Thesis (M.Ed.)--Universiteit van Suid-Afrika, 2001.

Different family structures and levels of parental and financial stress were investigated in relation to children's overtly expressed fears, and secondarily, covertly measured fears and concerns. The family structures consisted of divorced and remarried families divided into those divorced less than two years and those divorced greater than two years. Intact families were used as the control group. One-hundred-twenty-one children from six to eleven years of age and their biological mothers from a semirural, southwestern town comprised the sample. The children were administered five instruments assessing overt fears, covert fears/concerns, and positiveness in family relationships. Mothers were given eight self-report measures which included a questionnaire, a report of their child's overt fears, and an indication of the positiveness in family relationships. Results indicated that the children of divorced, single mothers tended to report greater overt fears than remarried and intact families. Indications of covert fears of death and separation were also suggested. This was especially true for those single mothers divorced less than two years. Children of intact families did not generally differ from remarried groups although there were implications that remarriage too soon after divorce may impact covert fears as well as positive feelings toward the stepfather. Children of mothers reporting high levels of stress reported greater levels of overt fears than children of low stress mothers. Financial stress for mothers appeared to have greater implications for children's overt and covert fears than did parental stress. In contrast to the children of mothers reporting high levels of stress, mothers who reported low levels of stress tended to have children who reported fewer overt fears but greater covert fears and concerns. Recommendations for future research including adding parental measures to assess the coping styles as well as the effectiveness of such coping with divorce and remarriage, using different measures of overt and covert fears, and extending the study to include data from the biological fathers as well as families in which the father has custodial rights.

Text in Afrikaans / Die Ontwikkelingsgefasiliteerde Groepmodel (OFG-model) is vir die doeleindes van hierdie navorsingstudie aangepas vir adolessente tussen die ouderdom van vyftien en agtien jaar. Die model is gebruik om die betekenisgewing, belewing en die betrokkenheid van 'n groep adolessente wat egskeidingsgetraumatiseerd is te ondersoek. 'n Literatuurstudie is onderneem waarin groepterapie, multikulturele terapie, die adolessent en egskeiding, en die konsepte betekenisgewing, belewing en betrokkenheid nagevors is. 'n Empiriese studie in die vorm van twaalf terapie sassies om die betekenisgewing,belewing, betrokkenheid van die adolessente te ondersoek, is onderneem. Die navorser stel ook vas hoe die proses van terapie met 'n groep multikulturele adolessente verloop. 'n Beplanning van die terapie sessies is gedoen. Ten einde die vertroubaarheid van die navorsing te bepaal, is Guba se model van vertroubaarheid toegepas. Die empiriese studie toon aan dat die Ontwikkelingsgefasiliteerde Groepmodel, terapeuties met sukses gebruik kan word met 'n groep multikulturele adolessente. Die betekenisgewing, belewing, betrokkenheid en die selfkonsep van egskeidingsgetraumatiseerde adolessente kan op die wyse ondersoek word. / The Developmental Facilitation Group Model (DFG-Model) was adapted for the purposes of this research study for adolescents between fifteen and eighteen years of age. The model was used to examine the meaning, experience, and involvement of a group of adolescents traumatised by divorce. A literature study was undertaken to research group therapy, multicultural therapy, the adolescent and divorce and the concepts of meaning, experience, and involvement. An empirical study in the form of twelve therapeutic sessions was undertaken to examine the meaning, experience, and involvement of the adolescents. The researcher also determined how the process of therapy evolved with a group of multicultural adolescents. The therapeutic sessions were planned. To determine the reliability of the research, Guba's model for reliability was applied. The empirical study shows that the Developmental Facilitation Group Model can be used successfully with a group of multicultural adolescents. The meaning, experience, involvement and self-concept of the adolescents traumatised by divorce can be determined in this way. / Psychology of Education / M. Ed. (Voorligting)

M.Ed. (Psychology of Education) / Please refer to full text to view abstract

The study conducted, sought to assess the effectiveness of an established divorce education program in reducing parental conflict and increasing cooperative coparenting relationships among former spouses and also to assess the participant satisfaction with the program's format.

