The aim of this study was to explore absent fathers' experiences. This involved determining absent fathers' conceptualisation of fatherhood, exploring the psychological well-being of absent fathers, and how absent fathers cope with being absent from their children‟s lives. An ecosystemic approach was employed as the epistemology to understand the participants in terms of organisation of their behaviour in social contexts. Qualitative research was used, and in-depth interviews were conducted to collect the data. The research found that these fathers' experiences of being absent from their children's lives have negatively affected several aspects of their lives, both emotionally and behaviourally. Furthermore, the study concluded that fathers who are absent from their children‟s lives, while aware of the roles they need to play, seem unable to fulfil these roles. Lastly, the absent fathers revealed a tendency to react ambivalently towards their identities as fathers. / Psychology / M.A. (Clinical Psychology)

The aim of the study was to explore what methods the personnel in five residential care homes in Götaland, Sweden, implement to integrate unaccompanied minors. The study investigated how and what methods are constructed as well as how the social interaction between the unaccompanied minors and the personnel at the homes bring about the learning of the methods. Five face-to-face semi-structured interviews were conducted and analysed through the perspective of social construction and social learning theory. The result revealed that the methods are not clearly identified by the personnel. The personals are still learning how to work with unaccompanied minors from their experiences. This indicates that the practice is at its infant stage. The study found a wide variety of methods, which were based on the child and where some methods intend to build good relationship, to integrate the children into society and to facilitate the development of strategies and methods. The study also addresses the issue of how the methods and strategies can be affected by the dynamic migratory flow and the question of evidence based practice within this field.

This research is set within the context of the Kenyan Public Universities, where with the changing student population dynamics, students are increasingly choosing to combine parenting with studies. Many of these student parents both male and female have had to negotiate the academic requirements as well as the burden of parenthood. Such a study is important at this time of privatization and liberalization of higher education in order to open up public discourse on the provision of higher education and the effect on the socio-economic status of the students. Using qualitative research analysis based on socio-educational, socio cultural as well as socio-economic status (SES), a study was designed and conducted with the question posed: What are the socio-educational approaches of public universities with respect to student parents. Eighteen (18) interviews of ten (10) university officials and eight (8) student parents formed the research sample. Qualitative research questions were prepared in an in-depth interview guide and a focus group questioning route. Data revealed that there are students both male and female who are actively parenting in the public university and that they face role conflict and financial challenges which impacts on retention and completion rates of students in the public university. The research argues that there is need to create awareness of socioeconomic status (SES) in the university approach to inclusiveness of all students as well as student parents. Recommendations based on this study should be helpful as guidelines for a model on guidance for student parents as well as documentation of a clear policy on approaches or support for student parenthood in the public university. / Educational Studies / D. Ed. (Socio-Education)

Welfare of families with children In my thesis I dealt with welfare of families with children, because it is a topic that is relevant to everyday part of human life, and has been since its conception. The aim was to give an overview of the basic institutes of ensuring welfare of these families with respect to the near future. But the focus was not put only at social welfare as such, but I tried to give an overview of the most important institutes as well as other branches of the law, where I find elements of social welfare either in the form of material welfare, or any other form of protection of people with dependent children, as e.g. their advantage over people who do not care of dependent children. The first chapter deals with the security of families who are expecting a child and with the period after his/her birth. Family Safety in this period is mainly based on the legislation sickness, from which was one of my sources when examining this topic. The second chapter describes the circuit of social welfare benefits to which a family, during the period following the birth of a child, is entitled. This chapter is based on the law of the state social support. The third chapter presents a range of benefits in material need and concept of subsistence. Here I primarily discussed the Act on poverty and the law...

