<p>The aim of this undergraduate thesis was to study the experience of participation in support groups for children of mentally ill parents. The research questions dealt with how the children and the adolescents talked about the knowledge, that they believed having assimilated in the support groups. The knowledge concerned mental illness and the possible impact on children when having mentally ill parents. The research questions also dealt with how the children and the adolescents talked about the meaning of being in a group. Qualitative semi structured interviews were used in order to capture the respondents’ subjective experiences. As tools for analyzing the results, parts of the theories of Piaget and Antonovsky were applied. The results showed that the respondents experienced that they had learned about mental illness and that they had gotten different feelings explained and validated. Meeting other children of mentally ill parents and sharing experiences were some of the factors that the respondents claimed had made them feel less alone. A conclusion of the study was that the children and the adolescents have different cognitive possibilities to incorporate information about mental illness. This could help explain their somewhat different experiences of the support groups.</p>

The aim of this undergraduate thesis was to study the experience of participation in support groups for children of mentally ill parents. The research questions dealt with how the children and the adolescents talked about the knowledge, that they believed having assimilated in the support groups. The knowledge concerned mental illness and the possible impact on children when having mentally ill parents. The research questions also dealt with how the children and the adolescents talked about the meaning of being in a group. Qualitative semi structured interviews were used in order to capture the respondents’ subjective experiences. As tools for analyzing the results, parts of the theories of Piaget and Antonovsky were applied. The results showed that the respondents experienced that they had learned about mental illness and that they had gotten different feelings explained and validated. Meeting other children of mentally ill parents and sharing experiences were some of the factors that the respondents claimed had made them feel less alone. A conclusion of the study was that the children and the adolescents have different cognitive possibilities to incorporate information about mental illness. This could help explain their somewhat different experiences of the support groups.

This is a qualitative study designed to investigate how professional support group leaders talk about their role as supervisor of support groups for children and adolescents with problematic home situations. We also examine how these supervisors talk about the method they use and how they talk about the individual child. We have chosen critical discourse analysis to help us explore if there are different ways to talk about these territories. Our questions are: How does the support group leader talk about his role? How does the support group leader talk about the method? How does the support group leader talk about the individual child? The theories we have chosen to use in the analysis of our material is Aaron Antonovsky's Sense of Coherence and social constructivism. We have, as mentioned, chosen to do a qualitative study using semi-structured interviews conducted with seven active support group leaders at three different support group organizations. We transcribed the interviews and coded them separately and then went through the coded material together. The analytical method we have chosen is discourse analysis focusing on Norman Fairclough´s critical discourse analysis. Along with Fairclough´s three-dimensional model, we analyzed the interviews at the following levels: text practice, discursive practice and social practice. Based on our purpose and our questions we managed to distinguish six different discourses, within each territory we found two discourses that stood in contrast to each other. In the territory "How the support group leader talks about his own role," we found the knowledge discourse and the playful discourse. In the territory "How the support group leader talks about the method" we were able to discern a discourse view of the method as complete and a view of the method as adaptable. In the territory "How the support group leader talks about the individual child" we found the discourse about the perception of the child as a subject and the perception of the child as an object. These discourses were put together to constitute two discourse chains which showed two different orientations of the support group leader. We then analyzed these discourse chains our theories and questioned them based on how the two different types of leader’s we located could affect the method’s design and the children participating in support groups. The study concludes with a part in which we compare our results with earlier research within this field followed by suggestions for further research.

