A dissertation submitted to the Faculty of Arts, University of the Witwatersrand, infulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy. NOVEMBER, 1987 / The present study is set within the broad area of adult development and functioning. It is primarily located within the developmental theory of Erik Brikson, who described development, not only frem the perspective of the growing child, hut with the understanding ox the continuity of development over the entire life cycle (1878). As this represents m area of relatively recent concern, there are many gaps in the literature. A cognitive map in the fom of a hypothetical construct ten&ad the- Transitional Space was described and developed in this woi-k, to facilitate tha undetstartiing of both, individual and cduyle development and functioning. This hypothetical construct was based on Winnicott's (1971) original notion of transitional phenomena, which he located as being between inner and outer reality. The Transitional space may be briefly described as that part of the inner world that is projected outwards, and both reflects the internal frame of reference through which the perception of the world is filtered, as well as those aspects of hidden inner reality that are perceived by others as being "me". The Transitional Space comprises three aspects, namely: boundary quality, content, and size. Boundary quality of the Transitional Space reflects the ability of the individual for intimate contact, and id described in terms of the parameters of flexibility and permeability. The content of the Transitional -pace is described as that aspect that is concerned with ego identity (Erikson 1968). Finally, the aspect of the size of the Transitional space isNa reflection of progression along the continuum of ego development as operationalizud by Loevinyer et al (1970):. ” " ' As it has been found that systems are most accessible to observation and study during periods of change, it was decided to locate the study at a point of developmental change or crisis. The period selected for investigation was the tisite around the birth of the first child, and thus the transition to parenthood. In response to evidence of a need in the literature, a model was derived to both describe and explain the changes over this period. The model of change was based on the findings of. Janis (1958), in terms of preparation for change, and regression in the face of stress, as well as the theory of "romantic solutions" to transitional periods (Becker, 1973) and the cyclicity of the romantic experience (Livingston, 1980). The model was integrated with tije sociological model of LaRossa and laRossa (1981), to form a more canprehensive description and explanation of the process of the ■ transition to parenthood. ; The first aim in the study was to describe and predict adult and couple functioning on the basis of the model of thi Transitional Space, with special reference to the changepoint of the transition to

A qualitative phenomenological research design was used to investigate the experience of parenthood decision-making for couples who were initially uncertain about starting a family. The purpose of the study was to explicate couples' experiences of deciding if, and when, to have children, including how they determine the viability and timing of parenting in their lives and relationships. Eight couples who had recently made the decision to try to have a child volunteered to describe their experiences and understanding of parenthood decision-making in joint, in-depth, audio-taped interviews. A thematic analysis of the essential meaning structures of participants' parenthood decision-making experiences revealed six common themes: A Sense of the Costs of Parenthood; A Sense of Fear; Changing Perceptions from the Costs to the Gains of Parenthood; An Emerging Sense of Readiness for Parenthood; A Sense of Excitement and Curiosity; and A Sense of Faith in the Relationship. These themes were confirmed and refined through validation interviews with participants. These findings are discussed as they relate to and extend upon models of decision-making, in general, and of parenthood decision-making, in particular. It is argued that the results support a conceptualization of parenthood decision-making as a complex and value-laden phenomenon that is comprised of both individual and interpersonal components.

[Truncated abstract] The transition to parenthood places a number of emotional, physical, and cognitive demands on individuals. It is also a role that many individuals choose, enjoy, and derive benefit from. This research examined how women's parenting expectations influence their adjustment to parenthood. Taylor & Brown (1988, 1994) suggest that unrealistically optimistic expectations are associated with positive psychological adjustment. However, research examining adjustment during the transition to parenthood has demonstrated that unrealistic expectations pertaining to some aspects of parenthood can have a negative effect on adjustment (Belsky, 1985; Hackel & Ruble, 1992). The primary aims of this thesis were to examine the relationship between optimistic expectations and adjustment, taking into account a broader range of expectations than previous work, and to examine how adjustment is influenced if expectations are overly optimistic relative to experiences.

