published_or_final_version / Social Work / Master / Master of Social Sciences

Parental bereavement has widely been considered, in the context of child development and well being, to be one of the most traumatic events that can occur in childhood. Parental bereavement through substance misuse is a previously unresearched aspect of bereavement research, and a previously unresearched aspect of ‘hidden harm.’ This qualitative research looks at the lived experiences of four girls who have been parentally bereaved through substance misuse, using interpretative phenomenological analysis (IPA). IPA serves the dual purposes of ‘giving voice’ to these previously unheard voices, and interpreting their experience of dealing with bereavements, through the lens of psychological theory and the wider canon of bereavement research. The information for the analysis was collected in individual meetings with each of the girls, gathered through semi structured interviews which took place over one to four meetings. Life for all the girls was difficult and complicated as a consequence of their parents’ troubled lives, and for all the girls their lives were marked by multiple losses and adverse childhood events both before and after their mother’s or father’s death. The analysis tries to capture the children’s narratives about their lives as a journey in which one girl is managing to stay ‘on track’, whilst the others have gone ‘off the rails.’ None of the girls had made a deliberate choice to be ‘off the rails’, yet the environment in which they live meant their life journey is a stormy one, with no safe haven, and their lives have not offered them the ‘lifelines’ they needed in order to stay ‘on track’, and navigate their way through this traumatic event. They feel shame for their disruptive manifestations of grief, for the ways in which they ‘cope ugly.’ They now have ‘spoiled identities’, and are struggling to achieve a sense of self that will help them to make the transition to adulthood. The experience of the fourth girl demonstrates the ways in which she works to achieve her personal identity, preserve her ‘reputation’, and the secure attachment she needed, in order to police her potentially disruptive manifestations of grief. In the context of this research ‘on track’ or ‘off the rails’ are positioned as more helpful constructs than ‘normal’ and ‘complicated’ grief. The findings of this small scale research demonstrate the risks and inaccuracies in accepting the conclusion of large scale research studies which seem to indicate parental bereavement is not a risk factor for child wellbeing when family variables are taken in to account. Instead it demonstrates the ways in which dealing with parental bereavement, especially when compounded by other complex life events and insecure attachments, can result in children being positioned as ‘bad’ rather than ‘sad’ as villains rather than victims, children for whom their troubled lives and loss offer ‘no excuse’ for their troubled grieving. More research is needed to understand more about the lives and experiences of this vulnerable sub group of parentally bereaved children.

Thesis (Ph.D.(Psychology)) -- University of Limpopo, 2020 / Suicide is one of the major global public health challenges, with evidence showing that an interplay of multiple factors leads to someone taking their life. While suicide is often a solitary act, its impact on other people is far-reaching. When someone commits suicide, family and friends are almost always left behind to grieve, trying to understand the reasons for the suicide and having to learn to continue with their lives. Because suicide happens within families, its impact on the remaining members is of paramount importance. Understanding the impact of suicide on the surviving family members is a critical step in determining how to assist survivors. The study comprised eleven (11) participants who were all nuclear family members bereaved by suicide in the Capricorn District of Limpopo Province, South Africa. They were all from the Sepedi-speaking ethnic group. Data was collected through in-depth, semi structured, individual face-to-face interviews. Data analysis was done through the use of Hycner’s phenomenological explication process. The following themes were extracted from the participants’ case studies: knowledge of suicide; causes of suicide; methods used in the act; the impact of suicide on the family; prevention of suicide; coping strategies; grief following suicide and grief following other causes of death; concerns about the topic of suicide; and, suggestions in terms of support for suicide bereaved families. The current study reveals that there is still a lot of secrecy around psychological problems which lead people to suicide with the survivors not knowing who or what to blame. It is also evident from the findings that suicide bereaved people tended to be psychologically disturbed, less likeable and more blameworthy than non-suicidally bereaved. The psychological impact experienced includes depression, self-blame, aggression, suicidal ideations and also resulting in hospitalisation for some. Suicide can lead to longer and more complicated grief reactions because family members cannot share their experiences or thoughts, particularly the feelings of guilt that they are struggling with. The stigma from society does not make it any easier for survivors to deal with their grief, leading them to isolate themselves with fear of being judged. Based on the study findings, a culturally informed psychological model of suicide bereavement was developed to explain the lived experiences of African family v members bereaved by suicide. The model incorporates some ideas from Bowen’s structural family theory and the Afrocentric theory. This model proposes that suicide may cause a break-up within the family system and that cultural beliefs may be unfavourable in some instances. For instance, in this study, it was found that some Africans still believe that suicide is a taboo and a curse, which contradicts the psychological importance of viewing the victim’s body by family members. Being unable to view the deceased causes complications in the bereavement process, which leads to psychological problems. It further proposes that African culture is broad and still follows the norms and values in most situations, while these norms and values also play a role in the outcome of the bereavement process. These norms and values may lead to a breakdown of the family structure, leaving them with conflicts or complicated grief, leading to more psychological problems.

