Thesis (MA)--University of Stellenbosch, 2011. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Afknouery is ’n algemene verskynsel onder laerskoolkinders. Alhoewel afknouery dikwels as ’n normale deel van die grootwordproses beskou word, dui verskeie ondersoeke op die negatiewe sosiale, sielkundige en fisiese gevolge wat daarmee gepaard gaan. Wanneer ’n kind geboelie word, raak dit noodwendig die hele gesin. Elke gesin het egter unieke eienskappe of maniere om krisisse (soos afknouery) te hanteer en daarby aan te pas. Gesinsveerkragtigheid verwys na die gesin se vermoë om weerstand te bied teen, en te herstel na, ontwrigtende lewensuitdagings. Die doel van hierdie ondersoek was om vas te stel watter gesinskenmerke geassosieer kan word met goeie aanpassing van gesinne waarvan ’n kind geboelie word. Die studiepopulasie was gesinne met laerskoolkinders wat vir ses maande of langer geboelie is in die voorafgaande drie jaar, en wat in die Suid-Kaap woon. Ma’s het as verteenwoordigers van hul gesinne opgetree en namens die gesinne aan die ondersoek deelgeneem. Agt-en-veertig verteenwoordigers van gesinne het elk sewe selfvoltooiingsvraelyste asook ’n biografiese vraelys met twee oop einde-vrae voltooi. Die resultate van die kwalitatiewe data het getoon dat gesinne veral deur die afknouery geraak is deurdat die kinders wat geboelie is, negatiewe emosies soos hartseer ervaar het. Die meeste gesinne het die afknouery hanteer deur met ’n onderwyser, skoolhoof of die beheerliggaam te gaan praat, of deur raad te gee aan die kind wat geboelie is. Die resultate van die kwantitatiewe data, wat met behulp van korrelasies en regressie-ontledings verkry is, het die volgende gesinsveerkragtigheidskenmerke geïdentifiseer: die kwaliteit van gesinskommunikasie, positiewe kommunikasiepatrone wat omgee en ondersteuning oordra, standvastigheid en duursaamheid van die gesinseenheid, die gesin se gevoel van interne sterk punte, betroubaarheid en die vermoë om saam te werk, die gesin se pogings om vernuwend en aktief te wees, om nuwe dinge te probeer en om te leer, die mate waartoe die gesin roetines gebruik en handhaaf, die gesin se klem op die vasstelling van voorspelbare kommunikasie tussen ouer en kind, die gesin se klem op die vasstelling van voorspelbare roetines om ’n kind se gevoel van selfbestuur en orde te bevorder, asook die gesin se klem op saamwees. Die bevindinge van hierdie ondersoek vul ’n leemte in die literatuur oor gesinne waarvan ’n kind geboelie word. Dit kan nuttig aangewend word in die beplanning en ontwikkeling van intervensies om hierdie gesinne te versterk en meer veerkragtig te maak. Die geïdentifiseerde gesinskenmerke laat ook die moontlikheid oop vir verdere navorsing om hierdie kenmerke in meer besonderhede te ondersoek en te beskryf. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: Bullying is a common phenomenon among primary school children. Although bullying is often seen as a relatively normal part of growing up, various studies have indicated its negative social, psychological and physical effects. When a child is bullied, the matter inevitably concerns the whole family. However, every family has unique characteristics or ways of handling and adapting to a crisis (such as bullying). Family resilience refers to the family’s ability to withstand and rebound from disruptive life challenges. The goal of this study was to determine which family characteristics can be associated with positive adaptation in families of which a child had been bullied. The study population consisted of families with primary school children that had been bullied for six months or longer over the past three years, and reside in the Southern Cape. Mothers acted as representatives and participated in the study on behalf of their families. Forty eight family representatives each completed seven self-completing questionnaires as well as a biographical questionnaire containing two open ended questions. Results from the qualitative data, which was analysed using content analysis, showed that families were affected by the bullying, especially in the sense that the children that were bullied experienced negative emotions such as sadness. Most of the families coped with the bulling by talking to a teacher, principal or governing body, or by giving advice to the child that had been bullied. Results from the quantitative data, which was analysed using correlations and regression analyses, indicated positive correlations between family adaptation and quality of family communication, positive communication patterns that convey caring and support, fortitude and durability of the family unit, the family’s sense of internal strengths, dependability and the ability to work together, the family’s efforts to be innovative and active, to experience new things and to learn, the degree to which families use and maintain routines, the family’s emphasis on establishing predictable communication between parent and child, the family’s emphasis on establishing predictable routines to promote a child’s sense of autonomy and order, as well as the family’s emphasis on togetherness. The findings of the study fill a gap in the literature about families in which a child has been bullied. The findings can be utilised in the planning and developing of interventions to strengthen these families and to make them more resilient. The identified family characteristics also leave the possibility of further research to investigate and describe these characteristics in greater detail.