ABSTRACT Multinational marriages across borders have been tremendously increased for the past few years. The number of foreign brides, excluding those whom from Mainland China, has been standing at around 120,000 at the end of 2004. Among these brides, most of them take the Penghu as their residential area during the past three years. However, the problems of the culture differences for their life adjustment among the cross-border marriages have been turned out. Taiwanese government, the Ministry of Internal Affairs, has introduced the projects for life-guidance and relevant financial support to get rid of their difficulties of life adjustment. Nonetheless, there is a doubt that the fact is that most of the foreign brides are still faced with difficulties in livings. Given such a scenario, this study tries to review the projects to see the extent in which the foreign brides get accustomed to their community, and fulfill their potentials after joining the classes of life guidance. A documentary analysis and the questionnaire interviews are used to empirically examine the current context. After the pilot study, 265 samples of foreign brides in the Penghu country were collected. Among these respondents selected, 130 joined the life guidance class, while 135 did not. Via the aid of the software of Statistics Package of Social Science, The findings are shown as followings. a. The mature foreign brides were more likely to join the class than the junior. Of the brides, Indonesian brides were the major participants compared with those whom from Vietnam. Also, those who have received more school years attended the class more. The more years the brides stepped into marriage, the less possibility they joined the class. This was the same case in the brides who must spend more time to take care of children. b. The brides who attended the class tended to enjoy more satisfaction of livings than those who neglected the class. c. The foreign brides performed various life adjustments with their different ages, status of marriage, and standard of living and finance. d. The class participants revealed significant differences in life adjustments in terms of their attendance of class, attitude to class, and family support. e. The feelings after the class attendants were shown positive, pleasure, supportive, and satisfied. However, transportation and child care might stop their attendance. All the brides were in the hope of taking the class and learning Mandarin and they wished to develop knowledge through the classes under the family support.

According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), suicide is one of the three main causes of deaths in the age group 15 to 34 years. Persons who previously attempted to commit suicide are more inclined to succeed with a second attempt. With the eventual focus on suicide prevention by means of life guidance as an assistance strategy in social work, the researcher undertook qualitative exploration amongst a specific group of adolescent girls between ages 15 and 21 years. These girls were each admitted to hospital after having attempted to commit suicide. The researcher used semi–structured in–depth interviews as a qualitative data collection method until data saturation was reached. The investigation was discussed against the backdrop of the strength perspective, crisis intervention, the system theory and existentialism. A discussion was led in Article 1 about findings regarding the psychosocial needs of adolescent girls who displayed suicidal behaviour. From the interviews, three overarching needs were foregrounded, namely the need for love and acceptance, the need for communication and the need for a secure future. The psychosocial needs were subdivided into sub–themes, which were discussed respectively. In Article 2 a discussion followed regarding the findings in terms of the support systems adolescents possess. Life guidance was eventually based on the needs of adolescent girls, as identified in Article 1, and the involvement and responsibility of the support systems, as discussed in Article 2. The guidelines for life guidance, as set out in Article 3, serve as a guiding recommendation and framework for intervention programmes for adolescent girls who display suicidal behaviour, as well as for the support systems involved. / Thesis (M.A. (MW))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2012.

According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), suicide is one of the three main causes of deaths in the age group 15 to 34 years. Persons who previously attempted to commit suicide are more inclined to succeed with a second attempt. With the eventual focus on suicide prevention by means of life guidance as an assistance strategy in social work, the researcher undertook qualitative exploration amongst a specific group of adolescent girls between ages 15 and 21 years. These girls were each admitted to hospital after having attempted to commit suicide. The researcher used semi–structured in–depth interviews as a qualitative data collection method until data saturation was reached. The investigation was discussed against the backdrop of the strength perspective, crisis intervention, the system theory and existentialism. A discussion was led in Article 1 about findings regarding the psychosocial needs of adolescent girls who displayed suicidal behaviour. From the interviews, three overarching needs were foregrounded, namely the need for love and acceptance, the need for communication and the need for a secure future. The psychosocial needs were subdivided into sub–themes, which were discussed respectively. In Article 2 a discussion followed regarding the findings in terms of the support systems adolescents possess. Life guidance was eventually based on the needs of adolescent girls, as identified in Article 1, and the involvement and responsibility of the support systems, as discussed in Article 2. The guidelines for life guidance, as set out in Article 3, serve as a guiding recommendation and framework for intervention programmes for adolescent girls who display suicidal behaviour, as well as for the support systems involved. / Thesis (M.A. (MW))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2012.