Thesis (M. A. (Clinical Psychology)) -- University of Limpopo, 2021 / African people have a long history of using traditional herbs to treat various ailments, including mental health. However, because there is not much empirical data supporting the use of traditional herbs in the treatment of mental illnesses, the purpose of this study was to explore the usage of molebatša in bereavement care in the Mopani district. The research study used a qualitative approach and a snowball sampling process to recruit a total of nine participants (Females = 7; males = 2). Semi-structured interviews were used to collect data. The collected data was analyzed using the Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA) method. The following were the primary themes that emerged from the research: - a) descriptions of the nature of bolebatša; b) preparation and administration of bolebatša for medicinal purposes; c) conditions managed with bolebatša and d) the role of spirituality in traditional medicine. The findings of the study revealed that bolebatša is a herb with furry coating of hair-like structures, harvested from the Molebatša tree, scientifically known as Lannea schweinfurthii. The harvested bolebatša is mostly dried and taken orally, either with warm water, porridge or its dried skins are chewed. It was determined, based on the findings of the investigation, that the herb has the ability to induce forgetfulness and this was beneficial in treating various psychological ailments (such as trauma, bereavement and grief and adjustment disorders) as well as spiritual conditions, with no adverse side effects. Recommendations emerging from the study call for more investigations to scientifically validate the efficacy of this herbal extract. / HWSETA

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The experiment examined negative social reactions to bereaved parents from unrelated others. Both the behavior displayed by the parent and attachment style of the perceiver were expected to influence reactions to bereaved parents. Undergraduates at a southern university (N = 239) completed both attachment measures and measures of reactions to videotapes of bereaved parents. Results indicated that bereaved parents do indeed receive negative evaluations from unrelated others, in the form of decreased willingness to interact in various roles. However, a nonbereaved parent displaying depressive symptoms also received negative evaluations. Depressed targets in the present study did receive negative evaluations, supporting the predictions of Coyne's interpersonal-process theory of reactions to depressed individuals. Contrary to the predictions of interpersonal-process theory, a bereaved parent displaying loss content without depressive symptoms also elicited negative evaluations. Coyne's hypothesis that the amount of induced negative affect in the perceiver leads to negative evaluations was not supported by the data. Subjects appear to react to a complex set of factors when forming these evaluations, including both personal and situational information. Two factors may have undermined the present study s ability to adequately test this theory. Subjects may have perceived depressive symptoms in loss content in the present study. Further, subjects may not have identified with the parent in the present study as anticipated. Research is necessary to identify the amount and focus of subjects' identifications with depressed and bereaved targets. Only minor support was found for the prediction that attachment style would be related to reactions to bereaved parents. Continuous measures of attachment style were related to amount of induced negative affect. However, grouping subjects by attachment patterns was not related to either induced negative affect or evaluations. The present study and previous research suggest the possibility that conceptually attachment may contain several components which relate to behavior in varying degrees and ways. Further study of the components of attachment is necessary to clarify what behaviors are related to attachment disturbance.

