While many studies have investigated grandparenthood from the point of view of the grandparent, few have considered this issue from the perspective of the grandchild. In this respect, a number of variables (i.e., grandchild age and gender, parents' marital status, and grandparents' age, gender, education, kinship position, residential proximity to and frequency of visiting with grandchildren, perceived influence on the grandchild, style of grandparenting, and relationship with the parents) were investigated as determinants of the quality of the grandparent-grandchild relationship in a sample of 171 adolescents and young adults. It was found that different sets of variables operated for different grandparents to predict the quality of their relationships with grandchildren.

Call number: LD2668 .T4 1986 S24 / Master of Arts / Communication Studies

M.A. / When a person is diagnosed with a chronic illness, the family as a whole is affected. The family members as caregivers to the patient become the clients. During the course of their care-giving, family members encounter various situations that require them to give ethical and value-ridden decisions that are related to the care and wellbeing of their patients. Many of the issues and dilemmas facing family members as caregivers place them in a double-bind situation. The decision to act or not to act is emotionally painful and guilt-provoking. These impacts on the family members warrant that they be assisted by a social worker, to adjust to a new situation as caregivers and also to preserve the normal family functioning system. The goal of this study is to investigate the emotional and social impact chronic illness has on the patient's family, with the purpose of formulating recommendations for the improvement of current family interventions as part of chronically ill patients rehabilitation programme. The study was conducted at Emseni Chronic Care center, which is a hospital for the chronically ill patients in Hillbrow. There are about 240 patients of which more than 60% are dislocated from their families. Purposive sampling was used in this study and 26 patient's families were interviewed. The qualitative approach is adopted in this study. The qualitative approach has advantages that it is a highly effective means of obtaining the information required for further understanding and exploration of a topic, Cresswell (1994). A qualitative interview was used with one main question, to gather data for the study. The data was also analyzed qualitatively and conclusions are drawn from the results. The study presents the guidelines as recommendations to be considered when working with families of chronically ill patients. The researcher is of the opinion that if practiced properly, the guidelines can be a valuable asset as a tool for social workers working with the family members as part of rehabilitation programme for the chronically ill patients. / Dr. W. Roestenburg

M.A. / Dwarfism is a medical condition of disproportionate short stature and occurs in about one in every 25 000 children born worldwide (Scott, 1996). There are more than 200 types of dwarfism (Wikipedia, 2006), of which the most common form of dwarfism is Achondroplasia occurring in about 80% of all dwarfs (Little People’s Research Fund, 2006). Dwarfism is plagued by negative stereotyping and stigmatisation. There is a paucity of existing research on dwarfism, and in particular it’s associated psychological aspects. Existing literature is largely focused on parents’ reactions towards their dwarf child but it is possible that the negative attention dwarfs receive when in public can directly affect a dwarf’s close relationships, in particular, those with their siblings. Therefore, the aim of the present study was to explore the experiences of non-dwarf siblings growing up with a dwarf sibling. A sibling relationship is an emotional bond or transaction existing between two brothers, two sisters or between a brother and a sister. This relationship can have both positive and negative aspects (Bank & Kahn, 1982) and these can be more profound with the presence of a sibling with a disability (Ferrari & Sussman, 1987). Previous studies of sibling relationships with a disability have found various negative aspects, for example, feelings of isolation, resentment, anger and guilt, as well as an increase of stress in the family (Carpenter, 1997). However, research also suggested positive aspects, including an acceptance of diversity and an appreciation for life and psychological growth (Connors & Stalker, 2003). Therefore, it was thought to be possible that these negative and positive aspects may also hold true for a sibling relationship in which one member is a dwarf.

