Students in Technical and Vocational Education and Training Colleges (TVET) in South Africa face a number of challenges including psychological problems. These challenges have a strong bearing on the academic success of the students. The aim of the study was to examine the effectiveness of psychological support services rendered to students at Majuba TVET College. Interviews were recorded verbatim and transcribed. Thematic data analysis was used to analyse the data. The themes used were derived from the research objectives and these were further divided into categories and sub-categories. The study found that the institution does provide psychological support services to the learner. The forms of psychological support include career counselling, pre-counselling, referral system, on-going counselling and peer counselling and mentoring. Improved academic performance, improved student attendance student retention and improved college certification rate are some of the benefits that can be realised from the effective utilisation of psychological support by the students. Various challenges hinder the effective utilisation of these psychological support services including, lack of qualified personnel, being understaffed, poor referral system, conflicting roles of staff, inadequate on-site counselling, low-prioritisation of psychological support by college management and limited access time. The participants highlighted the need for the institution to establish linkages with key stakeholders such as other TVET Colleges so as to have a platform for sharing vital information on psychological support. The participants were of the view that more qualified and registered staff should be hired to bolster the provision of psychological support to students. The referral system should be improved and the participants advocated for the services to be accessible around the clock. College management should show commitment to students’ welfare by prioritising and recognising student psychological support as pivotal to students’ academic success. / Educational Studies / M. Ed. (Adult Education)

The purpose of this qualitative study is to explore how narrative therapy may facilitate not only a lessening of distressing symptoms for bereaved persons, but may also facilitate growth in identity. Five case studies are presented. The participants were chosen to illuminate different grief experiences. The case studies include a description of grieving people from different backgrounds, each with a unique relationship with the person or people who died, all of whom had different causes of death such as suicide, murder and natural causes. These differences provide an opportunity to explore the application of the therapy model with a range of grief experiences. A full and rich description of the experiences of the participants yield insight into the shared themes such as the impact of social expectations of how a grieving person should conduct him or herself, difficult physical and emotional experiences, the many losses flowing from the death, as well as an in-depth discussion of the identity growth that takes place as the bereaved person takes on different roles and tasks. Postmodern epistemology and social constructivism informed the praxis and interpretation of narrative therapy as bereavement model. Narrative therapy is shown as especially effective for grief therapy with therapeutic tenets such as deconstructing and creating richer narratives and alternative stories that enables the bereaved to explore diverse aspects of their character. The emphasis on what remains rather than what is lost, and the concept of remembering the loved one who died in the community of those who stay behind, transmute the loss-story to one of remembering and incorporating, which tends to bring significant emotional relief. This study contributes towards the field of growth through bereavement for which there seems to be a paucity in research. Furthermore, it provides additional evidence for post-traumatic growth in general, especially with the assistance of narrative therapy. / Psychology / Ph. D. (Psychology)

Text in Afrikaans / Summaries in Afrikaans and English / Vigs is 'n "sluipende moordenaar "_ Dit toon geen respek vir kultuur, status,ouderdom of geslag nie. Vigs veroorsaak 'n onnnatuurlike dood wat vriende en familie bedreig en vervreem, lank na die dood van die vigsslagoffer. Die navorsingsdoel van hierdie studie was om riglyne daar te stel vir die psigoterapeutiese hantering van die vigslyer en sy gesin. Die navorsing het getoon dat 'n stigma en skuldgevoelens rondom die vigslyer en sy gesin ontstaan het, en dat hulle direk verantwoordelik gehou word vir die siekte bloot omdat hulle betrokke is by mekaar. 'n Vraelys wat aspekte (soos dit uit die literatuurstudie geblyk het) inkorporeer, is opgestel en aan die vigslyer en sy gesin gegee om te voltooi. Van die belangrikste elemente wat na vore gekom het, is die vrees vir die onbekende, die stigma verbonde aan die siekte en die pad wat die siekte loop ten opsigte van naiwiteit en valse gerugte ten opsigte van die siekte. 'n Verdere hoofstuk fokus op die literatuur om die hoofaspekte van die probleem vas le stel, en sodoende riglyne vir 'n terapieprogram daar te stel om die vrese te onderskep en die familie te help om die siekte beter te begryp_ Die doel is om die samelewing te laat begryp dat vigs nie 'n kulturele of "klas" siekte is nie, maar dat dit alle lae van die samelewing kan tref. 'n Afdeling is gewy aan 'n wye verskeidenheid terapeutiese tegnieke wat geimplimenteer kan word tydens hulpverlening aan die vigslyer en sy gesinslede. Verder verskaf hierdie studie ook riglyne om ondersteuning en hulp aan die vigslyer en sy gesin te bied, om sodoende hulle selfkonsep te verbeter. / Aids is a "stalking killer''. It has no respect for culture, breeding, age or sex. It is an unnatural death which offends and alienates many friends and family, even after the victim has died. A questionnaire incorporating important aspects of the cause and effect of aids was compiled and given to the aids sufferers and family to complete. From the responses it was clearly evident that the fears of the unknown, the stigma attached to the victim's close associates and family, was a problem, and the route course of incredible naive and false rumours. A chapter of the research focused on literature to establish what was the major aspects of the problem expressed by the media. Guidelines were provided whereby therapy could address and allay these fears to assist the family to better understand the illness and it's effects. This chapter has in mind to provide the Psychologist with guidelines to provide therapy to both the victim and the family in this regard. This study confirms that the survivors are the actual victims. / Educational studies / M.Ed. (Voorligting)

