Grandparent caregivers to their grandchild(ren) is a growing population that is not completely understood. This study explored the challenges faced by grandparent caregivers to their grandchild(ren) and how being part of a kinship support group can help in addressing the challenges. A qualitative research design was used for the purpose of gathering first account narratives from the participants in the study. California Family Life Center, a kinship support agency was contacted and allowed the researcher to reach out to grandparents who were interested in taking part of the study. Seven participants took part in this study. This study concluded that grandparent caregivers are presented with challenges such as: an impact in their social life, making adjustments to their retirement plans and learning to cope through support from the kinship support group. The Loss and Grief Theory and Erikson’s Developmental Stages, generativity vs. stagnation provided an analysis and a better interpretation from the data collected from the participants. Results from the study suggest that being part of a kinship support group for participants has been beneficial to them as they come to better understand their current situation through the kinship support group. Nevertheless, the challenges are still present in their everyday lives. Implications for practice, policy and research are also discussed.

The availability of online support communities creates new opportunities for caregivers of children affected by health conditions to manage their illness-related uncertainty. This dissertation includes two studies that examined the presence of uncertainty management behaviors in online interactions among parents (caregivers) of children with clubfeet, and empirically tested the applicability of the uncertainty management theory to online behaviors. The Uncertainty Management Theory provided the theoretical foundation for both studies. For the first study, a content analysis of messages exchanged in an online support community dedicated to parents of children with clubfeet was conducted. Most messages were authored by women. The majority of the emotions expressed in the messages were positive. The most frequent information-seeking behaviors were direct questioning and self-disclosure. Information exchanges as a strategy to manage uncertainty included names of health care professionals and medical information. Five major types of social support (informational, tangible, network, esteem, and emotional) were identified. Informational support was the most frequent type of support provided, followed by emotional and esteem support. A third of the messages included combinations of two or more types of social support. For the second study an online survey was distributed using a snow-balling technique. Based on the survey data structural equation modeling was used to empirically test the uncertainty management framework. Positive relationships were identified between knowledge and information seeking, information seeking and social support, social support and sense of virtual community, uncertainty and stress. The results suggested that the uncertainty management theory may need to be adapted for use in online contexts. Uncertainty seems to be an important part of the experience of parents caring for children with clubfoot. Online communities dedicated to these parents represent a promising setting for studying illness-related uncertainty and its potential causes. Such studies can be a critical source of information to inform priorities for research and practice. This dissertation is the first step in better understanding the audience and provides an initial exploration of uncertainty management and communication processes present in an online support community. As we learn more about the parent audience, the importance of communicating with them becomes increasingly clear.

The purpose of this study was to improve our understanding of uncertainty in Adolescent Idiopathic Scoliosis (AIS), which is a chronic illness involving curvature of the spine and is typically diagnosed in late childhood or early adolescence. The timing of most AIS diagnosis and its subsequent treatment occurs at a critical point developmentally and may place strain on adolescents with AIS and their parents. This dissertation includes two studies. The first study used Cash's (2011) cognitive-behavioral perspective on body image as the framework to assess whether brace treatment had a negative impact on body image appraisals in female adolescents participating in a clinical trial. Contrary to previous studies, this study found that brace treatment did not have a negative impact on female adolescents' body image and that poor body image did not result in brace treatment non-adherence. However, this study found significant correlations in adolescents with AIS between poorer body image and poorer quality-of-life. The second study used Uncertainty Management Theory as the framework for exploring adolescents' and parents' AIS-related uncertainties that were participating in online support groups. Results from this study suggest that adolescents with AIS and parents of a child with AIS are managing their uncertainties regarding the illness and its treatment however, the way they manage the uncertainty is different, in particular regarding appraisals of the uncertainties, whether they are seeking or avoiding information, and the types of social support that is being sought and provided. Parents of a child with AIS tended to seek information regarding the uncertainty surrounding the AIS condition, including information regarding doctors/hospitals and research, while adolescents tended to be participating in the online support groups for the purposes of seeking and providing support to other adolescents that have been or currently are in similar situations, such as wearing a brace. These findings are critical, because differences in uncertainty management behaviors between adolescents and parents, such as the ones that were found in the AIS-related online support group, could result in differences in understandings, concerns, preferences, and expectations regarding the illness and its treatments, which may result in family conflict, poor clinical health outcomes in adolescents and poor psychosocial outcomes in adolescents and in their parents. This study is significant in that it explored AIS-related uncertainty in two entirely different settings where theoretical applications are rare, in a clinical trial and in online support groups. The results from this dissertation suggest that Uncertainty Management Theory and Cash's (2011) cognitive-behavioral perspective on body image may be adapted for these contexts. The synthesis of the findings from across this dissertation suggests that the clinical and psychosocial health outcomes of adolescents with AIS and the psychosocial outcomes of their parents, may be improved through communication tools, such as adolescents, their parents, and providers working together through a treatment decision flow chart to elicit AIS-related current understandings, concerns, preferences, and expectation, which will result in shared decisions. Finally, as new technologies expands and are integrated into decisions regarding illness, findings from this dissertation can be used to improve health communication, support interventions, and policy development.