Våld mot kvinnor är ett allvarligt samhällsproblem och enligt socialtjänstlagen skall dessa kvinnor särskilt beaktas. I den tidigare forskning vi har tagit del av finns det bristande underlag kring vilka insatser som våldsutsatta kvinnor är i behov av. Det finns även brist på forskning som undersöker kvinnornas egna upplevelser av de insatser som erbjuds. Syftet med vår studie är att genom kvalitativa intervjuer med kvinnor som varit utsatta för våld skapa en ökad förståelse för vilken betydelse det har haft för dem att delta i en gruppverksamhet genom att lyfta kvinnornas subjektiva upplevelser. Vi har använt oss av semistrukturerade intervjuer och intervjuat fyra kvinnor som har deltagit i en gruppverksamhet. Vi hoppas att vår studie kan lyfta våldsutsatta kvinnors upplevelser av att delta i en gruppverksamhet ur ett brukarperspektiv då vi upplever att detta saknas i tidigare forskning. Vår studie har en abduktiv ansats vilket innebär att vi inte utgått från teori när vi formulerat forskningsfrågan utan i stället valt en teori kring erkännande efter att vi började bearbeta vårt resultat. Vårt intervjumaterial har analyserats med hjälp av tidigare forskning på området och Axel Honneths teori om erkännande. I vår studie kom vi fram till att kvinnorna upplevde gruppen som lyhörd och förstående. De upplevde gruppen som trygg i och med att det var en kvinnogrupp där alla hade liknande erfarenhet. Detta bidrog även till att de kände sig förstådda och mindre ensamma om sin situation. Kvinnorna uppgav även att det fått ökad förståelse för sig själva och det som skett och att denna förståelse varit viktig för att kunna bearbeta och läka från sina erfarenheter. Vi kan konstatera att våldsutsatta kvinnor är en heterogen grupp med skiftande behov. Vissa hade haft nytta av ytterligare insatser både innan och efter gruppen.

The number of older persons is growing at a shocking rate. In spite of this reality, the South African health care sector does not prioritise older persons, causing their health to be poorly managed. Not only does poor health management affect the health of the older person, but also economic factors. This causes a high burden on the public health sector of South Africa, with specific reference to the Primary Health Care (PHC) clinics. PHC clinics in this country are not only overcrowded due to staff shortages, but also owing to the rapidly ageing population and the large number of younger persons affected by the high unemployment rate of South Africa. The above-mentioned factors keep the professional nurses in the clinic from spending time on proper physical examinations and provision of health education to older persons. This causes older persons to lack knowledge regarding self-care, potentially leading to unintentional self-neglect, which decreases their quality of life. Studies conducted on older persons concluded that the older person wants to be involved in health promotion, but needs the necessary knowledge to take care of him- or herself. Therefore, the researcher's overarching aim with this study was to develop guidelines to facilitate self-care amongst older persons. Such guidelines aim at constituting an indirect approach to promote the health of the older person. Health education on self-care should be conducted in self-care support groups, since community experience teaches that some older persons in the community do not apply self-care skills learned without some form of support. The aim with these guidelines is to decrease unintentional self-neglect by empowering the older person to make autonomous decisions regarding self-care, in order to increase quality of life. RESEARCH AIM AND OBJECTIVES In order to reach the overarching aim of this study, which comprises the development of guidelines to facilitate self-care amongst the older persons in the Potchefstroom district, the study firstly includes a literature review to understand self-care and related constructs from a theoretical perspective. Secondly, the Appraisal of self-care agency scale-A (ASA-A) and Exercise of self-care agency scale (ESCA) were used as questionnaires to assess the self-care of the selected older persons. Lastly, after determining the self-care of the older persons, the study investigates the relationship between these two questionnaires through correlational analysis. RESEARCH DESIGN A quantitative, descriptive, correlational and contextual design was used in this study to .reach the overarching aim and respective objectives. RESEARCH METHOD The researcher firstly conducted a literature review to understand self-care and related constructs. Thereafter the researcher employed two structured questionnaires, the ASA-A and ESCA, were employed to collect data. The questionnaires were developed to measure self-care (self-care is determined by measuring the self-care agency). These questionnaires were based on Dorothea OrenYs self-care deficit theory of nursing, the same theory that this research study is based on. Minor adaptations were made to both the questionnaires prior to administration to the predominantly Setswana-speaking older population. The study formed part of the larger Multinational Prospective Urban and Rural Epidemiological study (PURE-SA study - ethical approval number 04M10). All the older persons identified in the peri-urban population of the PURE-SA study living in the Potchefstroom district and who were willing to participate were included in the sample. Trained fieldworkers assisted the researcher in data collection. Of the 198 older persons, 192 participated, accumulating to a 98% response rate. Lastly the researcher correlated the ASA-A and ESCA to determine their relationship as an added benefit to this research study. RESULTS The findings indicate that although the studied older population was of a lower socio-economic status with a lower literacy level, their overall self-care was relatively good. Seven self-care deficits were identified namely time management skills affecting self-care, energy deficit affecting self-care, sleep deprivation, lack of knowledge and ability to acquire knowledge with regard to health and self-care, lack of a rest, exercise and self-care programme, self-care deficit caused by physical deterioration and, lastly, the lack of performance of activities to prevent/decrease self-care deficits. These identified self-care deficits supported the development of guidelines to facilitate self-care amongst older persons, together with Menon's psychological health empowerment model, as well as an in-depth literature review on self-care and related constructs to understand self-care from a theoretical perspective. Furthermore, the study compared the ASA-A and ESCA questionnaires to determine the relationship between these questionnaires. The two questionnaires had a very good correlation with each other, conclusion that either of these two questionnaires could be used to measure self-care of a population. / Thesis (M.Cur.)--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2010.