Text in English / The rationale for the study was to investigate the symbiotic connection of trauma and addiction. The focus is on childhood trauma and the turn to addictive practices to quell the memories and experiences endured as children. Chapter One discusses the methodology regarding the approach of the study and includes an introductory literature review of the phenomena. Additional literature is included in the ensuing chapters. A personal account of the motivation behind the research is chronicled in Chapter Two. In this chapter, I share with the readers my personal experiences around trauma and addiction in my family of origin. The notion of the blending of trauma and addiction is the focus of Chapter Three. It includes the approach to treatment of trauma and addiction as well as addiction counsellor training in the South African context. The storied lives of the participants and their experiences of trauma and addiction are encapsulated in Chapter Four. Finally, Chapter Five rounds off the study with the analyses of the narratives of the unique individuals who contributed to this research undertaking. / Psychology / M.A. (Psychology)

Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI) / Symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) are a common comorbidity in veterans seeking treatment of chronic musculoskeletal pain (CMP). However, little is known regarding the mutual influence of PTSD and CMP in this population. Using cross-sectional and longitudinal data from a randomized clinical trial evaluating a stepped care intervention for CMP in Iraq/Afghanistan veterans (ESCAPE), this dissertation examined the relationships between PTSD and CMP along with other factors including depression, anxiety, catastrophizing and health-related quality of life. The Classification and Regression Tree (CART) analysis was conducted to identify key factors associated with baseline PTSD besides CMP severity. A series of statistical analyses including logistical regression analysis, mixed model repeated measure analysis, confirmatory factor analysis and cross-lagged panel analysis via structural equation modeling were conducted to test five competing models of PTSD symptom clusters, and to examine the mutual influences of PTSD symptom clusters and CMP outcomes. Results showed baseline pain intensity and pain disability predicted PTSD at 9 months. And baseline PTSD predicted improvement of pain disability at 9 months. Moreover, direct relationships were found between PTSD and the disability component of CMP, and indirect relationships were found between PTSD, CMP and CMP components (intensity and disability) mediated by depression, anxiety and pain catastrophizing. Finally, the coexistence of PTSD and more severe pain was associated with worse SF-36 Physical Component Summary (PCS) and Mental Component Summary (MCS) scores. Together these findings provided empirical support for the mutual maintenance theory.

Violent cnme is among the most prominent distinguishing characteristics of South African society, it has a severely traumatising effect on the populations concerned. Based on research :findings and existing literature, this study explores traumatic effects of violent crime on the most intimate associate of the victim (the partner). Accordingly, this study deals with the much-neglected topic of secondary trauma, by focusing on the following aspects of or conditions associated with violent crime and the secondary victim: cognitive, emotional and relational effects the experience of trauma, loss, vulnerability, depression and acute stress. It reveals that, depending on the severity of the incident, its consequences for the partner of the victim may range from post-traumatic stress to acute stress or secondary traumatic stress. From the similar results returned for primary and secondary victims, it is apparent that in the future, both victim and supporter should have their needs addressed with equal emphasis. / Educational Studies / M.Ed. (Specialisation in Guidance and Councelling)

The purpose of this study was to analyse the support systems for refugees in Southern Africa with specific reference to the Republic of Botswana. Qualitative framework as described by Lofland and Lofland (1984), Schensus and Schensus (1992) was used to conduct the investigation. Interviews were conducted with thirty refugees who currently living in Botswana as a refugee or asylum seeker. Focus group discussion was also held with twenty-six refugee workers. Interview findings were derived using Glaser and Straus' (1976) and Van Maanen, (1979) constant comparative method of qualitative analysis and were grouped into four major categories. Among the most significant findings were that the subjects agreed that on paper and by design, there are structures for providing the different services to refugees but refugees are not provided with adequate services. The second finding is that the support systems for refugees in Botswana are more focused on the provision of material support with little attention given to the psychosocial needs of the refugees. The third finding is that the Botswana government withheld some of the Articles of the 1951 UN refugee Convention, which deal with the socio-economic rights of refugees in Botswana. The fourth finding is that refugee workers need specialised training to enable them to address a wide rage of psychosocial issues affecting refugees. Last major finding is that there is no established clear system of service delivery in the participating agencies. The researcher concluded that because of trauma and stress experienced by refugees and refugee workers, there is a need to improve on the psychosocial support provided to refugees and refugee workers in Botswana by improving the knowledge and skills of refugee workers and promoting refugee participation. The researcher recommends two urgent actions that should be taken. First, the refugee management in Botswana need to improve on its service quality control mechanism, including evaluating its legal and operational framework. Second, psychosocial components need to be integrated into every aspect of the refugee programmes. This will support recovery for the many traumatised refugees and refugee workers in Botswana. / Social work / DPHIL (SOCIAL WORK)

