Access to abstract restricted until 07/2015. / Department of Family and Consumer Sciences

Thesis (M.A. (MW))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2008.

Thesis (M.A. (MW))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2008.

The effectiveness of the Caught in the Middle (CIM) program was evaluated in a sample of 7 parent-child dyads who had recently experienced marital separation. Changes in children’s feelings before and after program participation concerning the normative frequency of divorce, coping skills, stress, self-blame, and triangulation were assessed. Feeling supported, enjoying participation and practicing skills were assessed postintervention. Changes in parents’ feelings before and after the program concerning their satisfaction with CIM, their and their children’s stress levels, were assessed. Feeling supported, being informed about the effects of divorce, and application of skills taught for their own and their children’s benefit were reported at group culmination. Results demonstrate a significant decrease from pre- to post-test in parents’ perceptions of children’s stress levels. Although other research hypotheses were not supported, it is argued that initial evidence for the effectiveness of the CIM program was demonstrated. Clinical significance and implications are discussed. / Graduate

In this essay I argue that all children have a right to Autonomy Facilitating Education (AFE), and a corresponding right to freedom from indoctrination. Citizens of liberal-democratic societies have a fundamental interest in autonomy because it underpins what Rawls called the moral powers, because self-consciously liberal democratic societies cannot coherently endorse anti-perfectionist liberalism and must endorse at least weak-perfectionism with respect to children`s prospective right to autonomy, and because it is constitutive of a form of civic virtue the general diffusion of which is necessary for the vitality and sustainability of liberal democratic society. Autonomy consists in the exercise of two cognitive capacities: one self-reflective, the other self-affective. The aim of AFE is to develop these capacities by meeting three basic pedagogical requirements: The Knowledge Requirement develops the ability to access information. The Skill Requirement develops the ability to rationally evaluate and understand the relevant information. The Disposition Requirement develops the psychological disposition to engage the first two deliberative abilities (which together generate one’s considered best judgment) and then commit to that judgment and not deviate from it without first engaging the deliberative abilities again in light of new information, newly acquired evaluative skill or new understanding of the information. These requirements can be met from a range of pedagogical approaches, and parents have the right to provisionally privilege their own worldview in the pedagogical approach to their child’s AFE. I use this account to evaluate two Canadian case studies: the first involving lawsuits over the Ethics and Religious Culture program in Québec, the second involving recent changes to Alberta’s Human Rights legislation enshrining parents’ rights over their child’s education. / Graduate

No description available.

Drawing on the findings of a small-scale qualitative survey of those affected by the Child Support Act 1991 - parents, new partners, child support officers and solicitors - this thesis focuses on the impact of this legislation on families, especially new families, concluding that financial, employment and family situations are complex and diverse and that the mechanistic and inflexible formula-based regulations introduced by the Act have failed to support children. Whilst acknowledging the real problems faced by lone parent families, this research argues that plans for reform pay insufficient attention to the fact that this issue increasingly affects two parent families, as couples separate and recombine, and that this omission has major implications for policy proposals in this area. The background to and history of child maintenance, in the context of the British welfare state, is examined, along with the fiscal crisis faced by the existing income-maintenance system. In addition, the multifarious pressures that are currently placed on the family - as regards being both the source of and the solution to the crisis in modern society - are revealed, exposing the dilemmas that face separating couples when reaching decisions about their children's futture. The current debate on poverty measurement is considered and the sample group are described in terms of the most commonly used indicators as well as in their own perceptions. The results of the research show that child welfare is a high priority - especially if considered in a wider than financial context - and that there is considerable support for community responsibility in this area. Having considered the child support systems in other countries, and with reference to the issues that policy is designed to address, proposals which embrace the welfare of all children are advanced as the starting point for meaningful child support reform.

No description available.

