This study examined perceived child-parent relationships and child adjustment in families with both adopted and natural children. Of interest was the relationship between these perceptions and the social and emotional adjustment of the children. Perceived parent-child relationships were measured by the Child Parent Relationship Scale developed by Swanson. The California Test of Personality was utilized to measure the children's adjustment.

The problem of this study is to investigate the differences in perceived parental behavior patterns, child rearing attitudes, and learning disabilities in natural and adoptive families. The purposes of this study are to compare the child rearing attitudes of adoptive and natural parents, to compare the child's perception of parental behavior in adoptive and natural families, to discover if the two groups differ in their ability to predict their children's perceptions of parental behavior, and to investigate the incidence of learning disabilities among adoptive children. Findings indicate that significant differences exist between natural and adoptive parents as measured by the PAS and the CRPBI-R. Adoptive fathers are not as likely as natural fathers to feel it is impossible to change a child from his already determined way of behaving and believe parental or environmental influences to be more important than natural or inherent causations. The younger the child was at the time of adoption, the better the adoptive parents were able to predict what the child would report about parental discipline. Adoptive parents are also found to be more accepting of childhood behaviors and feelings and have more mutual trust and understanding of their children than are natural parents. There is not a significantly greater proportion of adopted children in Plan A than natural children.

Child sexual abuse in its various guises is a phenomenon that has been part and parcel of society for centuries. It is only in the last few decades, however, that professional and societal interest in this social tragedy has been triggered, and continues to increase. The consequences and impact of child sexual abuse are far-reaching. Not only are individual victims marred by its consequences, but so too does it profoundly affect family systems and societies. As a result of professional interest in this field which has been fuelled by the popular media, the cloak of social secrecy which has covered this previously taboo subject has been shed. Although still hugely under-reported, sometimes even denied and buried by some individuals and societies, it is now widely acknowledged that child sexual abuse is a stark reality. Definitions of this phenomenon abound, with some definitions being more descriptive than others. The grooming process often forms an integral part of child sexual abuse. Through purposefully constructed relationships with their victims, sex offenders make their victims feel responsible for, complicit in and guilty about the abuse. The child is therefore tricked into keeping the abuse a secret. Often the child may not realise that what is happening is in fact abusive. Through grooming the abusive behaviour is normalised and the child may believe that it is part of an affectionate and caring relationship with the offender. The victim often gets lost in the labyrinth of confusion created by a web of deceit, which may result in consensual sexual activities between the child and the sex offender, a fact which is widely acknowledged. Consent is often raised as a defence when sex offenders are charged with and prosecuted for their crimes, more specifically in relation to victims who are over the age of twelve years and more frequently in relation to victims who are sixteen years and older. This consent, however, ought not to be valid for purposes of any sexual activities between such adults and children. Consent is often given as a consequence of the unique dynamics of the grooming process and the imbalance of power and authority. Furthermore, the child’s level of understanding and life experience, as shaped by the grooming process, may also have an important impact on ostensible consent given. South African courts, in accordance with international trends, have apparently started acknowledging the impact of the grooming process on consent given by children in sexual abuse cases. Some courts, as of late, are prepared to more readily reject the defence of consent in such cases. It is noteworthy that this trend has started to develop in South Africa even prior to the commencement of the Criminal Law (Sexual Offences and Related Matters) Amendment Act 32 of 2007. This act defines consent for purposes of the newly created offences, and also stipulates the circumstances in which ostensible consent does not comply with the definition. This definition does not differ materially from the “traditional” approach to consent that was applied prior to the commencement of this act. Furthermore, a number of new offences were created, amongst them the offence of sexual grooming of children. Courts can therefore no longer ignore the existence of the grooming phenomenon and the impact thereof in child sexual abuse cases.

The purpose of the study was to investigate the effects of play materials on the interactions between a child with autism and her sibling. Three conditions were assessed: open choice, materials chosen by the child with autism, and materials chosen by the typically developing sibling. Within each activity, measures of social interactions were assessed. Results of the assessment showed that more interactions occurred with a material chosen by the child with autism. After sibling training (targeting specific teaching skills), social interactions remained highest in the condition with materials chosen by the child with autism. The results are discussed in terms of a material assessment to optimize sibling training conditions and the importance of sibling relationships.

Previous research indicates that stressors experienced by a family, the perceived level of burden assigned by the family to the stressor, and the utilization of resources predict family functioning. The current study utilized a nationally representative sample of families of children with autistic disorder to determine if previously proposed models of family functioning accurately conceptualized family functioning within a representative sample. Structural equation modeling was utilized to test the double ABCX and the linear ACBX models of family functioning. With slight modifications, the double ABCX model was supported, thus indicating that pileup of stressors, perception of burden, and utilization of resources each have unique predictive ability for family functioning, with perception of burden demonstrating the highest amount of predictive ability. Results, implications, and limitations of the study are discussed.

The focus of this study was three fold. First, modeling and feedback were investigated as a training package for social interactions between siblings. Second, the effects of social phrases taught to the sibling with autism were investigated. Third, the magnitude of these social phrases was measured by timing duration of parallel play. The experimental design is an A-B-A1-A2 design conducted in a clinic, with a probe for generalization in the home environment. This intervention was replicated across an additional sibling dyad to indicate its effectiveness. This study ascertained that the sibling with autism was a viable participant in learning new social skills that could function as a behavioral cusp and increase sibling interactions.