<p>There are many children in Sweden today, approximately 200 000, who have parents or a parent that abuses alcohol or other drugs. The aim of this study was to investigate how group leaders in support groups for children with addicted parents relate to this sort of support groups. What are their advantages and disadvantages, according to the group leaders?</p><p>The method used was qualitative and the empirical material was collected through group interviews. We have interviewed eight persons who are social workers and the interviews were carried out at three work places. The analysis of the material takes a survey of previous written literature as the point of departure. The theoretical framework was eclectic, combining a child perspective with a holistic approach to the situation of children with addicted parents. The interview material was interpreted with the help of hermeneutic theory. Furthermore, Antonovsky’s salutogenic theory, system theory and theory on social change have been used in the analysis.</p><p>The analysis shows that the group leaders’ position is that children that have parents or a parent, who abuse alcohol need support groups. The group leaders of support groups bring up that the most important thing for these children is to have other children that they can talk to and trust. However, it was clearly more difficult for the interviewees to discuss possible disadvantages. Drawing upon a holistic perspective, we argue that one disadvantage is how group leaders see children as individuals instead of seeing the family as a whole and the need to deal with the children’s main problem, their parents’ addiction. We also discuss the fact that it seems as if a case worker with overall responsibility rarely monitors the child’s situation. Drawing upon theories on social change we argue that although support groups may empower children to some extent, support groups cannot in themselves be regarded as a way of creating social change.</p>

<p>This descriptive study investigated the utilisation of and perceptions about service delivery by Philippi Trust in the HIV/AIDS support groups in the Helderberg region. A questionnaire and individual interviews were applied to gather the data from the HIV/AIDS support group members and their facilitators. The quantitative data analysis was done, using the Statistical Packaging for Social science (SPSS) aiming to determine the descriptive statistics of the database and variables. The qualitative analysis was conducted using thematic analysis. Anonymity was assured but complete confidentiality was not possible as the investigator had knowledge of the HIV status of the study population, however no names appeared in the research report.</p>

There are many children in Sweden today, approximately 200 000, who have parents or a parent that abuses alcohol or other drugs. The aim of this study was to investigate how group leaders in support groups for children with addicted parents relate to this sort of support groups. What are their advantages and disadvantages, according to the group leaders? The method used was qualitative and the empirical material was collected through group interviews. We have interviewed eight persons who are social workers and the interviews were carried out at three work places. The analysis of the material takes a survey of previous written literature as the point of departure. The theoretical framework was eclectic, combining a child perspective with a holistic approach to the situation of children with addicted parents. The interview material was interpreted with the help of hermeneutic theory. Furthermore, Antonovsky’s salutogenic theory, system theory and theory on social change have been used in the analysis. The analysis shows that the group leaders’ position is that children that have parents or a parent, who abuse alcohol need support groups. The group leaders of support groups bring up that the most important thing for these children is to have other children that they can talk to and trust. However, it was clearly more difficult for the interviewees to discuss possible disadvantages. Drawing upon a holistic perspective, we argue that one disadvantage is how group leaders see children as individuals instead of seeing the family as a whole and the need to deal with the children’s main problem, their parents’ addiction. We also discuss the fact that it seems as if a case worker with overall responsibility rarely monitors the child’s situation. Drawing upon theories on social change we argue that although support groups may empower children to some extent, support groups cannot in themselves be regarded as a way of creating social change.

