Project Thesis (D. Min.)--Denver Seminary, 2000. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 215-227).

Mémoire (M.Ed.)--Université du Québec à Chicoutimi, 2001. / Bibliogr.: pp. 136-154. Document électronique également accessible en format PDF. CaQCU

M.Ed. (Psychology of Education) / Please refer to full text to view abstract

The purpose of the study is to identify what types of pregnancy interventions in which adolescent females in San Bernardino have participated.

Thesis (MA)--University of Stellenbosch, 2000. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: A combined quantitative and qualitative methodology was employed in order to explore the intimate heterosexual context of coloured* pregnant adolescents as a determinant of their sexual risk-taking behaviour. Structured questionnaires were completed by forty young women attending prenatal clinics in the Stellenbosch area, and unstructured open-ended interviews subsequently conducted with ten selected respondents. It was found that the heterosexual relationships in which these girls were involved, tended to be intense emotional attachments based upon a foundation of friendship and trust, and reinforced by cultural notions of romantic love. In the wake of working class socioeconomic circumstances these relationships became a primary source of meaning-giving in respondents' lives, pervading all aspects of their everyday existence and guiding their future prospects. And it is in this context that sex prevailed as a means of deepening the emotional experience and pursuing relationship maintenance. Reproductive health interventions for coloured female adolescents would have to acknowledge these complexities and act upon them in ingenuous ways. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: 'n Gekombineerde kwantitatiewe en kwalitatiewe metodologie is geïmplementeer ten einde te bepaal op welke wyse die intieme heteroseksuele konteks van kleurling* swanger adolessente hulle seksueel riskante gedrag beïnvloed. Gestruktureerde vraelyste is voltooi deur veertig jong vroue wat prenatale klinieke in die Stellenbosch area bygewoon het, waarop ongestruktureerde nie-leidende onderhoude met tien geselekteerde respondente gevoer is. Dit is bevind dat hierdie meisies se heteroseksuele verhoudings meestal intense emosionele verbintenisse was, wat gebaseer is op 'n grondslag van vriendskap en vertroue, en wat versterk is deur kulturele opvattings van romantiese liefde. In die lig van werkersklas sosio-ekonomiese omstandighede, het hierdie verhoudings 'n primêre bron van betekenis in respondente se lewens geword. Dit het alle aspekte van hulle daaglikse bestaan beïnvloed en hulle toekomsvooruitsigte gerig. En dit is binne sodanige konteks wat seks beoefen is. Dit was instrumenteel ten einde verdieping van die emosionele ervaring en voortsetting van die verhouding te probeer bewerkstellig. Reproduktiewe gesondheidsintervensies vir kleurling vroulike adolessente sal erkenning moet gee aan hierdie kompleksiteite en vindingryke oplossings daarvoor moet genereer.

PhD (Public Health) / Department of Public Health / The well-being of adolescents’ population is a major concern to policy makers, educators and researchers all over the world. Research has shown that adolescents engage in deviant and risky sexual behaviour, and such behaviour may have consequences for their present or future health. Likewise, it has been shown that adolescents are also known to conform to societal norms if they are given proper guidance. In the light of this, the present study proposed to explore and explain the influence of family dynamics in the occurrence of adolescents deviant and sexual risk behaviour. This study involved a sequential explorative, descriptive and analytic mixed method design, combining both qualitative and quantitative research approaches. The study was divided into three (3) phases. Phase 1 was purely qualitative in nature, where a total of 10 parents and 13 adolescents were engaged in an in-depth interview. Phase 2 was quantitative in nature, using a cross-sectional analytic design involving 388 adolescents, while Phase 3 was the development of a public health intervention to mitigate the influence of family dynamics on adolescent deviant and sexual risk behaviour. The qualitative data were analysed using thematic content analysis, while the quantitative data were analysed using the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 22. The Chi-square test, Fisher’s exact test, multinomial and binary logistic regression were used to compare differences between the dependent and independent variables. The level of statistical difference was set at p<0.05. Couple conflicts was a common finding in the study. In addition, many families suffered severe financial constraints and some parents were disconnected from their children physically, emotionally and financially (particularly the fathers). Adolescents claim that the age difference between them and their parents remains a barrier to communication, in addition, some participants claimed that they received little or no sex education from their parents. The present study found a high level of recent physical violence (30%), alcohol (52.9%) and drug use (10%) among participants. The level of sexual activity in this study was high, with 60.1% of the participants being sexually active and 23.1% having been pregnant. In addition, only 35.6% using condoms regularly. There was gender difference among participants on the following variables: cigarette smoking, teenage pregnancy and having multiple sexual partners. Furthermore, participants differed significantly across age group on the following variables: cigarette smoking, sexual activity, having friends who are sexually active, reported pregnancy and currently having iii a relationship. However, ‘relationship with mother’ was the family dynamic variable that recorded a wider effect on deviant and sexual risk behaviour. Furthermore, age, duration of stay in the community, living with siblings, relationship with mother, having enough money at home, being supported emotionally at home and parental love for each other, were predictors of deviant and sexual risk behaviour in the present study. There was also low level of risk perception and low level of skill for self-protection among the participants. As part of the objectives of the present study, the study findings were used to develop an evidence-based public health programme targeted at vulnerable adolescents and adolescents at high risk for deviant and sexual risk behaviour. It is hoped that this programme will be able to empower parents and caregivers to apply better parenting practices to forestall undue exposure of adolescents to factors that contribute to deviant and sexual risk behaviour. The present study demonstrated that although adolescents have the propensity for deviant behaviours, many may transit to adulthood without much adverse sequelae even in the face of harsh family social and economic adversities. However, a proportion of the adolescent population in this community remains vulnerable due to the effects of family de-structuring, poverty and unemployment. / NRF