Single-parent households are on the increase in our society and especially single-father households where fathers are fulfilling the role of both parents in rearing their children. In this qualitative study, three single fathers who are primary caregivers were interviewed regarding their experience of primary caregiving, adjusting and coping with the transition to primary caregiving and their needs and concerns for their children's future. This study utilised a phenomenological approach to look at single fathers as the best and most informed individuals to explore and describe their lived experiences of being primary caregivers. The rationale for using interpretive phenomenological analysis (IPA) is that it is concerned with individuals' subjective reports and assumes that participants seek to interpret their experiences into some form that is understandable to them. The researcher utilised three semi-structured, in depth, face-to-face interviews as a method of data collection. Each interview focused on eliciting different sets of data, firstly the researcher look at identifying the participants' experience of primary care giving, then moved onto their adjusting and coping with the transition and finally focused on the primary needs and concerns of participants with regards to primary care giving. The sub-themes that emerged from the study include the loss of a partner, shifts in the role the fathers play as parent, dealing with children's reaction to the "loss" of a mother in the home, good parenting: biology vs upbringing, social construction of men and woman, the value of self-care for single fathers, where self-care incorporates both physical and mental care, internal support from family or friends, external support from the community, relationship between fathers and children and sibling relationships. These led to the various super-ordinate themes. The super-ordinate themes and categories that resulted from the analysis of the material include: (1) The transition to being a single-parent and primary caregiver was difficult, (2) Parenting is not biological it is cultural and fathers can fulfil the role, (3) Self-care is important, (4) Support comes from family and friends but social support is rare, (5) Close family relationships are formed

A qualitative phenomenological research design was used to investigate the experience of parenthood decision-making for couples who were initially uncertain about starting a family. The purpose of the study was to explicate couples' experiences of deciding if, and when, to have children, including how they determine the viability and timing of parenting in their lives and relationships. Eight couples who had recently made the decision to try to have a child volunteered to describe their experiences and understanding of parenthood decision-making in joint, in-depth, audio-taped interviews. A thematic analysis of the essential meaning structures of participants' parenthood decision-making experiences revealed six common themes: A Sense of the Costs of Parenthood; A Sense of Fear; Changing Perceptions from the Costs to the Gains of Parenthood; An Emerging Sense of Readiness for Parenthood; A Sense of Excitement and Curiosity; and A Sense of Faith in the Relationship. These themes were confirmed and refined through validation interviews with participants. These findings are discussed as they relate to and extend upon models of decision-making, in general, and of parenthood decision-making, in particular. It is argued that the results support a conceptualization of parenthood decision-making as a complex and value-laden phenomenon that is comprised of both individual and interpersonal components. / Education, Faculty of / Educational and Counselling Psychology, and Special Education (ECPS), Department of / Graduate

The purpose of the research was to develop and test a scale to index the concerns of first-time expectant parents. The two-phase research design included (1) an inductive concept generation phase, consistent with the status of knowledge in the field, and (2) a quantitative deductive instrument test of the concepts from phase 1. In the inductive phase, grounded theory analysis using interviews from a theoretical sample of ten expectant parents, provided data to generate a conceptual model. The three induced constructs were Support Cycling, Transition to First-Time Parenthood and Success at Parenting. In the quantitative deductive phase, 45 female and 36 male first-time expectant parents, volunteered from childbirth classes to test the Imle Transition to Parenthood Concerns (ITPC) scale, which indexed the second of the three major constructs generated in the inductive phase. Preliminary internal consistency and content validity assessments of the scale yielded an 87 item paper and pencil scale that would measure intensity of concern about each item. Separate testing for male and female subjects was supported by Hotelling's T² in MANOVA tests of the effects of sex and measured but uncontrolled testing situation variables. Reliability estimates of the ITPC scale, with seven subscales, indicated acceptable coefficient alphas for females and males of .95 and .93, respectively. The seven subscale coefficient alphas ranged from .79 to .92 for females and from .84 to .91 for males. Concurrent criterion-related validity estimates, using one criterion item per subscale, exceeded the criterion of at least .55, ranging from .58 to .83 for females and from .59 to .86 for males. The ITPC scale met preliminary tests of reliability and concurrent criterion-related validity. Since the subject test sample was representative of the middle class, educated type of person, who usually attends childbirth education classes, scale testing results cannot be generalized to other types of samples without testing. Psychometric testing indicated clinicians can use small sub-sets of items to index expectant parent concerns in a quick, easy-to-score, valid and reliable manner. Results could offer sound information to facilitate patient counseling.

