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

D.Litt. et Phil. (Psychology) / Divorce is an international problem that implicates children, affecting their best interests. In the United States of America, education programmes for divorcing and separating parents have been offered for decades. In South Africa the law has made provision for such education programmes. This study concerns the efficacy in a South African context of an already existing education programme for divorcing and separating parents, called Children in the Middle (CIM). This programme is widely used in the United States, has been widely researched, and is based on foundational theory. There are many factors that determine the outcome of divorce for children. There is a need to assist families in order to ensure the most favourable outcome. It is considered to be of the utmost importance to impart information to parents and build their awareness and skills. This research concluded that despite the lack of statistical evidence, the programme had many benefits for the participants, based on the feedback received from them. Parents had become sensitised to their children’s needs. Based on the qualitative data and attendance, it was concluded that psychoeducation at the time of divorce is a much-needed resource for parents in South Africa. Psycho-education for divorcing parents does not replace litigation, mediation or therapy; it should be offered as a mandatory alternative or an addition to the family at the time of divorce and should lead the process. The research has therefore proposed that psycho-education programmes should be mandatory for all divorcing parents regardless of the process that their divorce follows, as although there is no guarantee of outcome, it adds an extra dimension that may lead to a more favourable outcome and that parents are more likely to act in the best interests of their children.

Concerns about the increasing high rate of divorce and marital disputes in the Hong Kong community and of children living in these families have been raised by educators, social workers and mental health professionals. It is held that parental divorce and interparental conflicts have strong and enduring detrimental effects on the development of children. This project examined the risk and resilience in terms of cognitive processing styles in adolescents under interparental conflict divorced family environment. The total number of adolescents participating in this study was 1,384. They came from 4 secondary schools in Hong Kong. Seven hundred and twenty of them (52.0%) were males, and 656 (47.4%) were females. Their age ranged from 11 to 18 years old, mean age was 13.59 years (SD = 1.06). Among them, 170 (12.3%) came from divorced families, 1,174 (84.8%) came from two-parent intact homes, and 40 (2.9%) participants did not answer this question. All participants filled in the same packet of questionnaires. These questionnaires assessed their attentional styles, symptoms of emotional disorders, happiness and interparental conflict. The participants completed the questionnaire under the supervision of the author, or a research assistant, or a teacher in class. Participants who reported that their parents had separated or divorced were required to answer additional questionnaires that measured self-blame and self-perceived positive change. Data obtained from the large pool of samples (n = 1,384) was used for validation of the Chinese version of the Attention to Positive and Negative Information Revised scale (CAPNIR). Data from participants who came from divorced families (n = 170) was used for validating the Chinese Posttraumatic Growth Inventory for Children (PTGI-C). Data from adolescents who reported to have witnessed interparental conflict (n = 767) was used for evaluating the psychometric property of the Interparental Conflict Scale (IPCS). Results showed that these three inventories had good internal consistency reliabilities as well as convergent validities. Results of the principle component analysis (PCA) also showed that the factor structures of both the APNIR and the CPTGI-C were comparable to the English version questionnaires. The main findings of this project consisted of two parts. The first part explored the adjustment of adolescents from divorced families. It also investigated whether divorced and intact families with presence and absence of interparental conflict would have different adjustment outcomes, and whether there was an interaction between family status and interparental conflict on the outcomes. Statistical methods that included correlation analysis, independent sample t-test comparisons, 2-way multivariate analysis and factoral analysis of variance were used. In consistent with existing findings, the following results were obtained. First, adolescents from divorced families in general demonstrated more symptoms of emotional disorders than those from two-parent intact families. Second, adolescents from divorced families had witnessed a significantly higher level of interparental conflict than those from two-parent intact families. Third, parental divorce and interparental conflict significantly predicted adolescents’ maladjustment. Fourth, adolescents from two-parent intact families were happier than adolescents who came from divorced families. The second part of the main study focused on examining the relationship between cognitive processing styles (attentional styles and internal attribution) and adjustment by using hierarchical multiple regression analysis. Several significant findings were presented. First, a greater level of negative attentional style was predictive of more symptoms of psychopathology and less happiness. Second, a higher level of positive attentional style was related to more positive emotion and self-perceived personal growth, and less symptoms of psychopathology. Third, while interparental conflict was found to associate with anxiety and aggression, its effects were partially mediated by self-blame; and the effects of parental disputes on depression and happiness were fully mediated by self-blame. The current findings extend existing empirical knowledge by demonstrating that negative attentional style and internal attribution not only linked to more symptoms of emotional disorders but also to less positive emotion. At the same time, positive attentional style predicted positive affect and self-perceived positive change, which to the best of the author’s knowledge, had not been explored in previous studies. Implications, limitations and future directions of these findings were discussed. / published_or_final_version / Clinical Psychology / Doctoral / Doctor of Psychology

