The need to compare parenthood adjustment experiences for mothers and fathers of full term and preterm infants was identified. Stressors, coping strategies, and marital adjustment were variables examined. It was hypothesized that parents of preterm infants, despite gender category, would indicate experiencing greater stress and would use more emotion-focused coping strategies than parents of full term infants. Parents of full term infants were hypothesized to use more problem-focused coping strategies than parents of preterm infants. Reports of marital adjustment were expected to be different between the parent groups by infant term category, and marital satisfaction was hypothesized to remain unchanged from the time prior to conception to 0 - 3 months postpartum. A description of the investigation that includes discussion of methodological issues and suggestions for intervention is presented. / Ph. D.

Family process stressors, family system resources, parental coping patterns, and parental adaptation were assessed for 58 mothers who had a child with cancer who was being seen at selected pediatric hematology-oncology centers in two Southeastern states. The respondents completed a self-report questionnaire containing the Coping and Health Inventory for Parents, five subscales from the Family Environment Scale, and items asking demographic questions. The dependent measure was the Parental Adaptation Assessment, a modified version of the Spinetta Family Adjustment Scale, developed for this study to measure parents’ perception of their adaptation to the experience of caring for a child with cancer. The criteria for subject inclusion in the study were: (a) two parents living in the home; and, (b) the child’s cancer diagnosis was to have occurred not less than 3 months and not more than 4 years prior to data collection. The Double ABCX Model of Family Adaptation was used as the basis for variable selection. Frequency distributions, correlations between the 11 independent variables and mother’s adaptation, and a stepwise regression analysis were used to analyze the data. Two family process stressors (conflict and control) and two family system resources (cohesion and expressiveness) were significantly (p < .05) correlated with mother’s adaptation. The regression analyses showed that two variables (cohesion and mother’s age) explained 34% of the variance in mother’s adaptation. Results show family cohesion and mother’s age to be the only significant predictors of her perceived adaptation. Family process stressors and parental coping patterns failed to account for any significant variance in mother’s adaptation. Implications for family stress theory, psychosocial oncology research, and family therapy practice are discussed. Recommendations for further research are suggested. / Ph. D.

