Note: / The effects of disability on sibling well-being and sibling relationship quality wereevaluated. Particularly, two disabilities (Phelan-McDermid syndrome and attentionhyperactivity disorder) with significantly different functional implications were examined.Siblings completed measures on behavioural and emotional functioning, self-concept,and sibling relationship quality. For both disability groups, no positive or negative effectson sibling weIl-being were found when compared to siblings oftypicaIly developingchildren. Sibling relationship quality was different for aIl three groups of siblings. Whenthere was disability in the home, siblings reported less intimacy in their relationships.Siblings of children with Phelan-McDerrnid syndrome reported more mutual admiration,more power and less conflict in their relationships than siblings oftypically developingchildren. They also reported more warmth in their relationship than siblings of childrenwith attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. The importance of understanding howdisability in the home can affect siblings is emphasized. / Les effets de troubles de santé sur le bien-être d'enfants de même famille et sur lesrelations entre frères et soeurs furent évalués. Particulièrement, deux syndromes, lesyndrome de Phelan-McDermid et le Trouble du Déficit de l'Attention avec ou sansHyperactivité (TDAH), qui ont implications pratiques significativement différentes furentexaminés. Les entants de même famille ont complété des questionnaires sur leurfonctionnement émotionnel et comportemental, leur concept de soi et la qualité de larelation avec leur frère ou leur soeur. Pour les deux groupes d'enfants avec un frère ouune soeur atteinte d'un trouble quelconque, aucun effet positif ou négatif sur le bien-êtrefut découvert comparativement aux enfants de familles typiques. Toutefois, la qualité desrelations entre enfants de même famille était différente dans les trois groupes. Quand l'undes enfants était atteint d'un trouble, moins d'intimité était rapportée dans la relationentre frères et soeurs. Les frères et soeurs d'enfants atteints du syndrome de PhelanMcDermidont déclaré qu'ils éprouvaient plus d'admiration, plus de pouvoir et moins deconflits entre eux que chez des enfants de familles typiques. Ils ont aussi exprimé plus detendresse dans leur relation que dans les familles d'enfants avec un TDAH. Cet ouvragesouligne également l'importance de comprendre comment les problèmes de santé d'unenfant peuvent affecter les autres enfants de leur famille.11

D.Litt. et Phil. / The need for instruments for the assessment of prisoners to enhance rehabilitation was identified by the Department of Correctional Services. The Department of Correctional Services requested the supervisor to develop instruments for assessing prisoners. The researcher was requested to develop instruments for a specific area of assessment, namely, family assessment. Focus groups were used to identify the specific focus of the assessment instruments for prisoners. Analyzing the results of the focus groups lead to identifying the specific needs regarding a broad field of assessment areas. The main focus of family assessment that was identified through the focus groups are: • Partner satisfaction • Satisfaction with parenting • Relationship with parent (mother and or father) • Satisfaction with support • Family functioning The process of scale development as described by Faul (1995) was discussed. Specific attention was given to the different phases of this process, namely the pre-development phase, development phase, validation phase, and utilization phase. The systems theory was used as theoretical frame for the development of the assessment instruments. From the communication approach, strategic approach, and the structural approach, an integrated approach was developed. This integrated approach was used as conceptual frame for the development of assessment instruments. The five assessment areas were operationalized. Attributes that can be associated with each construct were used to give a definition of each construct. The attributes of the constructs were used as the basis for item generation when the scales were developed. Five steps were followed in the development phase. The items were designed, the scale lengths were determined, items were scaled, a scoring formula was developed, and instructions were written. In the validation phase, the reliability and the validity of the new scales were investigated. The results of the validation study show that the newly developed scales are reliable and valid, and can be used for family assessment of prisoners. Methodological conclusions were used to make recommendations regarding the use of the assessment instruments, the development of programmes, and further research that must be done.

M.A. (Social Work) / Although families and the effects that retarded'children have on their functioning has been a focus of clinical concern for some time, it is only recently that research on the family as a system has come to the fore. Inherent in this work has been the notion that the relationships and influences between retarded children and their families are most likely reciprocal and circular (Crnic, Fredrich & Greenberg, 1983), such that although families are affected by the presence of retarded children, the children are also affected by their families' response and the quality of the home context (Nihira, Meyers and Mink 1980). The response that parents and families have to the children is to some degree dependent upon the stresses endured and perceived by the family members in response to the presence of the disorder. Families, too, are more than a collection of independent individuals. The family context is a system and an organisation that operates on several levels. These levels include the various combinations of family members in specific interactions (mother-child, mother-father-child, mother-father and sibling-sibling), as well as the group activities in which families engage (e.g. recreational, chores, community involvement etc. ). The stress frequently associated with the presence of the retarded child affects the family system, as well as the parents and siblings as individuals (Crnic, Fredrich, & Greenberg, 1983).

D.Litt. et Phil. / Please refer to full text to view abstract

No description available.