La notion de filiation renvoie au lien familial entre un parent et un enfant, lien qui ancre l'individu dans une lignée généalogique et permet de l'identifier par rapport aux membres de sa famille. Notion universelle, il a semblé pertinent d'examiner comment deux systèmes juridiques distincts, tels que ceux de droit civil et de common law, l'appréhendaient. Évoquant intuitivement un lien génétique entre le parent et l'enfant, la notion de filiation pourrait se réduire à cette dimension purement physique. Pourtant, le droit tient compte du fait qu'elle recouvre d'autres réalités, sociales et affectives, révélant ainsi une notion plus complexe. Entre la réalité génétique, devenue accessible grâce aux progrès de la science, et la volonté, employée pour fonder toutes les fictions juridiques telles que l'adoption, la procréation médicalement assistée et la gestation pour autrui, une tension est née. Le droit s'efforce de trouver un équilibre entre ces fondements grâce à la nouvelle« boussole » qu'est l'intérêt de l'enfant ainsi que grâce au cadre éprouvé de l'ordre public. L'étude comparée des droits français et anglais a permis également d'observer une dissociation croissante entre la notion et son régime, le régime pouvant être attribué indépendamment de l'existence juridique du lien. Cette dissociation en a révélé une autre, aux contours plus précis encore, entre le statut, c'est-à-dire le lien de droit initial auquel est attaché le régime, et le rôle, c'est-à-dire le comportement de fait qui se verra attribuer tout ou partie du régime de la filiation. C'est ensuite autour de l'exercice effectif de ce rôle que se réagrège une grande partie des effets de la filiation, interrogeant par conséquent la notion sur sa capacité à rendre compte des évolutions du droit de la famille. / The notion of “filiation” refers to the family relationship between a parent and a child, which place each on ein a family lineage and identify him from the members of his family. Because of its universality, it seemed appropriate to examine how two different legal systems, such as those of civil law and common law , understood it. Referring intuitively to a genetic link between parent and child, the notion of “filiation” could be, at first sight, reduced to a physical aspect. However, the law recognizes that it covers other realities like social and emotional ones. Thus, it reveals a more complex concept. In recent years, a tension appeared between genetic reality, which became available thanks to advances in science, and will, used to base alllegal fictions such as adoption, assisted reproduction and surrogacy. The law seeks to check and balancethese foundations with the child's welfare and public policy.The comparative study of French and English law also revealed a growing dissociation between the notion and its effects. Indeed, the effects can be assigned independently of the legal existence of the link. This dissociation has revealed a more precise one between the status, that is to say the initial link which isattached the effects, and the role, that is to say, the behavior which will receive all or part of the effects of filiation. Then, the effective exercise of this role can re-aggregate the effects of filiation. Thus, it is questioning the notion on its ability to account for changes in the family law .