Research has shown that stress is related to negative physical and psychological changes among adults. Compared to the large body of literature on stress among adults, research on the effects of life stress among children and adolescents is relatively sparse. There is evidence, however, that stressful life events are related to problems among children and adolescents. Such problems include poor health, psychological distress, depression, suicide, and delinquent behavior. Research also has revealed several factors that moderate stress in children and adolescents. These factors include high self-esteem, an internal locus of control orientation, and social support from family and friends. Five scales measuring locus of control orientation, social support, level of psychosocial development, self-esteem, life events, and delinquent behavior were given to thirty early adolescents from divorced homes and thirty-four adolescents from intact homes. Results of regression analysis, using a general linear model, indicated that early adolescents from divorced homes had lower levels of self-esteem than children from intact homes. There were no significant differences between children from divorced and intact families in levels of delinquent behavior, locus of control, or psychosocial development as reflected in levels of autonomy, intimacy, and identity. Multiple regression analysis revealed that social support in the form of close friend support had a significant moderating effect on the delinquent behavior of early adolescents experiencing parental divorce. Levels of parental, teacher, and classmate support, as well as self-esteem and locus of control orientation, did not show any moderating effects on delinquent behavior. This study indicates that the impact of parental divorce on early adolescents is influenced by many factors. This study lends support to the need to investigate the effects of divorce on children and adolescents in terms of the coping resources available to the child. / Graduation date: 1992

As the rate of divorce is increasing, the number of children who have to cope with these stressful situations is also growing. Since these divorces come with many problems for the children involved, they are getting more and more attention. The professionnals who are required by the court to give their opinion on who should get the custody or what will be the right of access, have pointed out a particular phenomenon: parental alienation syndrome. The first person who described this syndrome was Gardner (1989, 1992a). He blamed the court system for the syndrome, where, in its adversarial perspective, one side tries to win over the other using alienation as one of their strategies. In our opinion, this view does not account for all the aspects of the parental alienation syndrome and for the emotional turmoil created by the divorce. When, after a divorce, one is trapped in one's emotions, the result is an impass, where parental alienation is but one aspect of this impass. This paper shows how an impass, grows and which form the parental alienation syndrome takes. Cases from our practice will illustrate some situations of parental alienation resulting from a psychological impass and where the children are the victims.

The purpose of this study was to fully explore children's reactions to parental separation and to look at these reactions in relation to a number of environmental, demographic, and temperamental variables. The study also investigated parents' perceptions of children's reactions and the relationship between the two. Forty children between the ages of 8 and 12 years, inclusive, whose parents had been separated less than 3 years, participated in the study. A number of descriptive and ethnographic procedures were utilized. A negative correlation of.62 was obtained between anxiety and self-esteem. The children in the study appeared to have a well-developed, reality-based comprehension of the divorce, even though they were generally sad about the divorce and hoped for a reconciliation. Meaningful results were observed when the children's responses were compared with regard to gender, age, and duration of separation. Few differences in response were noted with regard to levels of self-esteem. Anxiety, however, appeared to be related to many rather apparent differences in response. When parents' responses were compared to children's responses, a moderate variability was observed in those questions related to time periods. In the open-ended questions, there was moderate variability in response agreement between parent and child. Differences in response were also noted with regard to when the children were told about the separation and by whom.

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Thesis (MA (Psychology))--University of Stellenbosch, 2009. / Divorce is a stressful experience for ndividuals, especially children, who are still in the school age or adolescent development phase. It is often associated with loss, such as the loss of a parent in the home, and in some cases loss of financial stability. The primary aim of this study was to determine what support systems and coping strategies South African children of divorce make use of. The secondary aims were to investigate whether there are any age or gender differences with regard to coping strategies as well as support systems, and to investigate which support systems are perceived to be helpful and why certain support systems are not utilized. The study made use of a cross-sectional design and a sample of 41 South African children. Support systems were measured with a semi-structured questionnaire (Support Systems Questionnaire) that was developed based on a previous study conducted by Braude and Francisco-La Grange (1993). Children’s use of coping strategies was measured with the Children’s Coping Strategies Checklist – 3rd Revision (CCSC-R3). Results indicate that children make use of avoidance coping strategies most often, followed by active coping strategies and support coping strategies. The majority of the children named the mother as the most helpful source of support after the divorce. Findings show certain age and gender differences in the support systems used by the children. Older children (13- to-17-year-old) were more likely to speak to adults other than their parents about the divorce than younger children (8- to- 12-year-old). Girls were more likely than boys to confide in their friends, psychologists and adults other than their parents about the divorce. There were no age or gender differences regarding the three main coping strategies used by the children (active coping, avoidant coping and support coping). There were, however, differences regarding the more specific coping strategies. Younger children were more likely than older children to use wishful thinking as a coping strategy. They also made more use of parents for support for problem solving and support for feelings than did adolescents. All of the children in the sample made some effort to cope with their problems and had some form of support system.