The raison d'être of my research is simple: it’s about tossing one more starfish back into the surf. Down syndrome is not a disease, nor is it contagious or a death sentence (it only feels that way when you find out for the first time). At the moment of conception, the apprearance of extra genetic material results in a total of 47 chromosomes in every cell. Usually each cell has only 46, thus making an individual with Down syndrome far more like others than different from them. Yet, this extra chromosome presents special circumstances regarding their ability to acquire new skills, be it academic or practical, encompassing a specific learning profile with typical characterisitcs, strengths and weaknesses. Twenty-first century family life is simultaneously challenging and richly rewarding and the expectancy of most families are of a life lived on paved highways with well-marked signs, and rest stops never far apart. Adding an extra chromosome to the luggage sends the family travelling down a vastly different highway instead, not always knowing what is ahead. It’s scary, but in reality even those on the wide smooth roads do not know the future. Echoing the feelings of many parents, Leonard (1992: 5) states, “The trouble is that we have few, if any maps to guide us on the journey or show us how to find the path…” Assumptions from previous decades that used to increase stress associated with rearing a child with Down syndrome would negatively impact on individual family members and the family unit as such. This has made way for the growing consensus that it is not necessarily the norm. Whilst some families have trouble in adapting to the increased stress, other families adjust easier and even thrive. Successful adaptation seems more likely in resilient families who enjoy high levels of parental well-being and strong relationship bonds. Findings of this qualitative research study confirm that unresolved marital strains are more likely to result in divorce as opposed to the birth of their child with Down syndrome. Correspondingly, siblings of children with Down syndrome reported mostly positive impact than negated opportunities to participate in a normal childhood. My motivation for this research was to explore the nature of challenges faced by modern families and to provide mechanisms to facilitate positive adaptation for the family and aid vii inclusion of the child with Down syndrome into school and greater society. Recommendations are also presented for the medical professionals who, ironically, have proved to be the last people parents want to go for support, owing mostly to their decidedly objectionable treatment of parents; as well as the generally uninformed public, who seldom understand or support attempts of parents to include and expose their child to everyday experiences. In conclusion, I summarize: Should it be that I may influence but one person to see persons with Down syndrome for the potential that they hold instead of the associated problems of their condition, this would afford me the satisfaction and contentment knowing that I have succeeded in making a positive contribution to their plight. I would have successfully portrayed the families for the ordinary people they are with anticipations, aspirations and anxieties, but later tasting the elation of being empowered, and the resultant enjoyment and pride of the achievements of their extraordinary “starfish” child. The simple story below explains it all. A little boy was walking on the beach when he noticed scores of starfish washed onto the beach by the previous night’s high tide. He curiously watched as an old man bent down, came up slowly and tossed one starfish after the other into the surf. He went closer to investigate. “Excuse me, sir, what are you doing?” he enquired. The old man said: “I am throwing the starfish back into the ocean before they die, my boy…come, lend a hand”. The boy looked up and down the beach at the hundreds of starfish scattered along the shoreline. “But there’s too many…” said the boy, “it’ll make no difference!” The old man smiled, bent down, picked up another starfish, and carefully tossing it into the clear blue water, he replied, “…It makes a difference to this one…”

This study examined the problem of the lack of understanding of the family's reaction to the psychiatric hospitalization of a family member. A review of the literature indicated that little has been done to increase our knowledge of the family's perception of this event in their lives. It further indicated that these families have needs and concerns resulting from the experience of the psychiatric illness and hospitalization. These needs and concerns were not being addressed by health care workers. This qualitative study utilized the phenomenological approach. Data were obtained from seven families of patients admitted to a psychiatric hospital for the first time. Two unstructured interviews were conducted with each family during the course of the patient's hospitalization. The content of the interviews included discussion of all aspects of the hospitalization with the families directing the emphasis toward the aspects that were important to them. The data were analysed using the method of constant comparative analysis. Major categories were developed which reflected the meaning of the hospitalization experience for the families. The categories included acknowledging the hospital as a solution to the problem, reframing past events to make sense of the present, assimilating the experience into their every-day lives, and questioning the future in relation to the present experience of the illness and the hospitalization. The themes were not found to be discrete, sequential activities but were described as inter-dependent and circular in nature. The data were discussed in relation to the literature reviewed, with comparisons being drawn between those previous studies and the current one. The implications for nursing practice, education, and research were discussed. / Applied Science, Faculty of / Nursing, School of / Graduate

M.A. (Research Psychology) / It has become increasingly recognized that medical outcomes in chronic illness depend substantially on behavioural factors as well as biochemical factors (Hamburg & Inoff, 1984, p.321), and health-related personnel have begun to realize that comprehensive care of chronically ill individuals should be based on the tenet that the person is a biopsychosocial being who is in constant interaction with the environment ...

Societal pressures have led to social and legal policy changes that have resulted in fertility clinics increasingly permitting lesbians access to their services. Therefore, lesbian women are able to conceive their children and create their families in ways that historically were not available to them. While some research has been conducted examining the needs, experiences, and issues faced by lesbian-led families in general, there is a dearth of research that exclusively explores lesbian couples who conceived their children through the use of anonymous donor insemination. The qualitative method that guided this research was interpretive interactionism. Interviews were conducted with 10 couples who self-identified as lesbian, chose to have their children while in their lesbian relationships, and conceived their children through the use of anonymous donor insemination. Analysis of the transcripts revealed that four themes shaped, constructed, represented, and gave meaning to these unique family configurations. These four themes are (a) conception options of two women, (b) two women parenting, (c) anonymous donors/not fathers, and (d) families with lesbian mothers. These themes are elaborated in terms of their implications for lesbian-led families, clinical practice, and future research. / Education, Faculty of / Educational and Counselling Psychology, and Special Education (ECPS), Department of / Graduate

A study through short stories of the emotional effects on close family relationships before and after a traumatic death.