Ph.D. (Educational Psychology) / Please refer to full text to view abstract

M.A. / The purpose of this dissertation was to gain an in depth understanding of the impact on family functioning post the act of rape upon one of its members. Family members of rape victims either completed a questionnaire or they were interviewed by the researcher. This was solely at their discretion. Their perceptions and experiences were recorded and analysed. Rape and sexual assault has a definite effect on the social functioning of family members. All of the respondents felt that the rape had affected them deeply and most of the participants believed that the incident had a devastating effect initially. The majority of the respondents sought help from an external source because they felt that they were in need of support. Their family unit was threatened and to regain control of it, counselling was sought. This counselling was mainly individual in nature but there were certain instances where couples therapy played a role. Not one of the respondents ever attended a group or a family session. This was because there was no support group in place to fulfill this need. All the participants believed that support groups for family members of rape victims was both vital and necessary. If given the chance, all of them would have attended a support group session. On the whole, literature verifies the results found in this study. Most literature agrees that rape has a serious impact on family functioning post the act of rape upon one of its members. Some families may only have had bad memories but continued to function completely normally whilst others virtually stopped functioning at all and the resultant family unit was forever broken. Whether the family continues to function normally or that they are unable to cope at all, the fact still remains that the effect of rape on the social functioning of the family is felt to a greater or lesser degree. In most instances, the impact of rape has very traumatic repercussions that should lead to social work intervention. / Dr. E. Oliphant

This study was based on three interviews with three internationally adopted young adults. The aim of the study was to explore how international adopted young adults have experienced their identity development in a retrospective perspective in relation to family and friends. To answer the research-questions semi-structured qualitative inter­views have been performed. A narrative method was chosen to explore how the parti­cipants' described their experiences. Topics that appeared in the result where topics such as family relationships, the society’s influence on the participants and connections to other adoptees. The conclusions of this study were that com­muni­cation and connections to family was an essential factor in the subjects' identity develop­ment. The informants feeling of belonging was affected by society´s influence on appearances and it was important for the participants to have someone in their life that they could talk to and get support from.

This is an ethnography of the lives of sex workers in two clubs in Johannesburg. It aimed to explore the intimate lives of sex workers, focusing on how sex workers maintain boundaries between their work and their private lives. Difficulties and issues of time and access meant the research increasingly became one of illuminating the rich texture and social worlds of the two clubs. As it turns out, these women’s private lives are intricately linked to their work. The ethnographic research method uncovered the complex and otherwise hidden processes in the clubs, from the regimes of work, to the surveillance, drugs and money. The research revealed the exploitative nature of sex work at the clubs, but also the agency and choice that these women exercised in their work and private lives, challenging the notion of sex workers as mere victims.

A Research Report submitted to the Faculty of Arts at the University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, in partial fulfilment of the requirements of the degree of Master of Arts (Clinical Psychology). / The study aimed to assess the hypothetical conditions under which battery is justified by a sample of 225 police officers within the Gauteng area and to explore how these justifications were related to sex role attitude, The study employed a questionnaire design with the "Justification of Abuse Scale" used to measure justification, the "Attitude Towards Women Scale" used to measure sex role attitude and additional demographic questions posed to subjects. The results showed that the majority of police officers are opposed to the use of physical force by a husband towards his wife, but that a substantial minority accept that there are situations in which beatings are justified. Two distinct factors emerged from a factor analysis computed on the justification scale. These factors were termed Major provocation (Factor 1) and Minor provocation (Factor 2) Sex role attitude was found to be significantly related to justification, with police officers holding traditional attitudes being less opposed to the use of physical force and police officers holding egalitarian attitudes being more opposed to the use of physical force by a husband towards his wife. The demographic variables that were found to be related to justification beliefs were: age, language group, years of service, rank and level of education. / AC 2018

A research report submitted to the Faculty of Arts at the University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, in partial fulfilment of the requirements of the degree of Master of Arts (Clinical Psychology). / The study aimed to assess the hypothetical conditions under which battery is justified by a sample of 225 police officers within the Gauteng area and to explore how these justifications were related to sex role attitude, The study employed a questionnaire design with the "Justification of Abuse Scale" used to measure justification, the "Attitude Towards Women Scale" used to measure sex role attitude and additional demographic questions posed to subjects. The results showed that the majority of police officers are opposed to the use of physical force by a husband towards his wife, but that a substantial minority accept that there are situations in which beatings are justified. Two distinct factors emerged from a factor analysis computed on the justification scale. These factors were termed Major provocation (Factor 1) and Minor provocation (Factor 2) Sex role attitude was found to be significantly related to justification, with police officers holding traditional attitudes being less opposed to the use of physical force and police officers holding egalitarian attitudes being more opposed to the use of physical force by a husband towards his wife. The demographic variables that were found to be related to justification beliefs were: age, language group, years of service, rank and level of education. / AC2018