier consisted of state hope (i.e., general state hope, spiritual state hope, mastery state hope) and sense of belonging (i.e., general belongingness; connectedness with mainstream/ethnic community), which represented individual-level and relational factors, respectively, salient in Latino culture. Greater attachment insecurity was hypothesized to contribute to a compromised MIL and poorer wellness by decreasing state hope and sense of belongingness. A total of 352 first-generation Latino immigrants from Texas participated in this study. The exploratory factor analysis on the Experiences in Close Relationships Scale revealed a two-factor factor structure that is different from the two factors of adult attachment typically found with American samples (i.e., anxiety and avoidance). The emerged two factors represent anxious-distancing attachment and comfort-seeking attachment. Results from structural equation modeling analysis showed adequate model fit with the data. The final model indicated that the effects of comfort-seeking attachment on wellness were fully mediated by two layers of mediators (belongingness and state hope as the first layer and meaning in life as the second layer). In addition, the effect of anxious-distancing attachment on wellness was fully mediated by belongingness and meaning in life but not through state hope. Bootstrap methods were used to assess the significance magnitude of these indirect effects. Comfort-seeking attachment explained 13% of the variance in state hope and both attachment variables explained 36% of the variance in sense of belongingness. Anxious-distancing attachment, comfort-seeking attachment, state hope, and sense of belongingness explained 78% of the variance in meaning in life, and the overall model explained 75% of the variance in wellness. Limitations, future directions, and implications for counseling and theory are discussed from attachment theory, positive psychology, and immigration perspectives.

NÁMĚSTKOVÁ, Petra. Support systém of families with handicap children. Praha: Katedra sociální práce, Universita Karlova, 2015. 70 p. Diploma thesis. This work is devoted to problems of support systems of families with handicap children. The aim of this work is exploring the support systems of families with handicap children in the Czech Republic. (There is possibility to compare the region of Prague and Pardubice.) The theoretical part describes basic characterization of disability, it is intent on families who are take care of children with disability, it describes too social network and it also points out the common problems of the social care for individuals with handicap and possibilities of support goups. In order to achieve the aim of this work, it was necessary to obtain needful data. Therefore, a structured interview was used as one of the techniques of qualitative research. Among those who were interviewed were parents of handicap children. Because there are only twenty families in the research group of this diploma thesis it is not possible to generalize obtained information for all families with handicap children. It is necessary to take this fact into account and to apply all the conclusions only for the explored group which arised at a certain place and time. Based on the results of...

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The aim of this study is to get a deeper understanding, from a Swedish context, of how you can do social work with vulnerable and orphaned children in a developing country such as Uganda. We have investigated this through the example WEBALE, an NGO working in a context where among other things HIV/AIDS, poverty and a defective social safety net have led to social problems affecting children. Further, we have also aimed at acquiring a deeper understanding of what it is that motivates the volunteers and the director to work with vulnerable children at WEBALE. In order to fulfil this aim, the research has the following two key questions: What is the motivation for the teacher volunteers and the manager to work with vulnerable children at WEBALE? How do the teacher volunteers perceive the social work with the children in everyday life at WEBALE and what experiences do they have from this? The study is a field study with a phenomenological and ethnological approach. We were present at and took part in the everyday life of the informants at the school and orphanage in Uganda for eight weeks. The investigation uses a qualitative method where four interviews and participant observations were carried out. The results are analyzed in connection with theories on social work defining preventions and interventions, where theories on risk- and protection factors and the salutogenetic theory on SOC have been used. The analysis is also connected to theories on social work with children from a developmental-ecological and attachment-theoretical perspective. The results show what it is that motivates the volunteers and manager to work as volunteers in this specific contest through personal accounts of their background. Our observation is that the motivation of the volunteers and the manager to work with orphaned and vulnerable children is closely connected to their own background and childhood. The biggest reason for this kind of a life choice seems to be a sense of coherence and the largest motivating factor is that the work they do feels meaningful. The results further highlight the social work that is carried out and how the volunteers perceive their work at WEBALE. The study shows that the volunteers (who mainly consist of teachers) carry out what can be called social work, according to the definitions of interventions and preventions within various fields, such as health, education, emotional and behavioural development, ability to take care of oneself, social behaviour, family and social relations, and identity.

The aim of this study is to understand and identify the different risk factors that lead to juvenile delinquency and how social work interacts with juvenile delinquency. Juvenile delinquency is one of the main prominent discussions in Swedish society. There are a lot of youth today that fall victims to the evergrowing crime rates in Sweden. It is a dire situation that needs urgent care to stop the negative development in which more and more youth gets involved with crime. Other causes for worry are the opportunistic gang leaders that recruit juveniles to carry out their criminal agenda. As a result of the ongrowing rates of juvenile delinquency, politicians have presented notions on whether the department of social work should have a look-over and be adjusted to also include criminology as a means to prepare the social worker for the inevitable meeting with juvenile delinquency in their work.          The study results found different risk factors on individual, group and social levels that can indicate whether or not the youth develops antisocial problematic behaviors that can indicate a future debut in crime. The following risk factors are of great findings that can help identify early signs of juvenile delinquency: troubling childhood and trauma, psychological causes, sociobiological causes, gender, victimization, community and solidarity, attitudes and peer pressure, socioeconomic causes, sociodemographic causes and exclusion from society, To better help understand the findings of the study, attachment theory and labeling theory were used to analyze the results. There is limited research that showcases how social work interacts with risk factors for juvenile delinquency, yet the main protective factors against juvenile delinquency are family and school.              The method chosen in this study is a thorough analysis of different peer-reviewed articles and deep literature - study. The articles were found on the following sites: Psycinfo and Sociological Abstracts.