Parents’ stress and coping strategies are often challenged in the context of childhood disability, highlighting the importance of studying these factors and their associations with parent behaviors to gather a better understanding of parent-child interactions in the context of developmental disabilities like Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). Less is known about how child characteristics (e.g., ASD severity, language, temperament, and behavior problems) and observed child behaviors relate to parent behaviors. The purpose of this study was to identify the factors that were linked to key parent behaviors (i.e., cohesiveness, behavior regulation strategies, synchronization) during the parent-child interaction of parents with children with ASD. Forty-two mother-child dyads recruited from a therapeutic preschool participated in a parent-child interaction and completed questionnaires measuring parent psychosocial factors and child characteristics. Independent researchers coded videos for parent cohesiveness behaviors, parent behavior regulation strategies, parent synchronization, as well as child affect and compliance behaviors. Pearson correlational analyses were used to examine the relationships between parent psychosocial factors, child characteristics, and parent behaviors. Linear regression analyses were used to examine the effect of moderator variables on those links. Overall, externalizing and internalizing behaviors were related to depressive symptoms and stress, and stress and effortful control were related. Direct commands and positive parenting were associated with more positive child characteristics and behaviors, such as less negative affect and more committed compliance. The degree to which the mother cleaned and the amount of toys cleaned were also related to higher functioning child characteristics and less negative behaviors. Child characteristics did not significantly moderate the relationship between parent psychosocial factors and parent behaviors. Parents’ coping and self-efficacy did not significantly moderate the relationship between stress and parent behaviors. More research is needed to better understand how child characteristics and child behaviors relate to parent behaviors. The study offers suggestions for future research to better understand how to improve parent-child interactions during particularly difficult activities, such as clean-up, with a population of children who present unique challenges. Future work should aim to examine how to promote positive parent behavior regulation strategies during situations that require an end goal.

This research project was designed to demonstrate the usefulness of a supportive intervention program for 17 nine to 14 year old siblings of autistic children. Current clinical practice has begun most recently to include the siblings of handicapped children in treatment services as a preventive measure to help maximize families' coping abilities and to increase the chances that they will be strengthened by their unique circumstances. Although research evidence suggests that most siblings are not at risk for serious psychopathology, it seems reasonable to assume that few remain unaffected by living with a handicapped brother or sister. Siblings report that they have increased responsibilities, many unanswered questions, and parents who typically are caught up in the stresses of caring for a handicapped child and have limited time to attend to their needs. It was hypothesized that an intervention program providing information about the handicapping condition, autism, and offering support through participation in a discussion group with other siblings of autistic children would effect improved coping in the participants. Three time-limited interventions (information plus support, information plus activity, and activity control) were compared under controlled conditions. Sibling coping was measured by a) a battery of self-report and parent ratings of behavior and attitudes, b) clinical observations, and c) sibling and parent anecdotal accounts. Descriptive behavioral and attitudinal data on the total sibling sample indicated more deviant individual profiles than would be expected in the normal population. Consistent with previous research and clinical practice with this subject population, children who were identified with problems were those generally thought to be at greatest risk such as older female and younger male siblings who have assumed extensive caretaking responsibilities for the autistic child. Specific group changes following intervention were confounded by individual subject reactions to the various procedures. Qualitative aspects of the siblings' participation were discussed in terms of implications for future clinical intervention and research with this sibling population.

This study examined the relationships between family structure (organization and control), family process (cohesion, expressiveness, and conflict) with parenting sense of competency (parenting efficacy) for mothers (n = 138) engaged in Home Instruction for Parents of Preschool Youngsters (HIPPY) related activities. Family structure in this study looked at how the family system is organized regarding clarity of family rules. In addition, family processes of the research participants looked at daily family routines and interactions. General parenting self-efficacy, task-specific self-efficacy for nurturance, and task-specific self-efficacy for teaching which are the dependent variables, looked at the degree to which parents feel competent and capable of solving problems related to these processes in the parent-child relationship. Research questions were answered using multivariate analysis of canonical correlational analysis (CCA) to examine the associations between the independent and dependent variables. Results showed significant relationship between family structure variables of control and organization and parents' self-report of their general efficacy and their task specific efficacy for teaching and nurturing. The study also showed an inverse relationship between process variable of conflict and overall self-efficacy of parents' and their task specific efficacy for teaching and nurturing.

Submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the Degree of Ph.D in Community Psychology in the Faculty of Arts, Department of Psychology at the University of Zululand, 2007. / A qualitative, phenomenological approach incorporating triangulation, process evaluative and appreciative inquiry techniques was used to evaluate parental experiences of participating in a stress management programme for parents of children with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). Parents experienced the program as bringing about empowerment, group cohesion, cognitive restructuring, behaviour modification, growth, development and change. Children viewed their parents as having become more relaxed, approachable, inclusive and loving. An independent psychologist evaluated the programme positively in terms of its quality, effectiveness, flexibility, adaptability and comprehensiveness. The research concludes with ways of improving the programme for future management of children with ADHD.