Recent legislation passed by the South African Parliament has sharpened attention on the importance of mediation in the process of divorce. Without the understanding and cooperation of the legal profession, and of attorneys in particular, there appears to be small chance that this will be adequately recognised and brought to fruition. The research reported in this dissertation reflects the results of an investigation of Cape Town attorneys working in the field of divorce. Their attitudes to and knowledge of the concept of divorce mediation are reported, and the prospects of collaboration between a social work agency and the legal profession in divorce mediation have been analysed. It is clear that some collaboration is achievable between the social work and legal professions in this area. A methodology has been developed and validated that is generally applicable, and which could also be used for investigation of other professional groups. / Social Work / M.A. (Social Work)

Recent legislation passed by the South African Parliament has sharpened attention on the importance of mediation in the process of divorce. Without the understanding and cooperation of the legal profession, and of attorneys in particular, there appears to be small chance that this will be adequately recognised and brought to fruition. The research reported in this dissertation reflects the results of an investigation of Cape Town attorneys working in the field of divorce. Their attitudes to and knowledge of the concept of divorce mediation are reported, and the prospects of collaboration between a social work agency and the legal profession in divorce mediation have been analysed. It is clear that some collaboration is achievable between the social work and legal professions in this area. A methodology has been developed and validated that is generally applicable, and which could also be used for investigation of other professional groups. / Social Work / M.A. (Social Work)

The purpose of the study was to investigate the possibility ofusingJlelational Theory as a basis for the design of a support group programme for divorced single-parent families. This programme aimed at improving their interpersonal relationships and then to form new identities realistically, thus helping them to self-actualise. The categories of involvement, experience and meaningful attribution as well as the stages of awareness, exploration, personalisation and change initiation formed the basis of the programme. The effects of marital disruption on the interpersonal relationships and identities of singleparent families were also examined through a literature review. Pre and posttest interviews were conducted individually with single parents and their children to evaluate the effectiveness of the support group programme. The pretest interviews were administered a month before the implementation of the programme and the posttest interviews done two months after to gauge the longitudinal effect of the programme. The interviews and the progranune included the following aspects : awareness, exploration and evaluation of relationships (including aspects such as parental and spousal conflicts, parent alignment and parent availability, sibling rivalry and parent-child interaction); awareness, exploration and evaluation of identities (including identity conflicts stemming from role strain, role reversals and parent alignment); self-evaluation and selfactualisation. The conclusions from the literature study, the outcome of the support group progranune and the results of the interviews confirmed that marital disruption does adversely affect the interpersonal relationships of single-parent families and their formation of new, realistic identities. Single-parent families attribute unrealistic meaning to relationships and identities causing problematic relationships and identity conflicts. The nature and quality of the relationships also affect the formation of realistic identities resulting in a failure to self-actualise. In conclusion, the support group programme helped the single-parent families to attribute realistic meaning to their relationships and identities, resulting in improved relationships and the formation of realistic identities / D. Ed. (Psychology of Education)

The purpose of the study was to investigate the possibility ofusingJlelational Theory as a basis for the design of a support group programme for divorced single-parent families. This programme aimed at improving their interpersonal relationships and then to form new identities realistically, thus helping them to self-actualise. The categories of involvement, experience and meaningful attribution as well as the stages of awareness, exploration, personalisation and change initiation formed the basis of the programme. The effects of marital disruption on the interpersonal relationships and identities of singleparent families were also examined through a literature review. Pre and posttest interviews were conducted individually with single parents and their children to evaluate the effectiveness of the support group programme. The pretest interviews were administered a month before the implementation of the programme and the posttest interviews done two months after to gauge the longitudinal effect of the programme. The interviews and the progranune included the following aspects : awareness, exploration and evaluation of relationships (including aspects such as parental and spousal conflicts, parent alignment and parent availability, sibling rivalry and parent-child interaction); awareness, exploration and evaluation of identities (including identity conflicts stemming from role strain, role reversals and parent alignment); self-evaluation and selfactualisation. The conclusions from the literature study, the outcome of the support group progranune and the results of the interviews confirmed that marital disruption does adversely affect the interpersonal relationships of single-parent families and their formation of new, realistic identities. Single-parent families attribute unrealistic meaning to relationships and identities causing problematic relationships and identity conflicts. The nature and quality of the relationships also affect the formation of realistic identities resulting in a failure to self-actualise. In conclusion, the support group programme helped the single-parent families to attribute realistic meaning to their relationships and identities, resulting in improved relationships and the formation of realistic identities / D. Ed. (Psychology of Education)

Divorce is a phenomenon that affects the emotional, physical and social wellbeing of the divorcees and those close to them. The situation becomes complicated if the affected person has a responsibility of providing caring and nurturing services to the sick, either as a manager or as a practitioner. The extent of how the impact of divorce affects the performance of professional nurses in their roles as carers and as managers was unknown. The nature and quality of services that they render to their patients, their coping strategies and the support systems were unknown. The purpose of the study was to describe and explore the impact of divorce on work performance of professional nurses at the East London Hospital Complex with the aim of ensuring high quality patient care. The objectives of the study were to: explore and describe the lived experiences of female divorced professional nurses with regard to the impact of divorce on their work performance; identify their coping strategies and their support systems. An exploratory descriptive and contextual qualitative research design was used. A phenomenological approach was used. The participants were twelve (12) divorced female professional nurses. The purposive and snowball sampling as non-probability sampling techniques were used. An interview guide was used to conduct the interviews. Audiotape was used for recording the data. Tesch’s steps (1990) of analyzing qualitative data guided the data analysis process. According to the lived experiences of the participants, divorce is traumatic and painful with emotional, physical, financial and social impact. It had a negative impact on the professional nurses’ work performance. The coping strategies included acceptance of the reality, studying, involvement with club and church activities. Support was available from the families, church, friends, and colleagues. Recommendations are that: the employee assistance program be marketed more effectively by hospital management and be included in the hospital, departmental and unit orientation programmes; that a dedicated psychologist, as well as preventive intervention programs, be made available to employees dealing with divorce.

Divorce has become so prevalent in our present day society, that it is regarded as one of the most sressful and complex mental health crises facing children today. As parents are often under tremendous stress during the time of divorce, they may be incapable of provding the support and guidance children need. The purpose of this study is to present a group counselling intervention programme to assist children of divorce and to create a supportive group atmosphere in which children can share divorce-related feelings, clarify common misconceptions and reduce feelings of isolation. Findings of this study indicate that the acquisition of problem-solving communication and anger control skills help to reduce feelings of depression and anxiety, improve the self-concept and ultimately promote post-divorce adjustment. / Psychology of Education / M. Ed. (Guidance and Counselling)

Divorce has become so prevalent in our present day society, that it is regarded as one of the most sressful and complex mental health crises facing children today. As parents are often under tremendous stress during the time of divorce, they may be incapable of provding the support and guidance children need. The purpose of this study is to present a group counselling intervention programme to assist children of divorce and to create a supportive group atmosphere in which children can share divorce-related feelings, clarify common misconceptions and reduce feelings of isolation. Findings of this study indicate that the acquisition of problem-solving communication and anger control skills help to reduce feelings of depression and anxiety, improve the self-concept and ultimately promote post-divorce adjustment. / Psychology of Education / M. Ed. (Guidance and Counselling)