Thesis (M.A.)--Briercrest Biblical Seminary, 2000. / Abstract. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 104-121).

Verhandeling voorgele ter nakoming van die vereistes vir die graad Magister educationis in die Derartement Opvoedkundige Sielkunde aandie Universiteit van Zululand. Eng = Submitted to the Faculty of Education for the requirements of the Master of Educational Psychology at the University of Zululand, South Africa, 2006. / Afr: Die navorsingsondersoek is onderneem om nie-mishandelende ouers se belewing van hul seksueel getraumatiseerde kinders te bepaal omdat relatief min navqrsing internasionaai daaroor gedoen is en feitiik geen navorsing daaroor in Suid-Afrika beskikbaar is nie. Daar bestaan nie ooreenstemming onder kundiges oor wat as seksuele misbruik beskou word nie en die mening word gehuldig dat 'n definisie daarvan 'n mynveld van vooroordele, voorafopgestelde menings en misleidende inligting is. In hierdie studie word die konsep seksuele traumatisering gebruik. In die literatuurstudie is die rouproses as 'n kategorie gei'dentifiseer waaronder die volgende subkategoriee" resorteer skok en ongeloof, ontkenning, woede, skuldgevoelens en selfverwyt, skaamte en angs, blaam, vrees, depressie, verdriet en ambivalensie. Die ander geidentifiseerde kategoriee is die effek wat die seksueel getraumatiseerde kinders het op hul ouers se werk, kognitiewe dissonansie, sekondere traumatisering, herviktimitisering weens verskyning in die hof en posttraumatiese stresversteuring. Terme soos "gesond", "tipies", "nonnaal" en "funksioneel", wat afwisselend gebruik word, dra by tot die problematiek rondom die beskrywing van 'n gesin. Die terme funksionele en disfonksionele gesinne word vanuit die algemene sisteemteorie se perspektief vir die doeleindes van hierdie studie aanvaar. Belewing, as 'n konsep waarop die studie gebou is, maak 'n belangrike deel daarvan uit, aangesien die ouers se belewing as skakel dien met hul seksueel getraumatiseerde kind. Wat verantwoordbare hulpverlening en steun aan seksueel getraumatiseerde kinders en hul gesinne betref, vind staatstrakture dit vanwee finansiele tekorte moeilik om hul ontwerpprotokolle te implementeer. Sommige instellings (nie-regeringsorganisasies) kwyt hulle goed van hul taak betreffende hulpverlening en steun aan seksueel getraumatiseerde kinders en hul ouers. Eng:= The research was undertaken to determine the experiences of non-abusive parents who have to deal with their sexually traumatised child. Internationally, there is relatively little research done on the subject and, in South Africa, almost none. Experts have failed to agree on the concept of sexual abuse. The opinion is that definitions thereof often include prejudices, predetermined meanings, and misleading information. In this study, the concept of sexual traumatisation is used. In the literacy review, the grief process has been identified as a category that consists of the following subcategories: shock and disbelief, denial, anger, guilt feelings, self-recrimination, shame and anxiety, inappropriate blame, depression, sadness, and ambivalence. The other identified categories are the effect of the sexually abused children on their parents' work, cognitive dissonance, secondary traumatisation, revictimisation due to court appearance, and posttraumatic stress disorder. Terms like "health", "types", "normal" and "functional", which are used interchangeably, contribute towards the problematic nature of describing a family. For this study, the terms "functional" and "dysfunctional families" was adopted from the perspective of the general systems theory. Experience, as a concept on which the study was built, forms an important part thereof, since the parents' experiences serve as a link with their sexually traumatised child. Regarding responsible and effective therapeutic intervention and programmes for sexually traumatised children and their families, state structures find it difficult to implement their design protocols due to financial constraints. Some institutions (non-governmental organisations) are doing well in their task of therapeutic intervention and support to sexually traumatised children and their families.

Thesis (M.Soc.Sc.)--University of Hong Kong, 1998. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 109-114) Also available in print.

Thesis (M. Soc. Sc.)--University of Hong Kong, 1998. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 109-114).

