Thesis (Th. M.)--Dallas Theological Seminary, 2005. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 70-73).

Thesis (Th. M.)--Dallas Theological Seminary, 2005. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 70-73).

The following article is a study about counsellors working with terminally ill patients receiving Palliative care. In an effort to understand their role in the Palliative team and how they participate in the care of dying individuals, four counsellors working in four different Palliative hospices in Stockholm were interviewed by using structured interviews. The key questions concern the methods and interventions counsellors use, the risk factors that the job entails, the support they receive and finally their reflections about life and death The literature on the topic was accessed via Ersta Sköndal Högskola College library and Internet database. The results of the study reveal that Palliative Care Approach takes into consideration all aspects of an individual (physical, psychological, social and spiritual). Counsellors are part of a multidisciplinary team and their role is to focus on the social and psychological aspects. They undertake comprehensive assessments of the patient’s context and their coping strategies through the use of psychosocial theories such as Sense of Coherence and Logo therapy. Via their skilled use of core counselling skills they establish close relationships with patients and families. At the same time they are always mindful of keeping the right distance. Counsellors are the receivers of a lot of emotional pain and suffering of patients and families and as such this transference can lead to emotional exhaustion. Access to good support is an essential prerequisite for avoiding burnout. Close encounters with death leads to reflections of life and death. Counsellors need to be well developed and experienced in order to provide good quality palliative care.

The purpose of this research was to utilise attachment theory in understanding the experience of bereavement in childhood. Research objectives were addressed by using a mixed method design. Study One explored how experience of bereavement in childhood relates to current attachment style in adulthood. This was a qualitative interview-based study utilising thematic analysis and a quantitative assessment of attachment styles. Twenty-four participants were employed. The established Experience in Close Relationships (ECR) questionnaire was used. The results through the thematic analysis indicated that people with different attachment styles provide different narratives about their childhood bereavement. This study provides evidence that this was so. Study Two was a co-relational study employing 121 participants who experienced loss of caregiver in childhood. Four established questionnaires were used: Inventory of Complicated Grief (ICG; Prigerson et al., 1995), Experience in Close Relationships Questionnaire-Revised (ECR; Fraley, Waller, & Brennan, 2000), Separation Anxiety Symptom Inventory (SASI; Silove, Manicavasagar, O’Connell, Blaszczynski, Wagner, & Henry, 1993) and Parental Bonding Instrument (PBI; Parker, Tupling, & Brown, 1979). The results showed that complicated grief was related to parental care and overprotection, separation anxiety, and adult attachment style. Anxious attachment style fully mediated the effects of parental bonding on complicated grief. Study Three was a quantitative co-relational study to compare two groups of parents (with and without a bereaved child) on child behavioural differences and links between child behavioural problems and parental characteristics. Two hundred and forty participants were employed: 139 parents of children with bereavement experience and 101 without bereavement experience. Five established questionnaires were used: Child Stress Questionnaire (CSQ), Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ), The Parenting Scale (PS), Inventory of Complicated Grief (ICG), and Experience in Close Relationships Questionnaire-Revised (ECR-R). The results showed that child problems were closely associated to parental qualities. It is proposed that this research can make a contribution towards utilising attachment theory in understanding the experience of bereavement in children.

Rationale and Aims: Research into the lived experience of parenting children with muscular dystrophy has typically addressed key transitions along the disease trajectory, such as diagnosis or end-of-life care. Families reportedly face continuous challenges as their child's health deteriorates. No research has considered accounts of parenting across the lifespan that look at adaptation following their child's death. This research was conducted in the context of a wish-fulfilment charity that offer experiences for children to be supported in activities that are usually deemed inaccessible. In this context, the study asked how do parents who have lost a child to muscular dystrophy story their experiences of parenting. Methods: This research used a qualitative approach that explored the accounts of eight parents interviewed in couples, all of who had experienced the death of their child to muscular dystrophy. The study used a semi-structured interview, lasting from 100-150 minutes each. Interviews were video-recorded, transcribed, and analysed using narrative analysis to explore what and how the parents narrated their experiences. Consideration was given to the social and cultural contexts that shaped these. Analysis: Multiple readings of the transcripts allowed me to develop individual summaries and then construct an analysis across all of the accounts. Three main stories of change, survival and creating change emerged through my analysis. These three stories represented six sub-stories in total: waking up to different futures; being so close, you don't see the deterioration; humour through the struggle; storytelling together; creating a legacy; and living the dream. Findings: Couples narrated the loss of parental dreams, leading to the need for identity (re)formation. Humour and storytelling together were often used to regulate emotions during the storying telling, and a means of surviving their loss. Parents shared narratives of building legacies and the memories created through 'living the dream', which alluded to an impact that surpassed death itself. Implications: These findings suggest the need for greater consideration of sense-making, changing identities, and benefit-finding in clinical consultations, at key transitions during the parenting journey and particularly following the death of a child to muscular dystrophy. Accounts suggest that wish-fulfilment events can sustain hope for parents, a proposition that will need further investigation in the future.