There is increasing recognition of the emotional dimensions of the cancer experience, and in Australia a number of resources have been developed to enhance health professionals’ ability to provide psychosocial support for patients. Unfortunately patients with advanced cancer are not well-served in terms of resources, most of which focus on early disease and survival. Children of parents with advanced cancer face a considerable burden, but parents may avoid discussion with their children, partly because they wish to protect them from distress, partly because of lack of support and limited access to information to guide them in this challenging task. There are limited numbers of health professionals with the psychosocial knowledge and skills to assist parents, and they are largely confined to metropolitan centres, making timely and equitable access to appropriate information and support for parents a major problem. Improving access to information and support could be achieved through extension of existing educational and supportive roles of a variety of health professionals. However health professionals may avoid discussion about emotionally-challenging issues because of perceived lack of training, and low professional confidence. Avoidance is also known to be a common defence mechanism for health professionals who find that the burden of caring arouses painful and sad feelings. Professional education has traditionally not encouraged reflection on the emotional dimensions of work, or assisted in the development of coping strategies. The aim of this study was to develop and evaluate the effectiveness of an educational intervention to enhance the capacity of health professionals to provide timely, evidence-based information and support for parents with advanced cancer, to guide them in talking with their children. Selection of oncology nurses for this purpose was based on their accessibility across treatment settings, their existing skills in education and support, and the fact that patients find supportive care provided by nurses highly acceptable. The study employed mixed methods across several phases to achieve this aim. In the first instance, relevant literature was used as a framework for developing an educational intervention. Qualitative methods were used to refine the educational intervention: - focus groups with oncology nurses examined perceptions of their supportive care roles including barriers and educational needs, and critical feedback was sought from a group of nurse experts regarding the scope and style of the intervention. This data informed the development of the final intervention which comprised a self-directed educational manual and day-long interactive communication skills training workshop, supplemented with a brochure for parents with advanced cancer. The brochure was developed in response to nurses’ expressed need for written resources to support them in their interactions with parents with advanced cancer. The brochure was based on relevant literature and refined using information gathered through in-depth interviews with parents with advanced cancer. A quasi-experimental design was used to evaluate the effectiveness of the intervention using pre and post-measures. Thirty-five oncology nurses were recruited from three oncology centres in Brisbane, three withdrawing prior to completion of the educational intervention. Nurses’ stress, burnout and psychological morbidity were assessed by structured measures; attitudes and confidence were assessed by study-developed questionnaires. Knowledge was assessed by examination of nurses’ responses to two clinical vignettes describing a parent requesting help from the nurse about how to respond to their child. Changes in communication skills were evaluated by video-taped interviews with simulated cancer patients trained to deliver a number of scripted cues. Following participation in the educational intervention there were significant improvements in nurses’ self-reported confidence in ability to provide information and support for parents with advanced cancer, and initiate discussion with parents about emotionally-challenging topics. After the intervention nurses were significantly more likely to take an active role in self-care strategies. There were significant improvements in generic communication techniques and communication skills specific to this study: emphasising to a parent the importance of open communication with their children; confidence in responding to an overtly distressed patient, and openly discussing poor prognosis. Analysis of responses to the vignettes revealed significant post-training reduction in focus on practical issues, reduced referral of the parent to other health professionals, and significant increases in empathic engagement and supportive advice likely to assist the parent to respond to their child. There were no changes in stress and burnout or psychological morbidity. The response rate for an acceptability survey was low, but respondents enthusiastically endorsed the educational intervention, describing changes in clinical practice: improved listening; increased engagement with patients about emotional concerns, and reduced avoidance of potentially-distressing discussion. Study participants were a self-selected group which may not be representative of all oncology nurses, meaning that the results of this study many not be generalisable. Hence the next step is a randomised controlled trial, in which the evaluation is expanded to include an examination of parental satisfaction with a brief supportive intervention delivered by a trained nurse, using structured measures of family adjustment.

Thesis (M.I. St.)--University of Toronto, 2004. / Adviser: Claire Beghtol.