The number of older persons is growing at a shocking rate. In spite of this reality, the South African health care sector does not prioritise older persons, causing their health to be poorly managed. Not only does poor health management affect the health of the older person, but also economic factors. This causes a high burden on the public health sector of South Africa, with specific reference to the Primary Health Care (PHC) clinics. PHC clinics in this country are not only overcrowded due to staff shortages, but also owing to the rapidly ageing population and the large number of younger persons affected by the high unemployment rate of South Africa. The above-mentioned factors keep the professional nurses in the clinic from spending time on proper physical examinations and provision of health education to older persons. This causes older persons to lack knowledge regarding self-care, potentially leading to unintentional self-neglect, which decreases their quality of life. Studies conducted on older persons concluded that the older person wants to be involved in health promotion, but needs the necessary knowledge to take care of him- or herself. Therefore, the researcher's overarching aim with this study was to develop guidelines to facilitate self-care amongst older persons. Such guidelines aim at constituting an indirect approach to promote the health of the older person. Health education on self-care should be conducted in self-care support groups, since community experience teaches that some older persons in the community do not apply self-care skills learned without some form of support. The aim with these guidelines is to decrease unintentional self-neglect by empowering the older person to make autonomous decisions regarding self-care, in order to increase quality of life. RESEARCH AIM AND OBJECTIVES In order to reach the overarching aim of this study, which comprises the development of guidelines to facilitate self-care amongst the older persons in the Potchefstroom district, the study firstly includes a literature review to understand self-care and related constructs from a theoretical perspective. Secondly, the Appraisal of self-care agency scale-A (ASA-A) and Exercise of self-care agency scale (ESCA) were used as questionnaires to assess the self-care of the selected older persons. Lastly, after determining the self-care of the older persons, the study investigates the relationship between these two questionnaires through correlational analysis. RESEARCH DESIGN A quantitative, descriptive, correlational and contextual design was used in this study to .reach the overarching aim and respective objectives. RESEARCH METHOD The researcher firstly conducted a literature review to understand self-care and related constructs. Thereafter the researcher employed two structured questionnaires, the ASA-A and ESCA, were employed to collect data. The questionnaires were developed to measure self-care (self-care is determined by measuring the self-care agency). These questionnaires were based on Dorothea OrenYs self-care deficit theory of nursing, the same theory that this research study is based on. Minor adaptations were made to both the questionnaires prior to administration to the predominantly Setswana-speaking older population. The study formed part of the larger Multinational Prospective Urban and Rural Epidemiological study (PURE-SA study - ethical approval number 04M10). All the older persons identified in the peri-urban population of the PURE-SA study living in the Potchefstroom district and who were willing to participate were included in the sample. Trained fieldworkers assisted the researcher in data collection. Of the 198 older persons, 192 participated, accumulating to a 98% response rate. Lastly the researcher correlated the ASA-A and ESCA to determine their relationship as an added benefit to this research study. RESULTS The findings indicate that although the studied older population was of a lower socio-economic status with a lower literacy level, their overall self-care was relatively good. Seven self-care deficits were identified namely time management skills affecting self-care, energy deficit affecting self-care, sleep deprivation, lack of knowledge and ability to acquire knowledge with regard to health and self-care, lack of a rest, exercise and self-care programme, self-care deficit caused by physical deterioration and, lastly, the lack of performance of activities to prevent/decrease self-care deficits. These identified self-care deficits supported the development of guidelines to facilitate self-care amongst older persons, together with Menon's psychological health empowerment model, as well as an in-depth literature review on self-care and related constructs to understand self-care from a theoretical perspective. Furthermore, the study compared the ASA-A and ESCA questionnaires to determine the relationship between these questionnaires. The two questionnaires had a very good correlation with each other, conclusion that either of these two questionnaires could be used to measure self-care of a population. / Thesis (M.Cur.)--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2010.