Thesis (MA)--Stellenbosch University, 2013. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: Adolescence is a difficult life stage to navigate, and having to face a significant life crisis, such as the divorce of one’s parents, intensifies the already heavy burden of adolescence. Divorce, moreover, may have lasting detrimental ramifications for the individual. As a result, the individual seeks mechanisms and ways of coping with life’s stressors. Adaptive coping mechanisms, such as religiousness and spirituality, have positive effects on the individual, especially with regard to his/her psychological well-being (Wills, Yaeger, & Sandy, 2003). Against this background, the present study investigated the psychological well-being, religiousness and spirituality of adolescents from intact families and adolescents from divorced families. The aim was to determine whether there were differences in psychological well-being, religiousness and spirituality between these two groups of adolescents, and also to explore qualitatively how adolescents from divorced families utilise their religiousness and spirituality to cope with the divorce of their parents. The life span theory (Newman & Newman, 2009), pillars of psychological well-being (Ryff, 1989), faith development theory (Fowler, 1981) and Bronfenbrenner’s bio-ecological theory (1979) all contributed to the theoretical framework for this study. A mixed-methods research design was employed. The Ryff Psychological Well-Being scale (Ryff, 1989) was used to measure psychological well-being, and the Assessment of Spiritual and Religious Sentiments scale (Piedmont, 2005) was used to measure religiousness and spirituality. An open-ended question was utilised to explore significant life crises that the participants had faced, whether the participants believed that their religiousness and/or spirituality aided them during the crisis, and how they employed their religiousness and/or spirituality to cope with the significant life crisis. A total of ninety adolescents aged between 15 and 18 years from three schools in the Helderberg basin in the Western Cape participated in this study. The results show that there were some significant differences between genders with regard to specific dimensions of psychological well-being, religiousness and spirituality. These dimensions were personal growth, religiosity, prayer fulfilment and universality, and females tended to score higher on all of these dimensions. There were no significant differences with regard to type of household (intact or divorced) on psychological well-being, religiousness or spirituality. The qualitative results show that religiousness is a definite coping mechanism that participants use to navigate the crisis of divorce. This thesis contributes to research on adolescents, religiousness and spirituality, and the effects of divorce. Recommendations are made for future research into religiousness and spirituality. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Adolessensie is ‘n moeilike lewensfase om te navigeer, en om ‘n groot lewenskrisis, soos die egskeiding van jou ouers, die hoof te bied, vergroot die reeds swaar las van adolessensie. Egskeiding kan ook blywende en nadelige gevolge vir die individu inhou. Gevolglik poog die individu om meganismes en maniere te soek om die bykomende lewenstressors te hanteer. Gesonde hanteringsmeganismes, soos godsdienstigheid en spiritualiteit, het ‘n positiewe uitwerking op die individu, veral met betrekking tot sy/haar sielkundige welstand (Wills, Yaeger, & Sandy, 2003). Na aanleiding hiervan is hierdie tesis gerig op die ondersoek van verskille in sielkundige welstand, godsdienstigheid en spiritualiteit in adolessente uit getroude gesinne en adolessente uit geskeide gesinne. Hierdie tesis is daarop gemik om te bepaal of daar verskille in sielkundige welstand, godsdienstigheid en spiritualiteit is tussen hierdie twee groepe adolessente, en ook om kwalitatief te bepaal presies hoe adolessente uit geskeide gesinne hulle godsdienstigheid en spiritualiteit gebruik om die egskeiding van hulle ouers te hanteer. Die lewenspanteorie (Newman & Newman, 2009), pilare van sielkundige welstand (Ryff, 1989), faith development theory (Fowler, 1981) en Bronfenbrenner se bio-ekologiese teorie (1979) is as teoretiese raamwerke vir hierdie navorsing gebruik. ‘n Gemengde metode navorsingsontwerp is gebruik. Sielkundige welstand is met die Ryff Psychological Well-Being skaal (Ryff, 1989) gemeet, terwyl godsdienstigheid en spiritualiteit met die Assessment of Spiritual and Religious Sentiments (Piedmont, 2005) skaal gemeet is. 'n Oopeinde-vraag is ontwerp om die groot lewenskrisisse te verken wat die deelnemers ervaar het, om uit te vind of die deelnemers glo dat hulle godsdienstigheid en/of spiritualiteit hulle tydens die krisis gehelp het, en hoe hulle hul godsdienstigheid en/of spiritualiteit tydens die verwerking van die groot lewenskrisis gebruik het. ‘n Totaal van negentig adolessente tussen die ouderdomme van 15 en 18 jaar van drie skole in die Helderbergkom in die Wes-Kaap het aan hierdie navorsing deelgeneem. Die resultate het getoon dat daar 'n paar beduidende verskille tussen geslagte is met betrekking tot die spesifieke dimensies van sielkundige welstand, godsdienstigheid en spiritualiteit. Hierdie dimensies was persoonlike groei, religiositeit gebedsvervulling en universaliteit. Vroulike deelnemers was geneig om hoër tellings te behaal vir al vier hierdie dimensies. Daar was geen beduidende verskille met betrekking tot die tipe huishouding (getroud of geskei) op sielkundige welstand, godsdienstigheid of spiritualiteit nie. Die kwalitatiewe resultate het getoon dat godsdienstigheid 'n definitiewe behartigingsmeganisme is wat deelnemers gebruik om die krisis van hulle ouers se egskeiding te hanteer. Hierdie tesis dra by tot navorsing oor adolessente, godsdienstigheid en spiritualiteit, en die gevolge van egskeiding. Aanbevelings word gemaak vir toekomstige navorsing oor godsdienstigheid en spiritualiteit.