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

Parents nowadays face many challenges in raising their children. Those of children with disabilities take extra burden in parenting their children as these children tend to have more externalizing behaviour problems, which might have influence on the family functioning. Researchers suggested a positive relationship between family functions and family leisure activities (Zabriskie & McCormick, 2003). Perceived discrimination is also believed to be one of the possible factors contributing to the relationship. The purpose of the study is to explore the relationship between perceived discrimination, family functioning and the leisure patterns in these families. Results indicate that there is positive relationship between family leisure involvement and family functioning in these families. Family functioning of families of those reported experience of perceived discrimination is significantly lower than those who reported no perceived discrimination. However, there is no difference in family leisure involvement in both groups. Their leisure pattern does not mediate the association between perceived discrimination and family functioning. / published_or_final_version / Clinical Psychology / Master / Master of Social Sciences

Master of Arts in Psychology by coursework and research report Department of Psychology University of the Witwatersrand 2017 / In South African communities, especially rural societies, people have little or no knowledge about intellectual disabilities (ID), their causes and how they affect specific individuals. Societies which are governed by cultural and religious norms have different perspectives with regards to ID, which can result in different experiences because of fear and/or negative attitudes towards a particular phenomenon frequently caused by a lack of information. In most societies, the key focus is on the child who is intellectually impaired in terms of his/her psychological wellbeing and little consideration is given to the wellbeing of the caregiver. This study aimed to explore the lived experiences of caregivers of intellectually impaired children in Mpumalanga Province, Bushbuckridge region taking into consideration the multiple factors which are involved when caring for children with intellectual disabilities. The study therefore aimed at discovering primary caregivers’ experiences, how they react to such experiences, as well as whether culture has an impact in the understanding of intellectual disabilities and attitudes towards individuals with intellectual disabilities. This study was qualitative utilising a phenomenological research design and interpretive phenomenological analysis to analyse the data collected. A purposive sample of nine primary caregivers whose children attended a special school in Bushbuckridge was interviewed. The primary caregivers were all females between 31 and 77 years of age. Only one primary caregiver had higher education and the other eight participants either did not have any basic education or did not complete matric. Semi-structured interviews which consisted of 22 questions about the demographic information of both caregiver and child, background, knowledge/awareness of intellectual disability as well as the psychological well-being of primary caregivers were conducted. Most caregivers indicated that they had experienced or are still experiencing psychological strain due to caring for a child with an intellectual disability. Despite this, some found the experiences fulfilling rather than a burden. The majority of primary caregivers had no knowledge of the appropriate professionals to consult who could help their children and themselves. The caregivers had very little knowledge about intellectual disabilities and their meaning in their different cultures. Most participants emphasised religion as some took their children to church for healing and some regarded their children as gifts from God. Participants reflected about the silence around ID in their communities. All participants mentioned their uncertainties with regard to their children’s education and their lives indicating that they would be open to help and guidance with this. Primary caregivers also expressed their financial strains. Overall, the study indicated that ID awareness in the rural areas must be conducted in terms of education and to support primary caregivers of children with ID. / MT2018

Past studies from various cultures have reported that parents of children with special needs experience more distress. The present study aimed to explore the psychological states of local Chinese parents of children with special needs in Hong Kong with the construct of coping flexibility incorporated. Participants were 116 parents of children with special needs and 62 parents of children without special needs. Results indicated that Chinese parents of children with special needs had higher anxiety and lower life satisfaction than did parents of children without special needs. The former also had lower perceived social support, perceived controllability, and coping flexibility for childcare than did parents in the control group. Another aim of the current study was to identify factors for prediction of anxiety, depression, and life satisfaction. Status of having children with special needs predicted depression, but not anxiety and life satisfaction. Social support not only demonstrated a main effect on anxiety, depression, and life satisfaction, but also showed a buffering effect on coping flexibility for childcare in predicting anxiety and depression respectively. Social support moderated the relation between controllability and life satisfaction as well. The results in this study guide us in designing suitable services for parents. / published_or_final_version / Clinical Psychology / Master / Master of Social Sciences