Over the last decade, education-focused research/studies on young queers (or same-sex attracted young people) have highlighted the many problems or difficulties they face growing up in a homophobic, heterosexist society. Strategies to address these issues (proposed in numerous research articles and reports) have largely focused on the school setting. I argue that these strategies are limited by heterosexual norms, which regulate and contain in advance what is possible (for queers) within the formal school system. I examine the ways in which these heterosexual norms work to constrain the queer subject in education-focused research and studies on young queers. / Within this field of study, young queers have largely been characterized as victims: of homophobic abuse and harassment, and neglect by families and schools. They’re said to be lonely and isolated, at risk of attempted suicide, unsafe sex, drug and alcohol abuse, and homelessness. I argue that these representations convey a negative portrait of young queers as wounded subjects. I illustrate how the emphasis on the wounded queer subject can work against the interests of young queers. In particular, it obscures those queer perspectives involving agency: first, queer cultures and communities; second, the knowledge and experiences of those who have gained confidence in their queerness, who have queer social and sexual lives. These (agentic) queers can offer us ways of understanding how young queers move beyond isolation and loneliness. / This study highlights the importance, for many young queers, of having opportunities and spaces where they can connect with each other. Socialization and sexualization among young queers involves a certain openness being and doing queer a practice which is unintelligible within most education-focused research/studies on young queers. This is illustrated and explored through comparative analysis of queer subjectivities in two differentiated spheres: on the one hand education-focused research and studies relating to the school context, and on the other gay/lesbian/queer studies and literature relating to queer social and sexual contexts. The key contexts and themes examined here are: early sexual experience and beats, queer cultures and communities, and queer youth support and social groups.

The study investigates the depression in a group 55 adults (14 women and 41 men) who live with VJH, between 18 and 58 years, oflow and medium low socioeconomic leve! which attend public health centers, NGO and mutual support groups (MSG) of Lima. The Beck Depression Inventory was used to study the level of depression, as well as the five factors found in this population.The descriptive results were correlated with the following demographic variables: age,sex, time of diagnosis, the presence or absence of symptoms associated to VIH, the participationor not in a MSG, sexual orientation and sex. Results indicated that depression varies depending on whether the person belongs or not to a MSG, sex and sexual orientation. / El estudio investiga la depresión en un grupo 55 adultos (14 mujeres y 41 hombres) que viven con VIH, entre 18 y 58 años, de nivel socio económico bajo y medio bajo que acuden a centros de salud estatales, ONG y grupos de ayuda mutua (GAM) de Lima. Se uso el Inventario de Depresión de Beck para estudiar el nivel de depresión. así como los cinco factores encontrados en esta población. Se correlacionaron los resultados descriptivos con las siguientes variables demográficas: edad, sexo, tiempo de diagnóstico, presencia o no de síntomas asociados al VIH, participación o no en un GAM, orientación sexual y sexo. Los resultados indicaron que la depresión varía según la persona pertenezca o no a un GAM, el sexo y la orientación sexual.