M. Psych. (Educational Psychology) / The high child sexual abuse rate in South Africa and all over the world makes these cases a reality for educational psychologists practising today. Equineassisted psychotherapy is a relatively new field in psychology, and research shows that this therapeutic intervention can have a very significant impact on people. Sexual abuse leaves children with psychological effects (Beitchman, Zucker, Hood, DaCosta & Akman, 1991) ranging from intrapersonal problems such as low self-esteem and feeling emotionally overwhelmed to interpersonal problems resulting in communication and relationship challenges (Mandrell, 2006). According to Kidson (2012), equine-assisted therapy deals very well with such issues as well as self-concept, self-efficacy and self-acceptance. These issues correlate well with the effects of child sexual abuse and the issues that the therapist needs to deal with in the therapeutic sessions (Conte & Scheumann, 2011). Seeing the possibilities that equine-assisted therapy held for a therapist working with a case of sexual abuse, I inquired in terms of the involved systemic influences and experiences. The study investigated the experiences of the therapist, the client and the parents when using equine-assisted psychotherapy in a case of sexual abuse. The study attempted to identify themes that could explain these experiences and maybe make a contribution to the field of equine-assisted psychotherapy, specifically pertaining to work with sexual abuse cases. I made use of a phenomenological, qualitative case study design to explore the experiences of the participants. The data collection methods included interviews, field notes and observations. Artefacts were used to aid the researcher in the observation process but also to help the researcher explain the findings in Chapter 4. Furthermore, creative expressive arts therapy tools were used in the interviews to assist the participants in expressing their experiences regarding the equine-assisted therapy process. Data was analysed using the phenomenological data analysis process. This process is al about “being true to the phenomenon”. The first step in this research was to transcribe the interview recordings. Using the transcribed text, the field notes and the observations, the researcher then identified units of general meaning. Out of the units of general meanings, themes were identified. In the findings, three themes were identified: equine-assisted therapy, an empowering life changing experience; the extent to which active engagement with horses assist in expressing emotions; and the equine-assisted therapy process and therapeutic experience. The limitations and strengths of the research were also explained and discussed. Subsequently, recommendations were made for possible future research that evolved from the study’s findings.

published_or_final_version / Social Work and Social Administration / Master / Master of Social Sciences

Child sexual abuse and its potentially traumatizing consequences, over both the short- and longer term, has been increasingly recognized in the literature as a possible pathway to the development of intra- and interpersonal maladjustment, affecting the mental well-being of those affected. There is a paucity of local research investigating the systemic impact of a child's sexual abuse upon the caregiving and family systems in which the child is integrally embedded. The current research was conducted primarily in response to this, with the intention of illuminating the experiences of caregivers and families managing their child's experience of sexual abuse. More specifically, the research was interested in the experiences and perceptions of caregivers of children who had been sexually abused by an extrafamilial person. The phenomenological approach informed the planning, implementation, analysis and interpretation phases of the research. The sample included six mothers / female caregivers who had discovered their child's sexual abuse no less than three months and no longer than twelve months prior to the research being conducted. Maternal caregivers were the primary source of information regarding their own experiences, as well as spokespersons for the caregiving family unit and its members. Two semistructured interviews were planned for each respondent, the first interview aimed at eliciting their experiences and perceptions, and the second interview aimed primarily at providing debriefing and feedback. In view of the highly sensitive nature of the interview topic, the second interview was structured primarily out of ethical concerns for the respondent's well-being as a consequence of the interviewing. Results of the interviews suggest that these caregivers were faced with a host of complex experiences related to three broad thematic areas, namely: their involvement with the criminal justice system; managing the child's and family's distress; and themes around coping and support. A number of sub-themes were identified within and across these three broad thematic areas, representing a complex interaction between dominant experiences. Caregivers were typically faced with a series of dilemmas and decisions in their interactions with their child, family, and the criminal justice system. Based upon the findings, a number of suggestions have been made in terms of policy and protocol development for intervening with such families and their children. / Thesis (M.A.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Pietermaritzburg, 2005.

This study was designed to determine the effectiveness of filial therapy as a method of intervention for non-offending parents and their children who have experienced sexual abuse. Filial therapy is a didactic/dynamic approach used by play therapists to train parents to be therapeutic agents with their children. Parents are taught basic child-centered play therapy skills and the utilization of these skills in weekly play sessions with their children. Parents learn to create a special environment which enhances and strengthens the parent-child relationship, thus assisting in personal growth and change for both the parent and child. The purpose of this study was to determine if filial therapy is effective in: (a) increasing the acceptance of non-offending parents of their sexually abused children; (b) reducing the stress level of non-offending parents; (c) improving empathic behaviors of non-offending parents toward their sexually abused child; (d) decreasing the anxiety of sexually abused children; (e) enhancing the self-concept of sexually abused children; (f) decreasing behavior problems of sexually abused children as reported by their non-offending parents; and (g) enhancing the emotional adjustment of sexually abused children.

When a child has been sexually abused, the non-offending parent and child may benefit from an intervention aimed at enhancing the parent child relationship. This mixed-methods study examined the process of child parent relationship therapy (CPRT) with non-offending parents of children who had been sexually abused. One purpose of the present study was to examine change in parent-child relationship, child behavior, and parent empathy of non-offending parents whose children have been sexually abused after participation in CPRT. A secondary purpose of this study was to explore subjective experiences of non-offending parents who participate in CPRT. Participants (N = 8) completed 11 weeks of CPRT in either Spanish speaking (n = 4) or English speaking (n = 4) groups. All participants completed pretest and posttest instruments including Child Behavior Checklist, Parenting Stress Index, and Measurement of Empathy in Adult-Child Interaction. Pretest and posttest means were reported but because of small sample size, only descriptive statistics are reported. Possible trends in pretest/posttest mean scores of the quantitative instruments are discussed. All participants also completed a post semi-structured interview to account for the experience of participants qualitatively. Analysis of the qualitative data revealed enhanced parent-child relationships, improved communication, greater acceptance, positive parental internal changes, positive behavioral changes in child, and positive changes in discipline.