Au sein de la périnatalité organisée en réseau(x), entre les objectifs préventifs et thérapeutiques attendus pour les bébés et leurs parents et les vécus concrets, des écarts sont à constater. Nous avons dans cette recherche souhaité proposer quelques pistes de réflexion concernant ces constats : notre démarche en psychopathologie et psychologie clinique s’associe à un positionnement ethnopsychologique, psychanalytique et systémique, pour aborder la complexité de cette problématique.Notre hypothèse est que la compréhension du travail psychique des réseau(x) de soins, ici situés autour de la Naissance, passerait par :1) la prise en compte de l’existence d’un « réseau dans la tête » de chaque protagoniste de l’enfantement, professionnel et parent, en tant que formation psychique spécifique des groupalités intra, inter et trans-subjective de la réticularité2) le fait d’envisager les résistances et ressources propres aux exigences de ce travail psychique en réseau, qui entravent et/ou étayent les qualités dynamiques des processus perceptifs, relationnels et communicationnels3) le principe selon lequel ces processus perceptifs fragilisent et/ou soutiennent les qualités potentiellement préventives et thérapeutiques de cette organisation de soins spécifiques à la mise et à la venue au monde des enfants.4) l’idée que cette organisation des soins se modélise en réticularité pour permettre une adaptabilité des processus psychiques défensifs, groupaux et singuliers plus ou moins conscientisés, face aux émergences et réminiscences mobilisées par le phénomène de la Naissance.Le recueil des perceptions attenantes au réseau périnatal et à la place de chacun au sein de cette organisation, a été effectué selon la méthode ethnobiographique auprès des protagonistes de l’enfantement (familles et professionnels) en Languedoc-Roussillon, de 2005 à 2009, au sein de services d’obstétrique, de pédiatrie et de pédopsychiatrie périnatale. A partir de l’analyse de ces données et de trois vignettes cliniques, sont questionnés ici les élaborations et les processus psychiques participant et procédant des liens institués autour de la Naissance. L’analyse, étayée de certains apports des théoriciens du chaos, aboutit à établir peu à peu un modèle de compréhension du travail psychique propre aux réseaux de soins, dont notamment la périnatalité. Ce modèle propose de procéder par :- l’analyse psychologique simultanée des situations cliniques en cinq focales ; niveau singulier conscient, niveau singulier inconscient, niveau groupal conscient, niveau groupal inconscient et selon les différentes strates du réseau (réseau-dispositif ; réseau local-informel ; réseau de proximité formalisé ; réseau-famille ; réseau-professionnel ; réseau dans la tête).- le repérage et l’instrumentalisation des protagonistes-clés de cette méthodologie ; le référent, le répondant et le préoccupé.Face aux mobilisations convoquées par l’enfantement, chacun et tous, familles et professionnels, mettent en place des processus et des élaborations psychiques propres au domaine de la périnatalité réticulaire, à travers des dynamiques psychiques complexes, où le sujet apparaît de, dans, entre et à travers le(s) groupe(s), afin de permettre une adaptabilité défensive adéquate face aux éprouvés participant et procédant de la mise et de la venue au monde des enfants. Entre exigences et possibilités de chacun et de tous, il s’agit d’un tissage dynamique, entre accordages et désaccordages intra, inter et trans-subjectifs : groupalités psychiques réticulaires, réseau(x) dans la tête, dont les qualités en termes de flexibilité et/ou de rigidification, vont permettre, ou peu, ou pas, les potentialités créatrices de la Naissance, dans des contextes préventifs et thérapeutiques / In the context of perinatal nexus, there are differences between the preventive and therapeutic purposes set for the baby and her/his parents on one hand and actual experiences on the other hand. In this research, we wish to develop some reflections about these differences, by mainly resorting to clinical psychology and psychopathology approaches, with ethno-psychological, psychoanalytic and systemic views to grasp the complexity of this theme. Our hypothesis is that a better understanding of the mental shaping of network around the birth could proceed from : - acknowledging this mental shaping in network for each and all partners, professional and parent, as specific mind shaping of network in intra, inter and trans-subjective groups. - taking into account the resistances and resources fitted to mental shaping of network, that hinder and/or support the dynamic qualities of perceptive processes that partake and originate in this care organisation and which weaken and/or prop up its preventive and therapeutic potentialities.Using an ethno-biographical method, a data collection of the birth protagonists’ (the families and medical-nursing staff) perceptions of perinatal nexus and the part played by each one of them in it, made in obstetric, paediatric and child psychiatric units, in Languedoc-Roussillon, from 2005 to 2009. From the data analysis and from three clinical examples, were particularly examined psychological elaborations and processes that originate and partake in the established birth nexus. This analysis, made complete with some contributions of chaos theoreticians, leads to a pattern of understanding of the mind shaping in this specific perinatal network. This model suggests to proceed from : - simultaneous psychological analysis of clinical situation in five levels ; conscious individual level, unconscious individual level, conscious group level, unconscious group level and various network levels (system-network, locally and informally network, formal closeness network, family-network, professional-network, mental shaping in network). - the key-protagonists’ identification and instrumentalization of this method; “the” referent, “the” guarantor and “the” involved.Facing thoughts about child birth, everyone (the families and medical-nursing staff) sets up psychological elaborations and processes that originate and partake in specific perinatal nexus, through psychological and complexe dynamics, which emerges the subject “from”, “in”, “between” and “through” human group(s), in order to permit adequate defensive adaptability when facing feelings partaking and originating in coming and bringing into the world. In between the demands and possibilities of each protagonist, a dynamic weaving of thoughts is ranging from being tune to being out of tune : there lies a mind shaping of network whose flexibility and/or rigidity can or cannot much entice, creative potentialities on human birth, in preventive and therapeutic context