När barn börjar i förskolan kan det innebära en stor omställning där barnen får möjligheter till att skapa nya relationer. Relationerna som utvecklas i förskolan kommer att ligga till grund för barns välbefinnande. Syftet med studien är att undersöka och bidra med kunskaper om hur pedagoger arbetar för att stödja trygga relationer/anknytning till barn i åldern 1–3 år, samt hur pedagoger svarar på barns behov av trygghet i utforskandet under leksituationer. Två kvalitativa metoder tillämpades; strukturerade icke-deltagande observationer, samt semistrukturerade intervjuer. Anknytningsteorin tillämpades genom en tematisk analysmetod. Resultatet i studien visade att pedagogernas strategier var grundläggande för hur trygga relationer ska utvecklas till barnen. Pedagogerna tillämpade och berättade att den viktigaste strategin var lyhördhet, närvaro och anpassningsbarhet för att möta barnens kontaktsökande. Vår slutsats är att pedagogernas relationsarbete visade sig ha betydelse för barns välmående och för barns lek. Förskollärarna synliggör anknytningens olika aspekter som beskrivs vara grundläggande i hur barns relationer utvecklas, alla barns relationer ser olika ut och utvecklas på olika sätt. Vidare tar även förskollärarna upp hur viktigt det är att relationsskapandet ska ske på barns villkor för att en trygg relation ska vara möjlig. / When children start preschool, it involves a big adjustment where the children get opportunities to create new relationships. The relationships that develop in preschool will form the basis of the child's development and their well-being. The purpose of the study is to examine and contribute knowledge about how preschool teachers work to promote safe relationships with children in the age of 1–3 years old, as well as how preschool teachers respond to children's needs for security in the exploration during free play. Two qualitative methods were applied: structured non-participatory observations, as well as semi-structured interviews. The attachment theory was applied through a thematic analysis method. The results of the present study showed that the preschool teachers strategies were fundamental of how secure relationships should develop to the children. The preschool teachers applied and said that the most important strategy was sensitivity, presence, and adaptable preschool teachers to meet the children's contact-seeking. Our conclusion is that the preschool teachers relationship work proved to be important for children's well-being and for children's play. The preschool teachers describe the various aspects of attachment that are fundamental in how children's relationships develop. All children's relationships look different and develop in different ways. The preschool teachers want to highlight that the relationship must take place on the child's terms in order so a secure relationship can be possible.

Master of Science / Department of Family Studies and Human Services / Anthony Jurich / This study explored the parents’ perspective of having a child with Autism living in the home. Specifically, the researcher was looking to explore the attachment style between the parent and child, as well as the process of the parents’ changing their expectations of their child, from the expectation of raising a normal child to raising a child with Autism. In order to understand the experience of both families interviewed, the researcher, through semi-structured, qualitative interviews, interviewed each parent separately. A multiple case study approach was used in order to allow for comparison within each family. Methods for analyzing the data included coding the data, so that the data could be analyzed from the individual interviews and also analyzed based on family response. For the parents interviewed in the study, four themes emerged that were similar for all parents. These themes included the diagnosis process, the differences in attachment before and after their child was diagnosed, the changing expectations of themselves, each other and their diagnosed child, and the parents’ views on getting professional help, such as therapy. Both families shared the experience of confusion during the diagnostic process, especially confusion surrounding the cause and prognosis of Autism. All parents in the study illustrated the attachment injury after their child’s diagnosis, in addition to when the child began showing the classic signs of Autism. The study also found that each parent’s expectations changed from higher ones of themselves, spouse and diagnosed child to more moderate and low expectations of their spouse and diagnosed child. Last, all parents interviewed expressed that seeking therapy would have helped them deal with the diagnostic process and better cope with having a child with Autism. It is believed by the researcher that these themes have emerged because of the families’ shared experience of raising an Autistic child.

This dissertation evaluates the degree of "fit" in employing Emotionally Focused Couple Therapy [EFCT] within the context of congregational ministry and/or a Christian counselling center to counsel evangelical couples who have experienced an "attachment injury." The present study introduces and examines the possibility that, given an appropriate level of theological reflection, EFCT is an appropriate counselling methodology for use by evangelical clergy and counselors. Beginning with an examination of the values, assumptions and practices of EFCT this study explores three dimensions of the interface between EFCT and ecclesiastical practice: a) a theological reflection on the values and assumptions that inform the practice of EFCT; b) a comparison of EFCT with the marital counselling theories of Howard Clinebell, Jr., Larry Crabb, Jr., H. Norman Wright, and Everett L. Worthington, Jr., noting how each of these theories conceptualizes and treats both the marital dyad and emotional experience; and, c) an examination of Christians' perceptions of, and receptivity to, this model. The research demonstrates that the pastoral adaptation of EFCT highlighted in this study was rated favorably but not superior to the other four models. Specifically, it is noted that those who had previously experienced marital counselling, pastoral or otherwise, appeared to be attracted to the EFCT model as it was presented, even though the exemplar did not explicitly incorporate either the use of scripture, prayer, religious homework, or spiritual themes such as forgiveness and mutuality in marriage. The fact that even in the absence of an explicitly spiritual emphasis EFCT received high ratings suggests there is something within the model that speaks to the committed evangelical believer. The study concludes that even though EFCT may not be known within the evangelical community the perspective it offers "fits" with the values of this part of the Christian community and seems to appeal to those who have previously experienced marital difficulties. As a result, it may be stated that EFCT offers a mode of intervention that is suitable for use with evangelical Christians. / Practical Theology / D. Div. (Pracical theology)