The rising rates of high-risk behaviours, such as substance abuse, unsafe sexual practices and violence in South African schools, have accentuated the need for intervention and prevention programmes in the education system. High-risk behaviour is related to changes and uncertainties at community level. The traditional values and behavioural codes are undermined and there is no corrective action from the community to control this behaviour. This study describes the need for support of adolescents, who are in a state of development and change and whose abilities are increasingly being tested by stress factors from a rapidly changing environment. To meet these needs for support, an experimental peer support programme was implemented in schools. Peer support involves the provision of information about healthy lifestyles and high-risk behaviour, such as substance abuse, crime and HIV/AIDS-related aspects. Through peer support, healthy lifestyles can be modelled, and a forum for the discussion of problems established. Peer supporters can assist their peers in dealing with problems and a context can be created in which new and healthier behavioural patters can develop. Peer support is important because educators and teachers are unable to manage the large number of learners who are experiencing problems and schools offer limited professional psychological support to learners. The objectives mainly entailed the prevention of high-risk behaviour related to HIV/AIDS, crime and substance abuse, as well as the enhancement of learners’ psychological well-being and the social climate in schools. The peer support system was implemented in four experimental schools and four similar schools served as a control group. The schools involved were selected by means of a stratified sampling method. A total amount of 2045 respondents between the ages of 12 and 21 years participated in this study. The peer support system was evaluated in terms of a pre and post-measurement in order to determine the impact of the system on the schools and learners in the schools, and to determine whether the set objectives have been achieved. The hypothesis was that the peer support system would have a positive effect in reducing high-risk behaviour and improving the psychological well-being of learners. A questionnaire was used as a pre and post-measurement tool to determine whether there had been significant changes and/or improvements regarding high-risk behaviour, crime, school climate and psychological well-being in the school system. The experimental and control school communities were compared. Significant differences were found between the experimental group and the control group in terms of behavioural problems in the school, school climate, high-risk sexual behaviour and psychological well-being. Learners’ perception of problem behaviour in the school remained unchanged in the experimental group, whilst the control group’s measurements became statistically significantly (p<0,05) more negative over time. A statistically significant difference at the 5% significance level was found between the control group’s pre and post-measurements regarding learners’ experience of the school climate. The control group’s experience had become more negative at post-measurement, whilst the experimental group’s experience had remained unchanged over time. A statistically significant difference was found between the experimental and control groups (p<0,001) in respect of the level of sexual experience. The number of sexually experienced learners in the control group had increased at post-measurement, whilst the level of learners’ sexual experience had remained constant in the experimental group. Furthermore, a significant increase (p<0,001) was found in the level of sexual activity among the control group during the last 30 days, but not in the experimental group. This implicates that the intervention has had a preventative effect that counters the normal tendency of increased sexual activity with age. More than 60% of learners viewed their friends as sexually experienced. The perceived group norm for the experimental group remained the same over 18 months, whereas a significant increase (p<0,001) was found in the control group. No decrease was found in the psychological well-being of learners in the experimental group at post-measurement, whereas that of the control group had decreased significantly (p<0,05). No statistically significant differences were found for substance abuse and personal control of risk among learners. Although many other variables could play a role in these changes, the conclusion can be made that the peer support system probably had a preventative effect in schools. The study further indicates that approximately two thirds of all learners had been aware of the system and about 40% had used it. The peer system was generally evaluated as positive and the biggest problems were related to the implementation and organization of the system, as well as the confidentiality of information. Recommendations have been made regarding the improvement of project implementation. If enhanced co-operation from school staff can be obtained during implementation of the intervention, the peer support system could function better and a bigger impact in schools could be achieved. In conclusion, it is important that intervention programmes be promoted efficiently in schools in order to facilitate optimal functioning. / Dissertation (MA (Research Psychology))--University of Pretoria, 2006. / Psychology / unrestricted