This study explores how experience with a chronically ill or disabled sibling may affect prospective reproductive attitudes and behavior. Eighty-two young adults were interviewed using a structured, written questionnaire, which included the index of Family Relations (IFR) developed by Hudson (1982). Respondents in the main group (n = 41) had siblings with either a single-gene, hereditary illness or a physical/intellectual handicap. A multiple regression analysis examined how different group and subgroup combinations of the sibling factor might predict reproductive attitudes, controlling for sociodemographic, family, and developmental variables. Contrary to expectation, experience with an affected sibling predicted acceptance of potentially affected offspring. The significance of this finding was marginal for the main group, but more favorable when the sibling was intellectually handicapped. Respondents with siblings in genetic categories felt more obliged than others to test their own genetic risk status, but were least likely to favor abortion for medical indication.

D.Cur. (Psychiatric Nursing Science) / The overall goal of this research study was to explore and describe strategies in order to promote the mental health of married couples throughout the ante- and postnatal period. The majority of research on the transition to parenthood has found that as couples become parents, there is a dramatic decrease in positive marital interchanges, a dramatic increase in marital conflict and a precipitous decline in marital satisfaction (Belsky & Kelly, 1994; Belsky & Pensky, 1988: 133-156; Belsky, Spanier & Rovine, 1983: 567-577). The transition to parenthood is viewed as instigating a shift in the marriage whereby most couples are expected to experience a qualitative change in their relationship that is relatively abrupt (Pancer, Pratt, Hunsberger & Gallant, 2000: 253-280). Becoming a new parent poses challenges for nearly every married couple (Curran, Hazen, Jacobvitz & Feldman, 2005: 189). Becoming a parent is a major developmental transition of adulthood (Harwood, McLean & Durkin, 2007: 1). Individuals often have optimistic expectations about parenthood, yet this transition also presents a number of challenges (Harwood et al, 2007: 1). The questions that arose was what are the stories of married couples throughout the ante- and postnatal period of their first child, and what can be done by an advanced psychiatric nursing practitioner to promote the mental health of married couples based on their story. The researcher utilised a qualitative, explorative, descriptive and contextual study design as described in Babbie (2010: 92). This research study was carried out in four phases. During the first phase of this research study, the researcher explored and described the stories of married couples throughout the ante- and postnatal period of their first child according to the quest narrative method described by Frank (1997: 115). The results were discussed within relevant literature. iv In the second phase of this research study the researcher developed a conceptual framework on the basis of the empirical data. The conceptual framework was developed according to the concepts as proposed by Dickoff, James and Wiedenbach (1968: 435). The researcher described strategies, to promote the mental health of married couples throughout the ante- and postnatal period of their first child, in the third phase of this research study. These strategies were described according to a relationship phase, a working phase and a termination phase as part of the facilitation process. These three phases were discussed as part of a proposed facilitation process that forms part of the developed conceptual framework. In the fourth phase of this research study, the developed strategies were subjected to expert assessment according to the criteria stated by Chinn and Kramer (2011: 196-205). The findings of the research study are applicable to psychiatric nursing practice, research and psychiatric nursing education.

The purpose of the current study was, in general, to use the Experience Sampling Methodology (ESM) to more accurately assess the types of behaviors that mothers and fathers engage in with their sons and daughters and the amount of time they spend engaged in those behaviors when compared to each other.

No description available.