*This dissertation is a compound document (contains both a paper copy and a CD as part of the dissertation). The CD requires the following system requirements: Windows MediaPlayer or RealPlayer. / Aim. The aim of this study was to examine the effects of preoperative therapeutic play on the immediate preoperative and postoperative outcomes of Hong Kong Chinese children undergoing surgery, and their parents in a day surgery unit. / An intervention study was conducted in the second phase of the study. A randomized controlled trial, two-group pretest and repeated posttest, between subjects design was employed. Hong Kong Chinese children (7-12 years of age; N = 203) admitted for elective surgery in a day surgery unit during a 13-month period, were invited to participate in the study along with their parents. By using a simple complete randomisation method, 97 children with their parents were assigned to the experimental group receiving therapeutic play intervention, and 106 children with their parents were assigned to the control group receiving routine information preparation. / Background. Surgery causes considerable stress and anxiety that can have a profound effect on both children and their parents. Therefore, they need to be well prepared before surgery to minimize their anxiety, enhance their feeling of control, and promote positive post-operative outcomes. With the increasing number and complexity of paediatric surgery being performed in day surgery units, there is a compelling need for nurses to develop and evaluate appropriate interventions tailored to the needs of children and parents so as to enhance their ability to cope with surgery. / Conclusion. The first phase of this study confirmed the psychometric properties of the Chinese version of the State and Trait Anxiety Scales for Children, and the Children's Emotional Manifestation Scale. The results also support the appropriateness of these instruments as clinical research tools in evaluating the effectiveness of preoperative nursing interventions. / Methods. The study was conducted in two phases. The first phase consisted of developing and testing the psychometric properties of three instruments that were used in the second phase of the study. These instruments included the Chinese version of the State Anxiety Scale for Children, the Chinese version of the Trait Anxiety Scale for Children, and the Children's Emotional Manifestation Scale. / Results. The results showed that both children and parents in the experimental group reported statistically significant lower state anxiety scores than the control group in both pre- and post-operative periods. Children in the experimental group also exhibited statistically significant fewer instances of negative emotional behaviours, displayed lower heart rates and mean arterial blood pressures. Additionally, parents in the experimental group reported significantly higher level of satisfaction with the preoperative nursing preparation given. The results, however, did not find statistically significant differences in children's postoperative pain scores and post-hospital adjustment between the two groups. / Significance of the study. It is anticipated that this study could increase nurses' understanding of the emotional responses of children undergoing surgery and enrich their experience in using child-sensitive research tools in evaluating the effectiveness of preoperative nursing interventions. Most importantly, this research provides empirical evidence of the benefits of incorporating therapeutic play in the preoperative preparation of children and parents thus charting a path towards promoting holistic and quality care.* / The second phase of this study had addressed a gap in the literature by empirically testing the effectiveness of the therapeutic play intervention in preparing children for surgery, and their parents, which had been under-researched. It also provides empirical evidence that therapeutic play, using preoperative tour visit to the operating theatre, doll demonstration and return demonstration on the procedure of anaesthesia, is more effective in improving immediately pre- and post-operative outcomes of children and their parents than information-based preparation alone. / Therapeutic play has been used as a psychological preparation for helping children cope with the stress of hospitalisation. However, the majority of previous studies into the effect of therapeutic play were based only on theories and clinical observations. The lack of empirical evidence makes it difficult to determine precisely the effectiveness of therapeutic play. Therefore, there is vital need for more rigorous empirical scrutiny. / Li Ho Cheung William. / "July 2005." / Advisers: Violeta Lopez; Chung Kwong Yeung. / Includes supplementary digital materials. / Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 67-11, Section: B, page: 6309. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--Chinese University of Hong Kong, 2005. / Includes bibliographical references (p. 335-354). / Electronic reproduction. Hong Kong : Chinese University of Hong Kong, [2012] System requirements: Adobe Acrobat Reader. Available via World Wide Web. / Electronic reproduction. [Ann Arbor, MI] : ProQuest Information and Learning, [200-] System requirements: Adobe Acrobat Reader. Available via World Wide Web. / Abstracts in English and Chinese. / School code: 1307.

Divorce is part of every society, it is a world-wide phenomena. Divorce touches the lives of many people by breaking up families, causing personal individual trauma and affecting our children – the next generation. Consequences of this phenomenon are important, as what we do today will affect negatively or positively, the youth of tomorrow. Taken this fact into consideration one would think it logical to minimise the impact of this phenomenon on all those involved. Firstly, this study will attempt to identify the most prominent emotional indicators of a child’s drawing in order to focus therapy in those areas in an attempt to minimise or lessen the negative impact the child experiences. Secondly, the intervention strategies/guidelines researched, will be made available to parents, professionals and lay helpers alike in order to understand, support and positively facilitate the healing process within the child who is experiencing a family divorce. / Educational Studies / M. Ed. (with Specialisation in Guidance and Counselling)

This study will attempt to identify the reported problem behavior in children impacted by parental divorce. Further, it will try to determine whether pre-divorce interparental conflict, time spent with the mother, and the mother's adjustment affects the problem behavior reported for children. The following analytic techniques will be used: frequency distributions, t-tests, correlations, and regression.

The effects of divorce on trust in intimate heterosexual relationships were investigated using a sample of 478 college students (156 males, 322 females). Subjects were asked to respond to scenarios and questionnaires assessing parental marital status, just world beliefs, parental conflict, and trust. Attitudes toward divorce and common problems were also assessed.