This study was undertaken as a qualitative needs assessment of emotional support to the adolescent with a terminally ill parent. Five participants in their adolescent life phase (14 to 18 years) with a terminally ill parent, participated in the study. Individual unstructured interviews were conducted with each participant, in order to assess their need for emotional support. With the consent of the parents and adolescents, the interviews were video-recorded and transcribed. Eight recurring themes were selected from the case studies and verified with the existing literature. The result of the study is the assessment of the need for emotional support to the adolescent with a terminally ill parent. / Social Work / M. Diac (Play Therapy)(Social Work)

Text in Afrikaans / In today's society our children are being incredibly exposed to trauma and death. Parents want to protect their children against hardship and loss and it is evident that todays society is characterized by social pathology. In view of the above the researcher studied literature extensively to investigate the affect of the phenomenon of death and trauma in the life of the young child. In order to establish the availability of therapy programs for the young child in childcare whose parents died in an unnatural way. It was evident that the present South African society is indeed characterized by conflict, homicide and violence. The death of a parent is a traumatic experience for the young child (aged two to seven years). VVhen death occurs suddenly it was found that the grief process is more complex. Through the process of literature study and empirical investigation it seems that many young children, who lost their parents through unnatural death, are placed in childcare institutions. In this study it was established that the fact that children were placed in childcare did not always imply that therapeutic intervention took place. Limited financial support and social services contributed to insufficient therapeutical intervention. Furthermore it was found that the investigated childcare institutions couldn't provide the researcher with therapeutic programmes. This study therefore indicates that there is a need for the development of therapeutic programmes for the young child in childcare. whose parents died in an unnatural way. / In die hedendaagse samelewing blyk dit dat kinders al hoe meer aan dood en trauma blootgestel word. Hoewel ouers graag hulle kinders wil beskerm teen hartseer en verlies, blyk dit dat vandag se samelewing gekenmerk word deur 'n vorm van sosiale patologie. In die lig van voorafgaande, het die navorser literatuurstudie onderneem om die teenwoordigheid en die fenomeen van dood en trauma in die lewe van die jong kind te ondersoek. 'n Verdere literatuurstudie is ook onderneem om die rou ervaring van die jong kind te ondersoek. Die navorser wou ook in hierdie studie vasstel of daar terapeutiese begeleiding aan die jong kind in kindersorg, wie se ouers op 'n onnatuurlike wyse gesterf het, beskikbaar is. Daar is in die studie gevind dat die huidige Suid-Afrikaanse samelewing inderdaad gekenmerk word deur konflik, moord en misdaad. Die afsterwe van 'n ouer is 'n traumatiese ondervinding vir die jong kind (twee tot sewe jaar). Wanneer die dood skielik en onverwags intree, is bevind dat die rouproses gekompliseerd is. Deur die proses van literatuurstudie en empiriese ondersoek blyk dit dat verskeie jong kinders wie se ouers op 'n onnatuurlike wyse gesterf het, in kindersorginstansies geplaas word. Daar is in hierdie studie bewys dat hoewel die kind in kindersorginstansies geplaas word, terapeutiese begeleiding nie altyd plaasvind nie. Hierdie gebrekkige terapeutiese begeleiding word toegeskryf aan die feit dat nie voldoende finansiele ondersteuning en maatskaplike dienste is nie. Daar is verder gevind dat kindersorginstansies, wat aan die studie deelgeneem het, nie oor traumaterapie programme vir terapeutiese begeleiding beskik nie. Hierdie studie toon dus dat daar 'n behoefte is vir die ontwikkeling van terapeutiese programme vir die jong kind in kindersorg wie se ouers op 'n onnatuurlike wyse gesterf het. / Educational studies / M. Ed. (Voorligting)

This dissertation undertakes a comparative study of certain works of literature concerning Vietnamese and American troops during the United States’ involvement in Southeast Asia in the 1960s and 1970s. My assumption was that during war it is possible to conclude that enemy forces behave in the same manner in order to reach the identical goal, that of victory over the ‘other’ side. I sought to ascertain how under the selfsame conditions they could be considered as enemies. Divided only by the 17th Parallel: A Study of Similarities Between American and Vietnamese Soldiers in Selected Works By close reading of six texts, three from Vietnamese and three from American perspectives, I have attempted to extract their similar views from each in order to create a context in which the likeness of each side is demonstrated. This was achieved by exploring four themes: those of landscape, time, conflict and ghosts. It was discovered that the protagonists’ behaviour was the same and that rather than being the others’ adversary their true enemies were found within their own ranks. The results indicate that a wider perspective should be adopted on war than one which regards it as a simplistic binary consisting of two opposing sides. Contrary to any supposition that enemies must remain separated, there is more than enough evidence for one to conclude that they actually occupied mutual psychological territory. Key Terms: Landscape, time, ghosts, psychological damage, Reader Response, CSR, PTSD, New Historicism, dehumanisation, conditions of war, 1954 Geneva Agreement, ideology, war literature. / English Literature / M.A. (English Literature)