Gu Minmin. / Thesis (M.Phil.)--Chinese University of Hong Kong, 2006. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 103-113). / Abstracts in English and Chinese; appendices also in Chinese. / Chapter CHAPTER ONE: --- INTRODUCTION --- p.1 / Divorce in China --- p.3 / "Children's adjustment to divorce in the Mainland, China" --- p.5 / Research questions --- p.6 / Organization of the thesis --- p.7 / Chapter CHAPTER TWO: --- LITERATURE REVIEW --- p.8 / Research on children's divorce adjustment in China --- p.8 / Research on children's divorce adjustment in the West --- p.13 / Resilience perspective in children's divorce adjustment --- p.16 / Summary --- p.30 / Chapter CHAPTER THREE: --- CONCEPTUAL FRAMEWORK --- p.31 / Resilience perspective as the guiding perspective --- p.31 / Children's divorce adjustment as conceptualized by resilience perspective --- p.31 / Relevant issues --- p.33 / Summary --- p.35 / Chapter CHAPTER FOUR: --- METHODOLOGY --- p.37 / Qualitative approach --- p.37 / Sample --- p.38 / Data collection --- p.43 / Data analysis --- p.45 / Procedures to ensure credibility of the research --- p.46 / Ethical issues in the research --- p.48 / Chapter CHAPTER FIVE: --- THE SEVEN LIFE STORIES --- p.49 / Xiao Jun --- p.49 / Xiao Yin --- p.52 / Xiao Fang --- p.54 / An Jing --- p.57 / Yan Yan --- p.60 / Xiao Zhong --- p.64 / Jiong Jiong --- p.68 / Chapter CHAPTER SIX: --- COMMON PROTECTIVE FACTORS AND PROTECTIVE MECHANISMS --- p.73 / Common protective factors --- p.73 / Protective mechanisms: How protective factors work with risk factors --- p.81 / Summary --- p.85 / Chapter CHAPTER SEVEN: --- DISCUSSION --- p.86 / Contextual protective factors: resources and limitations --- p.86 / Unresolved risk factor: the inadequacy of the legal system --- p.90 / Chapter CHAPTER EIGHT: --- RECOMMNEDATIONS --- p.92 / Recommendations and interventions at ideological level --- p.92 / Recommendations and interventions at a structural and policy level --- p.95 / Recommendations and interventions at individual and family levels --- p.98 / Recommendations at the research level --- p.100 / REFERENCES --- p.103 / APPENDICES --- p.114

Dissertation (Ph.D.) -- The Institute for Clinical Social Work, 2006. / A dissertation submitted to the faculty of the Institute of Clinical Social Work in partial fulfillment for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy.

M.Ed. (Educational Psychology) / As an educator, psychologist, or counselor one is frequently confronted with the devastation and turmoil Divorce brings to the lives of children and how it aims at stealing their Hope and happiness. The aim in this research study was to consult children about their relationship with Divorce in order to learn about hopefulness from them when standing up to Divorce. To discover Hope in the face of Divorce, this qualitative study was conducted with children utilising participatory action research and narrative therapy. The theoretical foundation operated from, was the post-modernist paradigm and social constructionist discourse. This theoretical foundation was selected as it draws from the same philosophical markers as participatory action research and narrative therapy. The children who participated in this research study were two girls that I conversed with in therapy as part of my internship at a private practice. The two young girls I conversed with, both referred themselves for therapeutic conversations as they were being confronted by Divorce in their families. They are respectively ten and eleven years of age. These two girls participated after the finalisation of the divorce proceedings in their families. In this study, I drew on multiple methods of data collection during the research process in order to construct and generate rich data with the participants. The data included therapeutic conversations, artworks, journal texts and whatever else the children brought to our conversations. The recording of the children's experiences (data) was done by gathering and reflecting thick descriptions. These thick descriptions reflected their Hope and enriched my understanding of Hope.

