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Summaries in English and Afrikaans / Text in Afrikaans / In hierdie studie is gepoog om te bepaal hoe adolessente adapteer wanneer hulle alleen (sonder hul gesin) in Suid-Afrika agterbly terwyl hul ouers langtermyn buitelandse <liensverng. Om te kon bepaal hoe adolessente adapteer, is daar eerstens 'n uitgebreide literatuurstudie onderneem. Die Veerkragtigheidsmodel van gesinstres, aanpassing en adaptasie van McCubbin is as teoretiese onderbou gebruik. Tweedens is 'n empiriese studie onderneem deur die gebruik van die "A-Cope" vraelys om te bepaal watter adaptasiegedragspatrone en adaptasiegedragstipes deur adolessente gebruik word in stresvolle situasies (soos byvoorbeeld wanneer hulle alleen in Suid-Afrika agterbly wanneer hulle ouers langtermyn buitelandse <liens verrig). Die empiriese studie het aangetoon dat die adaptasiegedragspatrone en -gedragstipes, wat die mees waarskynlikste is, die vermyding van probleme is. Die mees onwaarskynlike adaptasiegedragspatroon is die gebruik van professionele ondersteuning. Aanbevelings is gemaak in die belang van adolessente, hul ouers en die maatskaplike werker van die Departement van Buitelandse Sake. / This study endeavoured to determine how adolescents, cope when they are left behind in South Africa (without their families) while their parents do long term foreign service abroad. To determine how adolescents cope an expansive literature study was firstly undertaken. The Resiliency Model of Family Stress, Adjustment and Adaptation by McCubbin served as the theoretical basis. Secondly, an empirical study was undertaken. The A-Cope index was used to determine which coping patterns and coping behaviour adolescents apply when dealing with stressful situations such as when they stay alone in South Africa while their parents serve abroad. The empirical study revealed that the coping patterns and coping behaviours that adolescents respectively apply the most, are avoidance of problems. The most unlikely coping behaviour that adolescents will apply, is to seek professional assistance. Recommendations are made in the interest of adolescents, their parents and the social worker at the Department of Foreign Affairs. / Social Work / M.A.(Social Work)

Thesis (DPhil (Psychology))—University of Stellenbosch, 2006. / This study addresses unprivileged dichotomies in an endeavour to make audible the silence surrounding Xhosa family resilience. This study is essentially descriptive and exploratory in nature and directed towards an understanding of the factors contributing to the resilience of Xhosa-speaking, rural black South African families. To contextualise the discussion a selection of theories on resilience are viewed within their cultural contexts. Western psychology’s privileging of a) the scrutiny of pathology while disregarding resilience; of b) white participants to black participants; and c) individuality to relationship centeredness and familial systems; are uncovered and a hypothetical understanding of Xhosa family resilience is construed. The line of thought culminates in the theoretical discussion and empirical exploration of The Resiliency Model of Family Stress, Adjustment and Adaptation (McCubbin, Thompson, & McCubbin, 1996). In the concluding remarks of this project an adaptation of this model, namely the Resiliency Model of Family Stress, Strength, Adjustment and Adaptation, is construed. The derived model is based on an integration of the findings of this study with resilience theory.

This study investigated the difference in stress levels of stress factors according to the structure or type of family. The relatedness of the ranking of stress factors within and across three family types and the relationship between level of stress and number of years in current family type were also examined. Important aspects of this study were using three family types, using families seeking counseling as the subjects, and investigating numerous stress factors across family types. These research techniques avoided the limitations of previous research which investigated only one family type, thus isolating special stress issues for a certain family type where those special issues actually might not differentiate among family types. Also, considering numerous stress factors at one time, rather than only a few factors, indicated relative levels of stress as well as absolute stresses that families are likely to experience. Targeting families who had sought counseling should give counselors a more realistic view of clients and their problems.