This study constitutes an exploration of the role of the experience of loss in the social processes of meaningmaking - regarding self, other and the world - especially as it applies to therapists. Traditionally a focus on loss has entailed a description of the mourning processes brought about by this inevitable but dreadful event. Here the lens is widened to evolve a description of how the loss experience can contribute to a transformation of a person's sense of her self and of her patterns of relating. This description. rests on a social constructionist understanding of the experience of self. A person's sense(s) of self is seen to evolve within the usual and seemingly predictable patterns of connecting and disconnecting that constitutes the social webs of the discursive communities that people move in. Thus her sense of I is indelibly linked to 'Nho and 'Nhere her Yous are. Indeed, all meaning is proposed to evolve from a template of connection-disconnection patterns. The experience of loss is seen to be able to disrupt these seemingly stable patterns within such a community sufficiently, as to be able to bring about in depth transformation of the meanings evolving from these habits of relating. One nuance of these meanings in transformation, entails a person's sense of her self. Experiences of, and struggles around connection and disconnection are centrally important in the world of therapists. It does not only constitute a basic focus of their 'M)rk, but is also the template in their personal lives that contributes to their O\Ml evolution as therapists. Thus the experience of loss is specifically explored as potentially transformational - on a personal and professional level - in the lives of therapists. / Psychology / D.Litt. et Phil. (Psychology)

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Background and Aims: Whilst bereavement is a generally a normal process of adjustment, for some individuals the outcome can be more serious. Current bereavement research has produced inconclusive results to date and been criticised on many levels. A gap has been identified between research and the practice of bereavement therapy.The aim of this thesis is to examine a relatively new and under researched approach to the treatment of grief, namely the use of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT). It is proposed that this approach could provide an empirically sound model on which therapists could base their interventions. Method: Firstly a conceptual review examines the key components of ACT and their applicability to grief work. Secondly, a qualitative piece of research uses interpretative phenomenological analysis to explore the lived experiences of both therapists and clients who have used the approach. Results: The conceptual review finds a good degree of fit between the components of the ACT therapeutic model and the needs and aims of bereavement work. The qualitative study provides preliminary support for the application of the model in the treatment of grief, indicating positive experiences for both therapists and clients particularly in its valuing of the individual nature of grief, its ability to put suffering into a positive context and its strength in dealing with emotional and thought related issues. Implications: The thesis provides a theoretical underpinning and an exploration of practice in the treatment of grief which may be useful for therapists considering a new approach to grief work or those developing services for the bereaved.

Grief that accompanies significant loss is a universal human experience. It has long been presumed that grief should resolve over a finite period of time. Because of the difficulties with defining the appropriate time limitations for uncomplicated grieving, an alternate conceptualization of grief resolution, in which sorrow is expected to recur periodically rather than dissipate over time was introduced as a conceptual perspective. The research followed a retrospective design in which three groups of persons who had experienced significant, yet different, types of loss were examined to determine the pattern of grief resolution over time. The groups included those whose loved one had a congenital cognitive deficit (Congenital), persons whose loved one had an acquired cognitive deficit (Acquired), and bereaved persons (Bereaved). The outcome variables of initial and present grief, recurrent sorrow, and depressive symptoms were examined for relationship to the covariates of attachment, spirituality, and perceived social support. Participants completed questionnaires that referenced past and present feelings about the loss. Instrumentation included a new scale, the Recurrent Sorrow Inventory, developed to assess pattern of grief over time. Data were analyzed with descriptive and chi-square statistics, analysis of variance, and factor analysis. In addition, graphic format data were used to supplement analysis of the other Likert-format scales. One hundred twenty subjects completed questionnaires. For the combined sample, a significantly greater number of participants selected graphs and descriptive phrases representative of recurrent sorrow over time, than the other choices that suggested either time-bound grief resolution or persistent sadness following loss. The findings did not differ across groups when the sample was separated by type of loss. As hypothesized, the data supported separate, orthogonal factors of initial and present grief, recurrent sorrow, and depression. This supports distinction of depression from grief and recurrent sorrow and suggests avenues for theory development regarding human response to loss. The findings of the study support the need to continue examination of the pervasive nature of grief over time, particularly for relevance to emotional and psychosocial well-being. Nursing science is an appropriate context in which to consider these relationships.