Thesis--PlanB (M.S.)--University of Wisconsin--Stout, 2002. / Includes bibliographical references.

published_or_final_version / abstract / toc / Clinical Psychology / Master / Master of Social Sciences

Adaptive processes were comparatively examined in elementary school children experiencing the postdivorce process and their peers from intact homes using a developmental conceptualization of coping with a family systems perspective. Children's psycho-social coping resources were assessed using the Self Perception Profile for Children, Coping Inventory, Children's Beliefs About Parental Divorce Scale, and Family Environment Scale. Children's global and specific coping efforts were measured using the Child Behavior Checklist and the Schoolagers' Coping Strategies Inventory, respectively. Parental coping efforts were examined using the Ways of Coping Questionnaire. Children from disrupted families were found to have diminished psycho-social coping resources (self-efficacy, self-esteem, coping styles, and social support). Between group differences were found in children's global coping efforts with the frequency and effectiveness of specific coping efforts being influenced by the time since marital disruption. Relationships between children's coping resources and efforts were also observed. In disrupted family systems, parental coping efforts characterized by escape-avoidant and social support seeking behaviors were found to be associated with children's global coping efforts.

South African society may have erased the stigma that once accompanied divorce, but its massive effects cannot be ignored. Hence. the purpose of this research was to determine the causes, nature and impact of divorce on children. From the literature, it became evident that social scientists tracked successive generations of South African children whose parents have ended their marriages. Literature further indicates that divorce is a traumatic experience, characterized by emotions, relief and excitement, shame that you had failed in your marriage, guilt that your children would not have the ideal childhood you had envisaged and fury at your spouse. Its effects are obvious in family life, educational attainment, job stability, income potential, physical and emotional health, drug use, and crime (Search 1983: 11 ). Literature further revealed that each year, over one million South African children suffer as their parents divorce. Moreover, half of all children born in wedlock see their parents divorce before reaching their nineteenth birthday (Search, 1983: 11 ). This fact alone should give policymakers and those whose careers focus on children reason to develop policies that will protect children from the devastating effects of divorce. Divorce has pervasive ill effects on children and the five major institutions of society: the family, church, school, marketplace, and government itself. If the family is the building block of society, then marriage is the foundation. This foundation however, is growing weaker with fewer adults entering into marriage, more adults leaving it in divorce, and more and more adults avoiding it altogether for single parenthood or cohabitation (Mitchell 1979:21 ). Divorce occurs in a context that is usually characterized by chronic parental conflict, pre-occupied parents who may be less sensitive to their child's needs, a reduced standard of living, post separation. chronic stress for the child and parents (Hodges, 1991 :8 ). The following are some major findings revealed in this study: absent parents or non-custodial parents are never in contact with their children and hence continuously fail to maintain their children. Extra marital relations, alcohol abuse, and physical abuse are main causes of divorce. Divorce has long term effects on children. These sometimes they carry along to adulthood. Not all marriages fail for the same reason, nor is there usually one reason for the breakdown of a particular marriage. Nevertheless, some reasons are more heard than others, such as, poor communication, financial problems, a lack of commitment to the marriage, a dramatic change in priorities and infidelity. All in all, children are at the receiving end. They are the victims of divorce. / M.A. (SW) North-West University, Mafikeng Campus, 2005

This study evaluates the effects of an eight week, school-based, preventive intervention programme on the adjustment of children to divorce. Thirty-three later latency stage children (9 to 12 year olds) were evaluated before and after intervention on the Child Behavior Check List by parents (Achenbach & Edelbrock, 1983) and teachers (Edelbrock & Achenbach, 1984) for behaviour problems. Children's self reports on their problematic beliefs about divorce (Kurdek and Berg, 1987), self-perceived competence (Harter, 1985), and trait anxiety levels (Reynolds & Richmond, 1985) were assessed. Subsequent to the intervention children had significantly fewer misconceptions about divorce, had increased perceived social acceptance, and had decreased anxiety levels. Behavioral reports obtained from parents and teachers failed to support the apparent gains.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Institute for Clinical Social Work, 1991. / A dissertation submitted to the faculty of the Institute of Clinical Social Work in partial fulfillment for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy.

Thesis--PlanB (M.S.)--University of Wisconsin--Stout, 1999. / Includes bibliographical references.