青少女未婚懷孕的現象引起國內許多研究者的關注，有鑑於家長為懷孕青少女的重要他人，對於生育決策具有一定程度的影響力，本研究以家長的角度出發，採取質性研究方法針對家長如何處理青少女的未婚生子事件進行探討，透過本研究可瞭解：一、懷孕青少女的原生家庭樣貌以及親子關係；二、家長處理青少女未婚生子事件之考量、態度與方法；三、家長處理青少女未婚生子事件所發揮的功能和扮演的角色；四、青少女未婚生子事件對於家庭的影響。本研究使用立意抽樣，選取符合條件的家長進行訪問，樣本來源包含機構引薦以及透過友人介紹。 依據研究目的，研究者與八位家長一對一進行深度訪談，研究結果如下： 一、家長處理青少女未婚生子是做全面性的思考以及整合性的考量，主要考量含括四個層面：（一）青少女：發現時懷孕的週數、重視青少女的學業、衡量青少女撫養小孩的能力、受到青少女意願之影響；（二）家長：家長想終止懷孕的事實、家庭支持的有無和多寡；（三）男方：男方處理事件的態度、男方對於婚姻的看法；（四）社會：顧及社會觀感及眼光、順應社會期待。 二、家長於事件主要扮演五個角色：協助決策者、法定代理者、資訊蒐集者、教育者、照顧者，每個角色執行該角色所應該發揮之功能。 三、本研究主要從「懷孕階段」以及「留養階段」來瞭解事件對於家庭的影響，在「懷孕階段」家長因為一時無法接受而產生「情緒上的衝擊」，隨著孫子即將到來，也需面臨「角色的轉變」，未婚生子事件會牽動整個家庭，使得「家庭系統改變」，在「留養階段」，多數家庭面臨「經濟負擔沉重」、「家庭成員需協助承擔照顧責任」的議題。 四、青少女的未婚生子事件可能造成家庭的壓力，本研究採用家庭壓力理論，並結合社會環境的觀點，瞭解家庭目前擁有的資源多寡以及對於事件的解讀，相互影響形成壓力程度，連結相關資源並裝備家庭能力以渡過壓力和危機。 五、針對未婚生子青少女之家庭與家長的需求對實務工作、服務體系以及未來研究此三方面提出相關建議，做為未來實務工作、政策制定以及研究之參考。 / The phenomenon of premarital birth to adolescent girls has drawn a great attention from many researchers in Taiwan. Due to the parents play an important role for pregnant adolescent girls in terms of possessing a certain degree of influence over reproductive decision making, the study takes stance of parents’ perspective and employs qualitative research method to discuss how parents deal with the premarital birth to adolescent girls. We can understand the followings through this study: 1.The original family and the parent-child relationship of pregnant adolescent girls. 2. The concerns, attitudes and methods taken by parents when dealing with premarital birth to adolescent girls. 3. The function and role played by parents when dealing with premarital birth to adolescent girls. 4. The influence of premarital birth to adolescent girls on the family. The study employs purposive sampling to select eligible parents for interview. The source of samples comprises agency referrals and through introduction by friends. According to the research purpose, the researcher conducted one-to-one in-depth interview with eight parents. The study results are described in the follows: 1. Parents deal with premarital birth to adolescent girls through a comprehensive thinking and integrated consideration, mainly taking into consideration of the following four dimensions: (1) Adolescent girls: number of pregnant weeks upon discovery, emphasis on the academics of adolescent girls, evaluation on the ability of adolescent girls raising the child, influence by the intention of adolescent girls. (2) Parents: parents wishing to terminate fact of pregnancy, availability and amount of family support. (3) Male: how male handle this incident, male views on marriage. (4) Society: taking into account the social perception and opinions, conforming to social expectations. 2. Parents mainly play five roles in this incident: Assisting decision makers, statutory agent, information collector, educator, and caregivers. Each role should execute the supposed functions to be played by the role. 3. The study mainly gets an insight on the influence of the incident on family through the “pregnancy stage” and the “baby raising stage.” At the “pregnancy stage, parents will face with “emotional impacts”, because they are temporarily unable to accept the fact. However, following the coming of their grandchildren, they also face with “changing roles.” The incident of premarital birth will affect the whole family, causing “family system to change” and most families face with issues such as “heavy economic burden” and “family members needing to assist with care-taking responsibilities” during the “baby raising stage.” 4. The incidence of premarital birth to adolescent girls could cause pressure to family. The study adopts family pressure theory and combines with the views of social environment in order to understand the amount of resources owned by families and the interpretation to the incidents, affecting each other to form the degree of pressure and connecting relevant resources in order to equip the family with ability to get through the stress and crisis. 5. The study has proposed relevant recommendations on the practical work, service system and future research in accordance with the requirements from families of adolescent girls with premarital birth and the parents. Such recommendations can be used as reference for future practice, policy making and research.