The aim of this qualitative study was to examine bereaved individuals’ experiences of support from their social networks and participation in support groups. The theoretical framework is based on theories about social support and parts of the attachment theory. Data were collected from four interviews and analysed by the study’s theoretical framework. The results have shown that the interviewed persons found emotional, instrumental and informative support from their own social networks important after their loss. Receiving constructive feedback from the social networks, and or various support groups, were also important factors. The interviewed persons expressed that the perceived and offered support was not satisfying and that they would have appreciated further help. The results also showed that most of the inter-viewed persons found their participation in support groups important as the groups made it possible for them to express their inherent feelings and thoughts. They also found it important to be able to talk with individuals who had experienced similar losses. My findings support earlier research that states the importance of social support and the possibility to express grieving reactions after a loss.

<p>This descriptive study investigated the utilisation of and perceptions about service delivery by Philippi Trust in the HIV/AIDS support groups in the Helderberg region. A questionnaire and individual interviews were applied to gather the data from the HIV/AIDS support group members and their facilitators. The quantitative data analysis was done, using the Statistical Packaging for Social science (SPSS) aiming to determine the descriptive statistics of the database and variables. The qualitative analysis was conducted using thematic analysis. Anonymity was assured but complete confidentiality was not possible as the investigator had knowledge of the HIV status of the study population, however no names appeared in the research report.</p>

O objetivo principal deste trabalho consiste em analisar a construção social do cuidado em um grupo específico de apoio aos portadores do vírus HIV/AIDS. Para tanto, apresentamos uma discussão teórico-conceitual e metodológica desenvolvida em quatro capítulos. Nos dois primeiros refletimos sobre a trajetória, do enfrentamento da epidemia do HIV/Aids no Brasil e o papel das ONGs nessa trajetória, buscando delinear o campo de disputando qual um grupo específico de portadores do vírus HIV/Aids se insere e assume posição contra-hegemônica. Em seguida, no terceiro capítulo, mapeamos o percurso da formação desse grupo, analisando o engendramento das atividades ali desenvolvidas e os reflexos do campo de disputa no interior do grupo. No capítulo seguinte, refletimos sobre a história de vida de uma das participantes do grupo, por meio da qual identificamos quais as possíveis configurações desse sujeito, mediante sua inserção nos espaços sociais. Verificamos que tal inserção amplia sua capacidade de articular saberes no enfrentamento dos seus problemas de saúde. Concluímos que o grupo estabelece modos de fazer que primam pela manutenção do vínculo por onde circulam bens e se efetuam as solidariedades. Além disso, percebemos que as hegemônicas concepções de saúde e doença estão tendo seus poros alargados por este reordenamento social que não somente filtra os valores indesejáveis da visão hegemônica, como também propicia aos sujeitos a redescoberta do seu próprio cuidado. Por fim, constatamos que as representações sobre saúde e doença, decorrentes da que as representações dobre saúde e doença, decorrentes da inserção do sujeito em espaços sociais específicos, como os grupos de apoio, provocam (re)significações importantes: trabalhar, cozinhar, dormir, alimentar-se e também aquelas que estavam somente na ordem do lazer, como passear, ficar em casa com a família, visitar e ser visitado por amigos, dançar e outras, ganham nova dimensão e passam a ser vistas como vetores de saúde. Deste modo, gestos simples e práticas habituais assumem aspectos de táticas que modulam o cuidado dos sujeitos, Estas práticas realizadas no cotidiano, as quais chamamos de cuidado vivo, são também percebidas pelos sujeitos como cuidado. / The main aim of this paper consists in the analysis of social construction care in a specific supports group to the people living with HIV/AIDS. For this purpose, a theoretical conceptual and methodological discussion will be developed in four chapter. The first two ones we reflect on the trajectory of combat in the HIV/Aids epidemic in Brazil and the role of the Non-Governmental Organizations in this trajectory, searching to delineate the field of dispute in where a specific group of people living with HIV/Aids has insertions and tales on counter hegemonic position. In the third chapter we map the process of the groups formation, analyzing the relationship of the activities developed and the consequences of the field of dispute in the interior of the group. In the following chapter, a reflex ion on one components life is put forward, by mean of which we identify the possible configurations of this person, through of its insertion on these social spaces. We verify that such enlarges its capacity to articulate knowledge in the difficulties faced of its healths problems. We concluded that the group establishes ways of to make that prioritizes the maintenance of the bond by where circulate goods and solidarities. Moreover, we notice that the hegemonic conceptions of health and illness have had its pores widened by this social new arrangement that not only filters the values undesirable of this hegemonic vision, as also it propitiates to the persons the rediscovery of its own care. Finally, we evidence that the representations on health and illness derived from the persons insertion in specific social spaces, as the groups of support, provoke outstanding new meaning: to work, to cook, to sleep, to feed himself and those that were only in the order of the leisure as: to walk, to be in home with the family, to visit and to be visited by friends, to dance and others gain a new dimension and become healths vectors. In this way, common gestures and habitual practices are converted in tactics that modulate the care of person. The persons also realize these daily practices, which we call living care as care.