The aim of this study was to explore absent fathers' experiences. This involved determining absent fathers' conceptualisation of fatherhood, exploring the psychological well-being of absent fathers, and how absent fathers cope with being absent from their children‟s lives. An ecosystemic approach was employed as the epistemology to understand the participants in terms of organisation of their behaviour in social contexts. Qualitative research was used, and in-depth interviews were conducted to collect the data. The research found that these fathers' experiences of being absent from their children's lives have negatively affected several aspects of their lives, both emotionally and behaviourally. Furthermore, the study concluded that fathers who are absent from their children‟s lives, while aware of the roles they need to play, seem unable to fulfil these roles. Lastly, the absent fathers revealed a tendency to react ambivalently towards their identities as fathers. / Psychology / M. A. (Clinical Psychology)

Text in English / The small house phenomenon amongst the Shona people in contemporary Zimbabwe forms part of the relationship and household arrangements amongst certain heterosexual couples. In cases where partners engage in small house relationships, it has specific implications for existing marriage and family dynamics. The study sought to address the question: What are the perceptions on gender dynamics of the small house phenomenon as an emerging family structure in contemporary Zimbabwean society? The relative newness as well as the secretive nature and complexity of the small house relationship, render the nuances of gender dynamics in such contexts worth exploring to add value to the Sociology of Families and gender dynamics. The research was conducted in Harare metropolitan province and adopted social exchange theory and African feminism to illuminate the gender dynamics in small house households. It utilised a qualitative research paradigm and employed in-depth interviews to collect data from 30 participants who were purposively sampled. Findings of the study reveal that although the small house relationship may at times be informed by the ideals of traditional Shona polygynous marital practices, it differs in several respects with polygyny as it attempts to adapt to the socio-economic demands of the 21st century. The study uncovers that the social exchanges in small house relationships are not only gendered, but also based on inequalities relating to class, age and lineage. The small house relationship at times perpetuates gender inequalities between the partners involved. The study exposed how certain small house relationships were inundated with a myriad of problems including gender-based violence, financial constraints and increased susceptibility to HIV and AIDS and other STIs. Problems experienced in small house households are often exacerbated by the secretive nature of the relationship. Furthermore, a form of hegemonic masculinity and emphasised femininity, which are manifestations of the deeply entrenched patriarchal hegemony in the Shona culture, results in asymmetrical intimate relations. It was also revealed that small house households may inadvertently violate children’s rights, including opportunities to access and secure education and social security. Reportedly, disengaged fatherhood in the context of the small house can affect children’s welfare and socialisation negatively. / Sociology / D. Phil. (Sociology)

The overarching goal of this thesis was to compare the mother-child relationship and child behaviour across cultures. The three articles in this thesis were part of a multi-method investigation comparing England (an individualistic culture) and Turkey (a collectivistic culture). Accounts from two children and their mothers were obtained from 218 two-parent families in total. Mothers completed questionnaires, children were interviewed using the Berkeley Puppet Interview, and observations recorded during various play tasks. The study was unique as it recorded the perspectives of mothers and young children aged from 4 to 8 in each family across cultures. Results showed that English mothers used more positive methods of discipline with their older children, and reported less conflict with both of their children compared to Turkish mothers. In contrast, English children reported more anger and hostility from their mothers than did their Turkish peers (Paper 1). Cultural differences in maternal values partially explained these differences in positive discipline and anger and hostility (Paper 1). Using structural equation modelling, partial cross-cultural measurement invariance for parenting and child adjustment was revealed (Paper 2), and a stronger association between parenting and child adjustment was found for the English versus Turkish families (Paper 2). Finally, multi-level modelling yielded significant prediction of children's adjustment from both family-wide and child-specific aspects of parenting (Paper 3). The implications of the findings include appreciating different perspectives of parenting when conducting cross-cultural research (Paper 1); the culturally distinct meanings of both parent and child adjustment should be considered when interpreting their association (Paper 2); and that differential parenting within families can also have distinct cultural meaning (Paper 3). Future research would benefit from exploring within-and between-cultural differences in parent-child relationships further, across multiple countries, over time and in larger samples.