Summaries in English and Afrikaans / Text in Afrikaans / In hierdie studie is gepoog om te bepaal hoe adolessente adapteer wanneer hulle alleen (sonder hul gesin) in Suid-Afrika agterbly terwyl hul ouers langtermyn buitelandse <liensverng. Om te kon bepaal hoe adolessente adapteer, is daar eerstens 'n uitgebreide literatuurstudie onderneem. Die Veerkragtigheidsmodel van gesinstres, aanpassing en adaptasie van McCubbin is as teoretiese onderbou gebruik. Tweedens is 'n empiriese studie onderneem deur die gebruik van die "A-Cope" vraelys om te bepaal watter adaptasiegedragspatrone en adaptasiegedragstipes deur adolessente gebruik word in stresvolle situasies (soos byvoorbeeld wanneer hulle alleen in Suid-Afrika agterbly wanneer hulle ouers langtermyn buitelandse <liens verrig). Die empiriese studie het aangetoon dat die adaptasiegedragspatrone en -gedragstipes, wat die mees waarskynlikste is, die vermyding van probleme is. Die mees onwaarskynlike adaptasiegedragspatroon is die gebruik van professionele ondersteuning. Aanbevelings is gemaak in die belang van adolessente, hul ouers en die maatskaplike werker van die Departement van Buitelandse Sake. / This study endeavoured to determine how adolescents, cope when they are left behind in South Africa (without their families) while their parents do long term foreign service abroad. To determine how adolescents cope an expansive literature study was firstly undertaken. The Resiliency Model of Family Stress, Adjustment and Adaptation by McCubbin served as the theoretical basis. Secondly, an empirical study was undertaken. The A-Cope index was used to determine which coping patterns and coping behaviour adolescents apply when dealing with stressful situations such as when they stay alone in South Africa while their parents serve abroad. The empirical study revealed that the coping patterns and coping behaviours that adolescents respectively apply the most, are avoidance of problems. The most unlikely coping behaviour that adolescents will apply, is to seek professional assistance. Recommendations are made in the interest of adolescents, their parents and the social worker at the Department of Foreign Affairs. / Social Work / M.A.(Social Work)

The Degree Work presents information concerning difficult life situations with respect to the literature knowledge, which are elaborated in the theoretical part. There are specified difficult situations of pupils in the period of their growing up. The practical part shows these difficult situations based on the research of pupils of the eighth grade of Junior School /N = 49/. The research involved 49 children. It has been proved that pupils experience and consider mainly parent´s divorce and their arguments and the necessity to decide what secondary school to choose to be their difficult life situations. Despite all their negative manifestations they feel a need to get emotional satisfaction from their close and dear, they need to be supported, the more unstable they are the more support they need /level of neuroticism/. Therefore it is necessary to pay higher attention to this age group.

<div>Adversity stemming from socioeconomic risks poses a considerable threat to the wellbeing of parents and youth. Research has shown that children’s exposure to cumulative(consisting of multiple co-occurring risks), chronic(experienced across more than one timepoint), and early(experienced during the birth-to-three-year period) socioeconomic adversity is particularly detrimental to their development. The first aim of this dissertation was therefore to create a measure of socioeconomic adversity that incorporates multiple risk indicators, and that could be used to tap into both the chronicity and timing of exposure. Using this measure, the problem that this dissertation aimed to address is the conflicting evidence that effective parenting is crucial in facilitating positive outcomes in at-risk youth, but that parenting itself is severely compromised in families experiencing socioeconomic adversity. Therefore, the overarching goal of this dissertation was to identify protective factors that can be leveraged to promote positive cascades for parents and youth in the context of socioeconomic adversity. Paper 1 analyzed whether social capital facilitates parental resilience, or the capacity of parents to deliver competent and high-quality parenting to children despite the presence of socioeconomic risks. Paper 2 assessed whether positive parenting in turn facilitates adolescent resilience and well being, or the reduction of maladaptive outcomes and presence of flourishing outcomes despite their exposure to this adversity. Given differences in the experiences of socioeconomic adversity as well as its effects on parents and youth across race-ethnicities, a major goal of this work was to test dissertation aims separately within Black, Hispanic, and White families. Overall, Paper 1 findings suggest that social participation and perceived neighborhood control may attenuate the effects of socioeconomic adversity on positive parenting for Black and White mothers respectively. For Hispanic mothers, social cohesion was found to be a promotive factor for positive parenting in the context of socioeconomic adversity. Paper 2 results indicate that socioeconomic adversity is indirectly associated with higher levels of adolescent substance use in Black youth, and lower levels of adolescent wellbeing in White youth, through lowered self-regulation in middle childhood. However, higher levels of positive parenting in early and middle childhood seemed to weaken these negative effects within non-Hispanic families. These results reinforce the need to enhance social and neighborhood capital for parents facing socioeconomic adversity, in order to facilitate positive parenting behaviors that may in turn protect youth from its negative effects.<br></div>