The research endeavoured to voice the told and untold stories of adolescents living with HIV undergoing continual disease management at the Kalafong Hospital Paediatric HIV Clinic. Through the telling of their stories the adolescents had the opportunity to make sense of their illness experiences. Some of the participating adolescents had limited opportunities to discuss their experiences with friends or family members. The research was completed within the qualitative social constructionist narrative approach. Six adolescents from the clinic participated voluntarily in the research. The participants attended the clinic regularly for disease management and were on ART. The study explored the experiences of the adolescents by means of two semi-structured individual interviews. Expressive art in the form of drawings and poetry were used to aid storytelling. Through collaborative exploration of the adolescents‟ stories, it became possible to co-construct the meanings that they attached to their experiences of HIV, which informs their identity. The interview transcripts were analysed, re-storied, and placed within a narrative framework of understanding, based on the three-dimensional space approach by Clandinin and Connelly (2000). The framework of understanding aided the researcher to look at the different contexts, identities, and social significant aspects found in the adolescents‟ stories. Multiple identities were constructed in their stories such as patient, scholar, friend, family, and athlete identities. These were constructed based on their experiences in the family and cultural, school and social, and medical contexts. The adolescents attributed different meanings to their stories of living with HIV such as that of normality, sameness, realism, and difference. The unique and similar aspects that were found in the adolescents‟ stories were identified and discussed with reference to various concepts such as disclosure, adherence, and ART. It was found that status disclosure was done by staff at the clinic and it occurred during young adolescence. All the adolescents, except one who was not aware of her status, showed insight into the chronic nature of their disease. Five adolescents‟ statuses have not been disclosed to anyone outside the families. In only one instance, the family was not aware of his status. Most adolescents assumed primary responsibility for ART. They expressed conflicting ideas about the role of ART. Some adolescents had to cope with side effects, the possibility of accidental status disclosure and non-adherence, and fears of rejection. The research, employing a narrative approach, endeavours to contribute to create a holistic understanding of HIV/AIDS in the context of health care. Lack of communication and impersonal staff interactions with patients were identified as barriers to disease management. The research recommends that the clinic should provide ongoing support to the adolescents with regards to disclosure of their status to friends, family, and partners, and adherence to medication. The social significant aspects found in the adolescents‟ stories will be disseminated to the staff at the clinic. This will assist the multi-disciplinary team to gain a better understanding of the reality of the adolescent and how these experiences inform their identity. / Dissertation (MA)--University of Pretoria, 2010. / Psychology / unrestricted

In dieser Arbeit wird ein simultanes Quell-, Ziel-, Verkehrsmittel- und Routenwahlmodell (Modell EVA-U) entwickelt, welches ein stochastisches Nutzergleichgewicht erreicht. Die Routenwahlmodelle der Verkehrsarten sind nicht mehr Teil der Umlegungsalgorithmen, sondern in das Nachfragemodell integriert. Dadurch ist eine konsistente Bewertung aller Alternativen (der Verkehrsarten) möglich. Das Simultanmodell EVA-U stellt eine Weiterentwicklung des Simultanmodells EVA von LOHSE dar. Das EVA-U-Modell ist den universalen Logit-Modellen zuzuordnen. Die Randsummenbedingungen der Verkehrsverteilung werden beachtet. Die Bewertung der Alternativen erfolgt mittels Generalisierter Kosten. Die Abhängigkeit von Routen wird berücksichtigt, ebenso die Tagesganglinie der Verkehrsnachfrage und die Fahrpläne des ÖV-Systems. Das Modell EVA-U erlaubt auch die Berücksichtigung von Routen intermodaler Verkehrsarten (z.B. P+R). Darüber hinaus ist die Integration eines Modells des ruhenden Verkehrs möglich. / In this thesis a simultaneous Trip Generation-, Distribution-, Modal-Split and Route Choice Model (modell EVA-U) is elaborated. The model tends to reach a stochastic user equilibrium. The route choice algorithms are not longer part of an assignment procedure but part of the demand model. A consistent assessment of properties of all transport systems is possible. The simultaneous model EVA-U is an advancement of the EVA-Model by Lohse. The model EVA-U is to be assigned to the generalised logit-models. All matrix constrains are taken into account. The assessment is effected by generalised costs. The dependence of routes is taken into account. Moreover, the integration of day time and the schedules of private transport lines is possible. Furthermore, it is possible to integrate a model of parked cars and circuits of inter-modal traffic forms (park and ride) in the Model EVA-U.