The present study involves an exploration of the phenomenological expenence of posttraumatic growth in the context of a traumatic bereavement. An idiographic case study of a student who had witnessed her mother's death twelve years previously was conducted. Semi-structured interviews elicited data which was analysed using interpretative phenomenological analysis (IP A). Posttraumatic growth was found to have developed with regards to self-perception, relationships, and also in a broader spiritual and existential domain. The findings of this study shed light on the extant posttraumatic growth literature. In particular, findings were discussed in relation to the posttraumatic growth model as proposed by Calhoun and Tedeschi (2006). As posttraumatic growth is a relatively young concept, further research is needed in order to understand the meaning of reported growth more fully. While posttraumatic growth has been investigated in the context of bereavement, future research should distinguish more clearly between growth following traumatic and non-traumatic bereavement. Posttraumatic growth has received minimal empirical attention in South Africa, and therefore exploration of this area is suggested in the future. / KMBT_363 / Adobe Acrobat 9.54 Paper Capture Plug-in

South African society is exposed to the reality of violence and crime, and at the same time HIV / AIDS is claiming the lives of many parents. Consequently schools throughout the country have an increasing number of bereaved adolescents among their learners. The effects of parental death during the adolescent years make severe inroads into the cognitive, psychosocial and moral development of adolescents. These detrimental effects of parental death motivated the researcher to investigate the effects of teacher- facilitated group work on bereaved adolescents. A mixed (qualitative and quantitative) research method was used to investigate the said effects. Accordingly a questionnaire was designed using the Likert rating scale. The Beck Depression Inventory (BDI) and Beck Anxiety Inventory (BAI) were used as quantitative data collection tools for this study. The data from the BDI and BAI were tabulated. Structured interviews, games, personal documents and focus group interviews were used as qualitative data collection tools. The data were analysed and reduced and prominent themes emerging from data sources were identified and discussed. While bereavement is a very traumatic event for the adolescent, the study findings illustrate that teacher-facilitated group work provides members with various benefits which help them learn more about themselves and improve their interpersonal relationships, thus providing a supportive climate in which they could deal collaboratively with their bereavement. The findings also point out that group work provides the bereaved adolescents with a place where they are understood, where they can talk about their thoughts and feelings without being judged. / Educational Studies / M. Ed. (Guidance and Counselling)

The study focuses on the emotional experiences of parental bereavement of African adolescents who live in a rural environment. Findings revealed that the loss of a parent is very devastating for African adolescents. The adolescents received inadequate assistance from family, peers, community members or educators. It is essential after this study to uncover ways in which these adolescents could be assisted to cope with the loss of a parent who had been providing love, care, financial and material support, as well as safety and security. To gather data the researcher drew meaning from eight participants’ lived experiences from transcriptions of interviews with the participants. The participants, seven girls and one boy, were adolescents between the ages of twelve and fifteen years, who had lost their fathers. This study recommended that educators be equipped to take a major role in dealing with children in bereavement, since there are no educational psychologists or other professionals based in the school or neighbourhood. The community needs to be made aware of the plight of bereaved adolescents and should be introduced into giving positive and constructive assistance to these young people. / Psychology of Education / M. Ed. (Specialisation in Guidance and Counselling)

