Thesis (M.A.)--Ohio State University. / Bibliography: leaves 128-134. Available online via OhioLINK's ETD Center

Thesis--Wisconsin. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 57-63).

A Research Report submitted to the Faculty of Education, University of the Witwatersrand. in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Education / The present study explored the use of the genogram as a method of family therapy intervention which facilitates the establishment of an effective relationship with African families. (Abbreviation abstract) / Andrew Chakane 2019

Thesis (M.S.)--Ohio University, August, 2009. / Title from PDF t.p. Includes bibliographical references.

M.A. / Five years after the first democratic elections were held in South Africa and the "death" of Apartheid, it might be a good time to look back and ask questions about the impact of Apartheid on the black family. It is generally accepted that Apartheid had only negative consequences, This study does not doubt these negative consequences, but finds it important to investigate the ordinary black family's experience of Apartheid. Therefore this study focuses specifically on the black family and the influence of Apartheid thereon. For black South Africans, the period between 1948 and April 1994 ; was a time of discrimination and segregation on all levels of everyday life. Apartheid meant that your skincolour determined the place where you would live and which facilities would be available to you. During the rule of the Apartheidsregime, urbanisation of especially black people, took place at a fast rate. Black people moved to cities, mainly in search of a better future because of the poverty in the rural areas. Arriving in the city, black people were met with many difficulties. In terms of the Apartheid policy, black people were not seen as South African citizens and were not recognised as permanent residents of urban areas. Therefore no provisions were made for housing of black people. As a direct result of this, overpopulation of shacks soon took place and entire settlements turned into slums. Another result of Apartheid and urbanisation was labour migration. This meant that at first, mainly black men entered into employment in urban areas for prolonged periods of time while, out of necessity, leaving their families behind in rural areas. The aforementioned had a serious impact on the black family as a unit. The traditional black family characteristically has an extended family structure. This implies that a parent-child relationship extend and two or more generations live together as one unit. For the past thirty years, family structures across the world have been moving towards a nuclear family structure. In 1994, 59% of urban black people were still involved in an extended family structure. However a debate still rages whether the family is in fact changing to a nuclear family structure or not. For purposes of this study it is accepted that the black family is currently evolving away from an extended family structure and is constantly undergoing change toward a nuclear family structure. In order to ascertain the impact of Apartheid on the black family, this study sets out to answer the following three broad questions: The respondents were questioned at length about their perceptions of their childhood. These perceptions gave insight into the experience of everyday life of black people during Apartheid. The second question evolved around the respondents' perceptions of their relationship with their parents. Once again this gave insight into the dynamics of the black family and the influence of Apartheid thereon: Finally, the respondents were questioned about their personal experience of Apartheid in general. In order to answer the above-mentioned questions, a qualitative research method was followed: In-depth interviews were held with twenty respondents living in the Gauteng area.

The number of African American women who have never married has increased significantly. This is an ethnographic study of eight Young High Functioning (YHF) African American women from the Washington, D.C. and New York City metropolitan areas. Six of the women participated in focus groups and two were individually interviewed to understand how they perceive marriage and their thoughts about being single. YHF is defined as women who are 25-35 years old, have at least a bachelor's degree and make at least $35,000. All of the eight women had never married. The six major themes that emerged in the course of the study were: perceptions of marriage, expectations for balancing work and family, criteria for a perfect mate, dating experiences, the African American family and spirituality. While much of the literature on the decline in marriage among African Americans focuses on the sex ratio of males to females, these YHF African American women were much more concerned about the eligibility of the men in the dating pool than the ratio of males to females. They are looking for mates who share their core values of spirituality, goal oriented, family oriented and they are looking for supportive partners. / Master of Science

Thesis (D. Min.)--Northern Baptist Theological Seminary, Lombard, Ill., 1996. / This is an electronic reproduction of TREN, #077-0011. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 106-110).

Thesis (D. Min.)--Northern Baptist Theological Seminary, Lombard, Ill., 1996. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 106-110).

HIV/AIDS has presented humanity with various challenges, one of which is the manner in which it has affected family structure and patterns. Parental illness and eventual death due to the HIV/AIDS pandemic is escalating. One of the major challenges of HIV/AIDS in southern Africa is the increase in the number of orphaned and vulnerable children. As a result new family forms are emerging such as the "skip-generation" family in which children or adolescent siblings head the family. It is anticipated that HIV/AIDS in South Africa will progressively increase the number of such families. During this time of profound family change, the family as an institution has remained remarkably resilient. The present study utilised the Family Resilience Framework and the Resiliency Model of Family Stress, Adjustment and Adaptation to explore and describe the resilience of HIV/AIDS’ adolescent headed families. A qualitative, exploratory-descriptive research design, which was assessed against Guba’s (1985) model of trustworthiness, was employed and the participants were sampled using non-probability purposive sampling. The Masizakhe Community Project volunteers (an AIDS Community Project in Kwazakhele, Port Elizabeth receiving support from the iThemba AIDS Foundation) assisted in identifying participants according to the predetermined inclusion criteria. The sample consisted of four female, adolescent heads of HIV/AIDS’ affected households, who volunteered at the Masizakhe Community Project and resided in Kwazakhele. The data that was collected via audio-recorded semi structured interviews were transcribed verbatim and subjected to Interpretive Phenomenological Analysis. Family resilience factors that emerged included intrafamilial strengths (family cohesion, organisation, hardiness, and adaptability); social support resources (especially from the community project, friends, and community members); family appraisal processes; and problem solving and coping strategies. Extended family support was partial and largely financial. The findings from this study provided insights into the resilience of adolescent-headed families; provided guidance for the development of intervention programmes to assist these families; and affirmed the existing strengths of the families. Furthermore, it has contributed to the research and literature on family resilience and formed the foundation for future research projects.

This study is an endeavour to demonstrate the applicability of constructivist epistemology in different contexts. The black family is presented as one of such contexts. The study is further a demonstration of the role of a symptom as part of a recursive process of interaction in the context of a black family. It reflects an orientation rooted in cybernetics, ecology and systems theory. Therapy is presented as a context through which the therapist becomes incorporated and, therefore, adopting and speaking the language of the family's particular form of symptomatic communication in order to engender change. A literature study presenting a conceptual framework is presented. A case study presenting the research data is presented. Transcripts from video-taped sessions with the family are presented in the addendum. The implications of constructivist framework for the field of family therapy in the context of a black family are, therefore, outlined. / Social work / M.A. (Mental Health)