by Cheng Paul. / Includes questionnaire in Chinese. / Thesis (M.Phil.)--Chinese University of Hong Kong, 1993. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 60-66). / ABSTRACT --- p.ii / ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS --- p.iv / TABLE OF CONTENTS --- p.v / LIST OF TABLES --- p.vii / LIST OF APPENDICES --- p.viii / Chapter CHAPTER 1 - --- INTRODUCTION / Local studies on Down syndrome --- p.4 / Coping and psychological distress --- p.5 / Coping and psychological distress in Chinese families with mentally retarded children --- p.11 / Psychological correlates of coping --- p.13 / "Relationship between optimism, self-mastery, coping and psychological distress" --- p.16 / Purpose of the study --- p.18 / Chapter CHAPTER 2 - --- METHOD / Subjects --- p.22 / Measures --- p.25 / Procedures --- p.30 / Chapter CHAPTER 3 - --- RESULTS / Group differences on coping --- p.31 / Factor analysis of the coping --- p.34 / "Internal consistency of LOT, SMS, & GHQ-30" --- p.37 / Inter-correlations among major variables for the three groups --- p.37 / Differences between mothers and fathers on the major variables --- p.39 / Prediction of psychological distress --- p.40 / Group differences on the major variables --- p.41 / Differences between mothers and fathers within a single family --- p.42 / Group differences on the major variables with family as the unit of analysis --- p.43 / Chapter CHAPTER 4 - --- DISCUSSION --- p.45 / REFERENCES --- p.60 / TABLES --- p.67 / FOOTNOTE --- p.83 / APPENDICES --- p.84

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

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

The purpose of this study was to examine the joyful lived experiences of mothers of children with special needs (CSN). Mothers, who are most identified as the primary caregivers of children with special needs, are subject to marginalization because of the societal perspective that having a disability is wrong and that care giving for a child with a disability is dominated by challenge or burden. This study gave voice to mothers of children with special needs so the joys of being a mother of a CSN can be better known and understood by medical, educational, and social service practitioners. The findings resulted in a reflective transformative adult learning model that practitioners can integrate into their discourse with mothers of a CSN. The qualitative research method autoethnography was used to reveal the mothers’ joyful experiences. Both internal and external data were collected from five mothers who were purposively sampled from a support group that is located in suburban Indianapolis, Indiana and from the researcher, also a mother to a child with special needs. External data in the form of transcribed interviews including personal writings of the mothers and internal data in the form of reflexive researcher field notes and personal writings were subject to analysis using the constant comparison method. The findings revealed that mothers of a CSN do experience challenges, but they have learned to find joy through the unique strengths of themselves and their children. They have discovered a purpose and have been transformed by their children. As a result of that transformation, they recognize that their children’s joy is their joy and that joy is defined as the “simple things” they and their children engage in. These simple and unique joys, however, require planning and collaboration. The researcher called those practitioners in the medical, educational, and social service communities to use the reflective practice of writing as a way to better understand how important joy is for mothers of a CSN so practitioners can transform their treatments, education, and services to include joy. / Department of Educational Studies

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

What is adjustment? There are almost as many ways of defining it as there are ways of achieving it. To anwer the question one must first try to find the common factor of the varied definitions of adjustment. Sheviakov and Friedberg in their report of the Eight Year Study say, Desirable adjustment was thought of, generally as a process of maturation and adaptation, during which the individual is able to integrate successfully (i.e., without neurotic compromises or delinquent episodes) his primitive impulses and drives with those expectations or demands which are imposed upon him (with reference to his age, sex, social status, race, etc.) by the group to which he belongs.1 The report goes on to say, however, that the evaluation of a person's adjustment must be made not only in terms of existing social standards but also in terms of relationships between various drives and desires within the person himself. With speical reference to the handicapped children of this study, the focus will be upon the handicap itself as themost obvious barrier to adjustment. It is hoped that the study of the present cases will throw some additiona light on the concept of frustration tolerance.