Being in love in a close relationship is contingent upon biological, intrapsychic, social and cultural events. Understanding these processes has implications for stability and health in individuals families and society. Various dimensions of love are considered as converging on a more basic concept of vulnerability as a part of the human condition where both love and vulnerability are experiences which shape individual development growth, interdependence and survival or the lack thereof. The objective of this study is to capture the dilemmas which underlie love and vulnerability in a qualitative study. The method is a case study of a story using narrative analysis and the relation of theory to experiences revealed in the story. Analysis included observation of the major premises, setting, structure, images and voices in the story and theories included Lee's (1977) theory of love, Sternberg's (1986) triangular theory of love, attachment theory, social construction, psychobiological theory and phenomenologal theories of love. A summary finds that most theories infer vulnerability as an underlying dimension in processes of love and that vulnerability as a characteristic in human mortality may be implicated in love experiences. / Psychology / M.A. (Psychology)

This study investigates the role of resilience in women coping with the life transition of divorce. Five women were interviewed and an in-depth qualitative analysis undertaken, in order to explore the subjective experience of resilience during the period of separation and divorce, and its effect on post-divorce adjustment. In addition, the usefulness of formal divorce support groups to enhance resilience was examined. It was found that the most important aspects of resilience as reported by the women were social support; spirituality; personality traits such as optimism, courage and resourcefulness; an orientation toward the future; and competence/mastery of one's environment (including mastery of one's thoughts and emotions). It appeared that resilience facilitated adjustment in several ways; notably in providing a sense of purpose, control and competence resulting in an experience of personal growth. All of the women felt that they had developed a sense of their own identity and greater self-determination through the process of divorce. Support groups might be potentially effective in providing assistance in dealing with emotional issues such as anger and forgiveness; with skills development such as emotion regulation and cognitive techniques like reframing; as well as practical and informational support. Such groups might also provide a temporary community of social support where divorced women can interact with other people who are experiencing the same things. The study illuminated the subjective, often unique experience of separation and divorce; this emphasises the challenge for divorce groups to offer support which addresses this uniqueness. / Psychology / D.Litt. (Psychology)

Custody disputes have traditionally been considered a legal matter. More recent trends have seen the recognition of divorce and custody as both legal and psychological events. This necessitated the involvement of professionals of the helping services in custody recommendations. Such a multidisciplinary approach is currently taken by the Office of the Family Advocate, Pretoria, in disputed custody matters. It is suggested that the way in which the problem of custody is currently defined, is on a pragmatic level, and does not include a higher-order awareness as implied by an ecosystemic epistemology. Such an awareness denotes self-reflexivity, and calls for a more aesthetic emphasis. The dialectic between aesthetics and pragmatics is maintained by means of a descriptive look at the various systems involved in a disputed custody case. Adopting an ecosystemic epistemology is recommended, through the metaphor of mediation, as a further evolution of an already changing process. / Psychology / M.A. (Clinical Psychology)

Text in Afrikaans / Hierdie studie handel oor die implementering van groepsterapie met adolessente koshuisdogters, waarvan die ouers geskei is. Die navorser het bevind dat die meeste koshuisdogters se probleme nie in een dag per week, deur 'n diensdoenende onderwyser in die koshuis aangespreek kan word nie. Hierdie bevinding het die vraag laat ontstaan of groepsterapie in die koshuis geimplementeer kan word. Daar was nie voldoende literatuur in sake groepsterapie by normale kinders nie en daarom is 'n loodsstudie van stapel gestuur. Die doelstelling van die studie is om groepsterapie te implementeer by adolessente koshuisdogters. Daar was baie koshuisdogters, waarvan die ouers geskei is, en daarom is die steekproef verder verfyn. 'n Praktiese handleiding, insluitende werkkaarte, is saamgestel sodat groepsterapie vir enige Opvoedkundige Sielkundige toeganklik kan wees. Die groepsterapie is prakties geimplementeer. Die navorsing bevestig dat groepsterapie met adolessente koshuisdogters, waarvan die ouers geskei is, geimplementeer kan word. / This study deals with the implementation of group therapy with adolescent girls in hostels, whose parents are divorced. The researcher came to the conclusion that teachers, who do duty in the hostel, once a week, cannot give enough attention to those girls who have problems. This conclusion raised the question of whether it would be feasible to implement group therapy in the hostel. There was insufficient literature, concerning group therapy with normal children, and therefore the researcher initiated a pilot study. The aim of the study was to implement group therapy with adolescent girls in the hostel. There were many girls in the hostel whose parents were divorced and so the sample was further curtailed. A practical manual including worksheets were compiled to be easily accessible to any Educational Psychologist doing group therapy. The group therapy was practically implemented and confirmed that group therapy can be implemented. / Psychology of Education / M. Ed. (Sielkundige Opvoedkunde (Voorligting))

This study will attempt to identify the reported problem behavior in children impacted by parental divorce. Further, it will try to determine whether pre-divorce interparental conflict, time spent with the mother, and the mother's adjustment affects the problem behavior reported for children. The following analytic techniques will be used: frequency distributions, t-tests, correlations, and regression.