O objetivo principal deste trabalho consiste em analisar a construção social do cuidado em um grupo específico de apoio aos portadores do vírus HIV/AIDS. Para tanto, apresentamos uma discussão teórico-conceitual e metodológica desenvolvida em quatro capítulos. Nos dois primeiros refletimos sobre a trajetória, do enfrentamento da epidemia do HIV/Aids no Brasil e o papel das ONGs nessa trajetória, buscando delinear o campo de disputando qual um grupo específico de portadores do vírus HIV/Aids se insere e assume posição contra-hegemônica. Em seguida, no terceiro capítulo, mapeamos o percurso da formação desse grupo, analisando o engendramento das atividades ali desenvolvidas e os reflexos do campo de disputa no interior do grupo. No capítulo seguinte, refletimos sobre a história de vida de uma das participantes do grupo, por meio da qual identificamos quais as possíveis configurações desse sujeito, mediante sua inserção nos espaços sociais. Verificamos que tal inserção amplia sua capacidade de articular saberes no enfrentamento dos seus problemas de saúde. Concluímos que o grupo estabelece modos de fazer que primam pela manutenção do vínculo por onde circulam bens e se efetuam as solidariedades. Além disso, percebemos que as hegemônicas concepções de saúde e doença estão tendo seus poros alargados por este reordenamento social que não somente filtra os valores indesejáveis da visão hegemônica, como também propicia aos sujeitos a redescoberta do seu próprio cuidado. Por fim, constatamos que as representações sobre saúde e doença, decorrentes da que as representações dobre saúde e doença, decorrentes da inserção do sujeito em espaços sociais específicos, como os grupos de apoio, provocam (re)significações importantes: trabalhar, cozinhar, dormir, alimentar-se e também aquelas que estavam somente na ordem do lazer, como passear, ficar em casa com a família, visitar e ser visitado por amigos, dançar e outras, ganham nova dimensão e passam a ser vistas como vetores de saúde. Deste modo, gestos simples e práticas habituais assumem aspectos de táticas que modulam o cuidado dos sujeitos, Estas práticas realizadas no cotidiano, as quais chamamos de cuidado vivo, são também percebidas pelos sujeitos como cuidado. / The main aim of this paper consists in the analysis of social construction care in a specific supports group to the people living with HIV/AIDS. For this purpose, a theoretical conceptual and methodological discussion will be developed in four chapter. The first two ones we reflect on the trajectory of combat in the HIV/Aids epidemic in Brazil and the role of the Non-Governmental Organizations in this trajectory, searching to delineate the field of dispute in where a specific group of people living with HIV/Aids has insertions and tales on counter hegemonic position. In the third chapter we map the process of the groups formation, analyzing the relationship of the activities developed and the consequences of the field of dispute in the interior of the group. In the following chapter, a reflex ion on one components life is put forward, by mean of which we identify the possible configurations of this person, through of its insertion on these social spaces. We verify that such enlarges its capacity to articulate knowledge in the difficulties faced of its healths problems. We concluded that the group establishes ways of to make that prioritizes the maintenance of the bond by where circulate goods and solidarities. Moreover, we notice that the hegemonic conceptions of health and illness have had its pores widened by this social new arrangement that not only filters the values undesirable of this hegemonic vision, as also it propitiates to the persons the rediscovery of its own care. Finally, we evidence that the representations on health and illness derived from the persons insertion in specific social spaces, as the groups of support, provoke outstanding new meaning: to work, to cook, to sleep, to feed himself and those that were only in the order of the leisure as: to walk, to be in home with the family, to visit and to be visited by friends, to dance and others gain a new dimension and become healths vectors. In this way, common gestures and habitual practices are converted in tactics that modulate the care of person. The persons also realize these daily practices, which we call living care as care.