Made available in DSpace on 2016-08-03T16:15:39Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Patricia Regina Moreira Marques.pdf: 891536 bytes, checksum: e6d5c4b22f68d76bc3c631922ace6733 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2012-10-05 / The present work deals with an investigation about the presence and the process of mourning for death in schools and also how teachers, coordinators and principals can support bereaved students. A significant rate of student deaths demonstrates that the process experienced by bereaved students is reality present in schools. For its relevance, it is understood to be essential that the issue be considered in school education. The methodology option for the development of the study was guided by conducting a literature review, in order to theoretically outline a historical and social perspective established mainly for Paiva (2011), Kovács (2003), Franco (2002), Kübler-Ross (1996). It was decided, also, to make use of news and documentaries. To perform the empirical research, the investigation was focused in two public schools at Greater Sao Paulo and 23 subjects including teachers, principals and coordinators. In this series, 13 subjects were from school A and 10 from school B, and all of them work directly with the students. In a first step, a structured questionnaire was applied and answered initially by 23 subjects. In the second stage of the research, it was used the depth interview as a method with a sample of 10 professionals (two principals, one coordinator and seven teachers). After answering the questionnaire, these professionals wished to participate voluntarily of the second step, in order to get further deepening about of issues related to the research in school. As references for data analysis, Queiroz (2003) and Demartini (2001) were chosen. The research allowed determining the presence and the process of mourning and death in schools and how teachers, coordinators and principals address the topic of the death, the mourning and the loss. The survey also sought to understand and ponder on the meanings that the educators have about death and mourning in the school context. This knowledge allowed to know how some teachers and other education professionals work (or not) with the grieving process in school. The analyses obtained from the themes revealed that some professionals who experience or experienced the pain of bereavement have difficulties in dealing with the theme at school because they not know how to handle this situation. Another considered issue is the lack of support from the school and the lack of staff training to deal with bereavement in school. The reports have shown the death of young people as a present reality in schools and occupying more and more space. This challenging issue does not end. There are many actions that schools need to make happen. This work proposes directions to further investigations and challenges. / O presente trabalho trata de uma investigação sobre a presença e o processo do luto por morte nas escolas e, também, como professores, coordenadores e diretores podem apoiar estudantes enlutados. Um significativo índice de mortes de estudantes demonstra que o processo experimentado por estudantes enlutados é realidade presente nas escolas. Por sua relevância, entende-se ser fundamental que o tema seja considerado na educação escolar. A opção metodológica para o desenvolvimento do estudo pautou-se pela realização de uma revisão da literatura para teoricamente traçar uma perspectiva histórica e social fundamentada principalmente em Paiva (2011), Kovács (2003), Franco (2002), Kübler-Ross (1996). Optou-se, também, por usar noticiários e documentários. Para a realização da pesquisa empírica, a investigação teve como campo 2 escolas públicas da Grande São Paulo e 23 sujeitos entre os quais professores, coordenador e diretores. Desse universo, 13 sujeitos eram da escola A e 10 da escola B; todos atuando diretamente com os alunos. Realizouse, em uma primeira etapa, a aplicação de um questionário estruturado, respondido inicialmente pelos 23 sujeitos. Na segunda etapa da pesquisa, utilizou-se como método a entrevista de aprofundamento com uma amostra de 10 profissionais (dois diretores, uma coordenadora e sete professores). Após responderem ao questionário, esses profissionais desejaram participar espontaneamente dessa segunda etapa, para que se pudesse obter maior aprofundamento das questões relacionadas à investigação. Por meio da análise de conteúdo dos relatos obtidos, foram construídos três temas: significado em perder uma pessoa por morte; facilidades e/ou dificuldades em lidar com as questões de luto/morte na escola; papel de gestores e educadores frente às manifestações de luto entre estudantes na escola. Como referências para análises dos dados, elencaram-se Queiroz (2003) e Demartini (2001). A pesquisa permitiu averiguar a presença e o processo de luto por morte nas escolas e como professores, coordenadores e diretores abordam o tema da morte, do luto e da perda. A pesquisa procurou também conhecer e refletir sobre os significados que os educadores têm acerca do luto e morte no contexto escolar. Esse conhecimento possibilitou conhecer como alguns professores e outros profissionais da educação trabalham (ou não) com o processo do luto na escola. As análises construídas a partir dos temas revelaram que alguns profissionais que vivenciam ou vivenciaram a dor pela perda por morte têm dificuldades em lidar com o tema na escola por não saberem lidar com essa situação. Outra questão considerada é a falta de apoio da escola e a falta de preparo dos profissionais ao lidar com o luto na escola. Os relatos apresentam a morte interdita de jovens como uma realidade presente nas escolas e ocupando cada vez mais espaço. Esse assunto desafiador não se encerra. Há muitas ações que a escola necessita realizar. Este trabalho propõe caminhos para novas investigações e desafios.

abstract: The death of a parent or sibling for youth under age 18 is life-altering and necessitates support and opportunities for expressing grief. Scholarship from psychology and medical disciplines often equates youthful grieving as a disease to be cured rather than a natural process to be experienced. Stage-based grief models explain adults coping with loss of loved ones by working through a series of discrete phases mostly tied to deficit-based emotions such as anger or depression. Progressive grief models have been emerging throughout the past 20 years in response to stage-based models; however these models tend to highlight deficit-based emotions and are applied to youth as afterthoughts. Thus, there is a noticeable absence of research exploring positive or strength-based emotions in adolescent grief from a communicative, youth-centered perspective. A communicative approach to exploring adolescent grief narratives offers a practical yet pliable theoretical lens for interpreting meaning from mourning. Using qualitative methods, I conducted full participant research as a volunteer with Comfort Zone Camp, a national organization sponsoring weekend-long grief camps for youth. I engaged in participant observation while volunteering to explore the communicative processes of 26 grieving adolescents and also conducted post-camp follow-up interviews with youth, parents, and adult volunteers. Analysis was based on 192 field work hours, 11 interview hours, artifacts, and camp documents. Findings of the dissertation indicate grieving adolescents use communicative processes, including sharing emotional pieces, co-authoring loss, and naming hurt, to perform a range of emotions. Along with deficit-based emotions, grieving adolescents perform strength-based emotions, including confidence, forgiveness, happiness, deservingness, hope, gratitude, resilience, love, and compassion. Evidence also supports that grieving campers performed compassion individually and in groups. Theoretically, this dissertation expands on existing grief theory by demonstrating that adolescents communicate strength-based emotions in grief, captured visually in the Concert of Emotions model. This study expands on compassion theory by exploring implications of collective compassion expressions. Specifically, this dissertation offers the co-performing sub-process to account for collective compassion extending past compassion models that focus on individual expressions. Practically, this research yields new understanding into how grieving adolescents constitute themselves as compassionate, helpful contributors as they face loss. / Dissertation/Thesis / Doctoral Dissertation Communication Studies 2015