This study evaluates a sex education programme administered in an Indian high school. To this end, a literature search, empirical study and qualitative data were used to measure the effectiveness of the Education for Living programme. Adolescents are blamed for having pennissive attitudes, or for indulging in amoral sexual behaviour without considering the consequences. The fact is, sexual development of young people is affected in a fundamental sense by what is taking place around them. Many of the taboos, which operated in society years ago, have disappeared. This study looks into the history of the South African Indian community. In particular, this study focuses on the community's values, attitudes and traditional practices toward sexuality, sex and marriage. It further highlights how the processes of westemisation and modernisation have eroded many of these aspects of traditional Indian culture. The study concludes by examining the emergence of new-found patterns of behaviour and attitudes. It is not the intention of this study to provide any conclusive documentation on the subject of the Indian adolescent. However the major findings of this study have been fommlated as recommendations and implications for further research. Since sexuality is an ever-changing, life-long experience, there is a need for continuous acquisition of accurate sexual knowledge. Carefully designed programmes may serve to allay fears, dispel myths, diminish confusion, enhance communication within families and promote health and wellbeing across generations. / Social Work / M.A. (SS) (Mental Health)

This study investigated coercive and high risk sexual practices in South African adolescent dating relationships. Quantitative and qualitative information was collected from secondary school learners in a community near Johannesburg. Of 928 learners surveyed, 23.5% of females and 53.7% of males ever had sex. Of these, 57.8% of females and 44.2% of males reported sexual victimisation, and 46.8% of females and 50% of males reported perpetrating sexual coercion in a relationship. Significantly more males engaged in risky sex than females. Among females, sexual coercion was significantly linked to risky sexual behaviour. Among males, alcohol and perpetration of sexual coercion were significantly associated with risky sexual behaviour. Focus group data reveal how dominant constructions of gender normalise male coercion and contribute to risky sexual practices. Recommendations for sexual health initiatives include introducing alternative discourses of female sexual desire and male sexual responsibility as a means for building healthier adolescent dating relationships. / Psychology / M.A. (Psychology)

The purpose of the study was to investigate Grade 12 learners’ perceptions of their vulnerability to HIV infections in order to gain insight of their experiences on HIV and AIDS at schools in the Eastern Cape. This was done by using a mixed method approach where focus-group discussions and questionnaires were used to gather data. This study found that the teaching of HIV and AIDS or Life Skills is not adequate. It is possible that the lack of learner involvement in the design and implementation of the programmes could be one of the reasons why there is low participation by learners in intervention programmes in schools, as noted in this study. There is need for strong advocacy on the use of condoms as a preventive measure against unwanted pregnancies, and sexually transmitted diseases (STIs) including HIV. More involvement in extra-curricular activities would help learners to develop self-esteem and the ability to resist drugs and other risky sexual behaviours. / Social Work / M.A. (Social Behaviour Studies in HIV & AIDS)

This research set out to investigate factors that lead to seemingly prevalent pre-marital sex by Botswana Seventhday Adventist youth aging between 12 and 30 years. A 31- item questionnaire, divided into four sections, was used on a group of 45 youths. It was discovered that 78% of the youths studied had been involved in pre-marital sex at some point in their lives. Thirty-seven percent were still practicing it. The most vulnerable age range was 14 to 18 years, but some had started experimenting with sex as early as six years. Some of the contributing factors to the youth's involvement in sex included media, friends and lack of knowledge due to parents not giving them guidance.Prevention of pre-marital sex can be made possible by the cooperation of entities like the family, the church, the school and the individual. Hence, the suggested model called the Integrated Sexuality Education. / Philosophy, Practical and Systematic Theology / M. Th. (Practical Theology)