Les évolutions contemporaines de la famille ainsi que leur dynamique sont le point de départ de notre recherche. Notre objet est de montrer en quoi et comment ces changements placent nécessairement les relations de l'enfant avec ses deux parents au centre de l'attention et de la normalisation sociale. Nous appelons ce processus le "parentalisme" que nous analysons dans ses deux versions sociétales française et allemande. A cet effet, nous comparons les modes de construction de la parentalité dans ces deux pays, comme le résultat des pratiques familiales, des effets sur ces pratiques de la participation des parents au marché du travail, d'une part, des politiques familiales et des dispositifs publiques de protection sociale, de l'autre.Dans le premier chapitre, nous étudions les formes de parentalité à partir d'un bilan de l'évolution socio-démographique des configurations familiales et des pratiques parentales pour mettre en évidence la manière dont la parentalité s'est peu à peu imposée comme une nouvelle unité "théorique", puis comment il est possible de définir les formes actuelles de parentalité ("bilatérale" et "unilatérale" ; "première" et "composée"). Puis, nous comparons l'activité professionnelle des pères et des mères et leurs effets sur la nature et la forme du lien entre l'enfant et ses parents. Enfin, nous nous consacrons à ce que les évolutions des politiques sociales et familiales donne à lire du rôle parental et de son partage entre les genres, mais aussi entre les parents et les pouvoirs publics. Une nouvelle distinction est proposée entre le modèle de la "parentalité exclusive" (quant le parent est inactif) et celui de la "parentalité conciliée" (quant il y a un exercice concomitant d'une activité professionnelle et des fonctions parentales).Le deuxième chapitre est consacré aux normes de parentalité à travers le traitement des risques familiaux engendrés par les ruptures conjugales. D'abord envisagée sous l'angle des évolutions du traitement juridique du risque familial, nous analysons ensuite la manière dont la norme actuelle de parentalité est construite dans les cas des familles unies et séparées. Et si la place de l'enfant est bien la même dans les deux pays, les rôles des pères et des mères, dans leurs relations personnelles à l'enfant, comme dans leur dimension conjugale, sont différents. La conception des rapports de genre mais aussi la nature du rapport entre l'Etat et la famille expliquent ces divergences. Le chapitre conclut sur le modèle de la "coparentalité" dans le cas français (véhiculant une norme de coopération parentale) et de la "biparentalité" dans le cas allemand (qui désigne une différenciation sexuée, une individualisation du rapport à l'enfant, et une non- ingérence des pouvoirs publics dans les rapports conjugaux).Le troisième chapitre est consacré aux pratiques de parentalité et au partage du "travail familial" en tenant compte des possibilités de délégation à des institutions, à l'effet de l'activité professionnelle de chaque parent et au rôle du réseau informel des ménages. Notre concept de "travail familial" désigne la négociation de l'ensemble des activités effectuées par les mères et les pères : professionnelles, parentales et domestiques. Notre objectif est de montrer, comment varient les pratiques familiales de partage du "travail familial", en fonction des différents modes d'intégration au marché de l'emploi. La répartition du travail parental ne s'effectue plus uniquement suivant les distinctions de genre, mais surtout suivant l'exercice de la parentalité (laquelle s'oriente de plus en plus vers une norme égalitaire malgré des inégalités encore persistantes).En conclusion, nous montrons que les rapports entre l'enfant et ses deux parents régulent actuellement les rapports familiaux, le risque familial et le partage du travail familial, définissant ainsi le "parentalisme". Puis, nous retraçons l'évolution des modes de régulation publique de la famille : le "parentalisme" fait suite en France au "familialisme" de l'après-guerre, puis au "féminisme" des années 1970 et 1980. En Allemagne, le "parentalisme" a succédé dans les années 1990 au "conjugalisme" de l'après-guerre. Ainsi, les deux pays convergent actuellement vers ce nouveau mode de régulation sociale, au delà de leurs différences sociétales dues aux effets spécifiques entre le marché du travail, l'Etat et la famille.