<p>Stress responsive genes play a key role in shaping the manner in which plants process and respond to environmental stress. Their gene products are linked to DNA transcription and its consequent translation into a response product. However, whilst these genes play a significant role in manufacturing responses to stressful stimuli, transcription factors coordinate access to these genes, specifically by accessing a gene&rsquo / s promoter region which houses transcription factor binding sites. Here transcriptional elements play a key role in mediating responses to environmental stress where each transcription factor binding site may constitute a potential response to a stress signal. Arabidopsis thaliana, a model organism, can be used to identify the mechanism of how transcription factors shape a plant&rsquo / s survival in a stressful environment. Whilst there are numerous plant stress research groups, globally there is a shortage of publicly available stress responsive gene databases. In addition a number of previous databases such as the Generation Challenge Programme&rsquo / s comparative plant stressresponsive gene catalogue, Stresslink and DRASTIC have become defunct whilst others have stagnated. There is currently a single Arabidopsis thaliana stress response database called STIFDB which was launched in 2008 and only covers abiotic stresses as handled by major abiotic stress responsive transcription factor families. Its data was sourced from microarray expression databases, contains numerous omissions as well as numerous erroneous entries and has not been updated since its inception.The Dragon Arabidopsis Stress Transcription Factor database (DASTF) was developed in response to the current lack of stress response gene resources. A total of 2333 entries were downloaded from SWISSPROT, manually curated and imported into DASTF. The entries represent 424 transcription factor families. Each entry has a corresponding SWISSPROT, ENTREZ GENBANK and TAIR accession number. The 5&rsquo / untranslated regions (UTR) of 417 families were scanned against TRANSFAC&rsquo / s binding site catalogue to identify binding sites. The relational database consists of two tables, namely a transcription factor table and a transcription factor family table called DASTF_TF and TF_Family respectively. Using a two-tier client-server architecture, a webserver was built with PHP, APACHE and MYSQL and the data was loaded into these tables with a PYTHON script. The DASTF database contains 60 entries which correspond to biotic stress and 167 correspond to abiotic stress while 2106 respond to biotic and/or abiotic stress. Users can search the database using text, family, chromosome and stress type search options. Online tools have been integrated into the DASTF&nbsp / database, such as HMMER, CLUSTALW, BLAST and HYDROCALCULATOR. User&rsquo / s can upload sequences to identify which transcription factor family their sequences belong to by using HMMER. The website can be accessed at http://apps.sanbi.ac.za/dastf/ and two updates per year are envisaged.</p>

The current study had two purposes. The first purpose was to examine the association between family rules and routines and first grade children's teacher-rated and peer-rated behavioral competencies (e.g., emotional symptoms, conduct problems, peer problems, hyperactivity, and prosocial behavior) after controlling for both family stressors (i.e., single parent home, mobility, socioeconomic status, property ownership) and child ethnicity (African American, Caucasian, Hispanic). The second purpose was to determine if child regulatory control abilities mediates the effects of family rules and routines and children's behavioral competencies. The parents of 215 ethnically diverse children (38%, Caucasian, 22% African American, 33% Hispanic, 7% Other) were interviewed in their homes with a modified and shortened version of Family Routines Inventory (FRI; Jensen, James, Boyce, & Hartnett, 1983). Teachers completed the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ; Goodman, 1997), and peers completed a modified version of the Class Play (Masten, Morison & Pelligrini, 1985). Scores from the SDQ were standardized and combined with the standardized scores obtained from the peer nominations to create composites of the behavioral competencies. Additionally, teachers completed a modified version of the California Child Q-set (CCQ) (Block & Block, 1980) as a measure of these children's regulatory control abilities. African American parents' ratings of their family's rules and routines were higher than those of Hispanic and Caucasian parents' ratings. Additionally, family stressors were positively associated with higher teacher and peer ratings of conduct problems and lower ratings of prosocial behavior. Neither ethnicity nor family rules and routines predicted child competencies. A statistically significant curvilinear relationship was found between family rules and routines and conduct problems such that children of parents reporting the highest and lowest levels of family rules and routines have more conduct problems. No associations were found between family rules and routines and child competencies or children's regulatory control abilities. Limitations of the study are discussed in terms of inadequate measurement of family rules and routines, a defensive response set, self-selection on the part of the parents to participate in the interview, and a sample that is not representative of the community of parents and children in the participating schools.