The influence of parental marital status and parental conflict on the separation-individuation process of college students was investigated in the present study. Past studies have suggested that parental divorce and parental conflict accelerate separation. However, no studies have measured more than one dimension of separation-individuation. In this study the process of separation-individuation was operationalized as involving three dimensions: psychological separation from parents (Psychological Separation Inventory); emotional attachments to parents and peers (Inventory of Parent and Peer Attachment); and the development of an identity (Extended Objective Measure of Ego Identity Status). The sample consisted of 120 male and 120 female undergraduates between the ages of 18 and 22, one-half with parents who were married and one-half with parents who had divorced in the last five years. Subjects completed self-report measures of parental conflict, psychological separation, attachment to parents and to peers, and identity status. Predictions that parental conflict would affect students in intact families differently than their peers with divorced parents were not supported. Instead, parental divorce and conflict were found to have different effects on the components of the separation-individuation process. Subjects reporting higher parental conflict levels described more independent functioning, more negative feelings toward parents, less attachment to parents and to peers, and greater exploration of identity-related issues in comparison to those reporting low levels of conflict. Subjects with parents who had recently divorced reported lower attachment to parents, and greater identity exploration and reluctance to commit to an identity than subjects from intact families. Males reported greater independence from and less attachment to parents, and had committed to an identity without exploration less often than females. Results suggest that parental divorce and conflict may influence adolescent development in different ways. Exploratory analyses suggested that measures of conflict style are more highly related to indices of separation-individuation than measures of the amount of parental conflict. Theoretical and methodological issues are discussed.

The purpose of this study was to explore the effects of parental divorce and family conflict during adolescence on young adult females' social support and psychological adjustment. The three areas explored were perceptions of relationship satisfaction and closeness, sources and amount of social support and adjustment. One hundred and forty-one female undergraduates, 53% from families in which their parents are still married and 47% from families in which a parental divorce occurred during adolescence, completed the following measures: the Dyadic Adjustment Scale (Spanier, 1976), the Social Provisions Scale-Source Specific (Cutrona, 1989), the Inventory of Common Problems (Hoffman & Weiss, 1986), the Family Environment Scale (Moos & Moos, 1981), and the Sibling Relationship Questionnaire (Furman & Buhrmester, 1985).

M.Ed. (Educational Psychology) / In this study an attempt was made to ascertain if there Is a difference In personality traits between behaviorally handicapped children from Intact homes and behaviorally handicapped children from divorced homes. In South-Africa one out of every two marriages tend to end up In divorce. Divorce has a negative Influence on children and more children from divorced homes show deviant behaviour and are failures at school, than children from Intact homes. Boys are more adversely affected by divorce than girls ...

One-third of American children under the age of 18 years and one in ten Canadian children aged 0-11 years are exposed to environmental tobacco smoke (ETS) predisposing them to multiple health problems. Although several intervention strategies to reduce ETS exposure among children have been tested, to date there is not enough evidence to recommend one strategy over another. The objectives of this study were: (a) to test if parents' participation in an intervention based on an empowerment ideology and participatory experiences decreases the number of cigarettes smoked in homes; and (b) to identify barriers to making homes and vehicles smoke-free, as well as facilitators used by parents to manage these barriers. To enable informed decision-making on how to measure empowerment, a systematic review was conducted to identify questionnaires that best measure health-related empowerment among adults and in families. / In a randomized controlled trial, 36 families were allocated to the intervention (n=17) or control group (n=19). The six week intervention included three, two hour group sessions, followed by three follow-up telephone calls, all at weekly intervals. Data were collected in interviewer-administered questionnaires at baseline and at six months follow-up. / No significant difference was detected between the intervention and control groups in the number of cigarettes smoked in the home daily at six months follow-up. However empowerment increased and the number of cigarettes smoked in the home decreased in both the intervention and control groups from baseline (median=17) to six-month follow-up (median=5). / Parents identified multiple barriers to smoke-free homes and vehicles including personal factors, factors involving others, and factors related to the physical environment. The most commonly identified barriers to smoke-free homes were personal factors, with tobacco addiction cited most often. In describing how to overcome barriers, parents identified facilitators involving other people as most effective, yet they most often relied on themselves. None ofthe parents identified a health provider as a facilitator. The multiple and complex barriers identified in this study suggest that interventions and practice guidelines should incorporate multiple strategies and individualized approaches to assist parents to make their homes and vehicles smoke-free.