[pt] O objetivo da presente tese foi realizar uma leitura, à luz da teoria de Winnicott, da experiência de uma equipe de saúde cujo funcionamento propiciou que atuasse como cuidadora de si mesma. A equipe estava inserida num programa de atendimento a hipertensos, estruturado, com base no conceito de suporte social, centrado na reunião de profissionais de diversos saberes e na formação de grupos de pacientes - os grupos de suporte. A tese descreve a estruturação do programa e analisa a dinâmica da equipe de saúde, a partir de entrevistas realizadas com nove profissionais que dela participavam, focando o modo como vivenciavam seu relacionamento. Com base nesses depoimentos, procura mostrar a similitude, do que ali ocorria, com a dinâmica descrita por Winnicott relativa ao holding e à sua continuidade na vida adulta. Conclui-se que uma equipe de saúde pode ser cuidadora de si mesma desde que experimente no seu interior, uma dinâmica de relacionamento semelhante àquela vivenciada, através de um bom holding, nos primórdios do desenvolvimento. / [en] The objective of the present thesis was to carry out an appraisal of the experience of a health team whose way of functioning allowed it to act as its own care-provider. The team was part of a health-care program for high blood pressure patients, structured according to the social support concept, and centered both around meetings of professionals of different areas and specialties, as well as support group meetings of patients. The thesis describes the program s structure and analyses the health team dynamics using interviews carried out with nine of the professionals who participated in it, while keeping the focus on the way they experienced their relationship. Based on their statements, it was shown and discussed the similarity between what had happened in the reported experience and the dynamics described by Winnicott concerning the concept of holding, and its need throughout adult life. It was concluded that a health team can be a care-provider of itself, as long as it can experience, within itself, similar dynamics to the relationship experienced in early development of a good enough holding.

The increase in life expectancy transformed aging in a social issue and public health, requiring multiple actions in senior care, of which we quote the community groups. These spaces are generational and intergenerational socialization that strengthen social participation and comprehensive health care, providing citizenship, improved quality of life and social support. Thus, the present study aims to analyze the quality of life and social support among elderly participants and non-participants of companionship groups. The sample consisted of 297 participants in a quantitative and comparative study of these elderly, based on the application range of quality of life World Health Organization Quality of Life for the elderly and reduced Social Support Scale (Social Suport Questionnaire). Data were stored and analyzed with the help of Statistical Package for Social Sciences software / 19. The results demonstrate that, with respect to quality of life, participants living group scored higher in the dimensions: autonomy, present, past and future activities; social participation and in the total score, showing that they have higher quality scores of life when compared to elderly who do not participate in the third age group. On the other hand, the social support analysis did not differ in groups and not was related to quality of life too. We can attribute this equivalence because of sampling bias because the elderly living group established in intimate relationships in their group, as they are mostly unmarried and widowed; while in the neighboring group, relationships are established either by the spouse or the family support. Thus, the study of quality of life and social support in the elderly encourages new perspectives for social psychology applied to health, keeping a broader view in the study of aging positive variables, expanding social concern in the allocation of professional practice postures aimed to support groups. / O aumento da expectativa de vida transformou o envelhecimento em uma questão social e de saúde pública, necessitando de várias ações no atendimento ao idoso, das quais citamos os grupos de convivência. Esses são espaços de socialização geracional e intergeracional que fortalecem a participação social e o cuidado integral a saúde, proporcionando o exercício da cidadania, a melhoria da qualidade de vida e o suporte social. Desse modo, o presente estudo tem como objetivo analisar a qualidade de vida e o suporte social de idosos participantes e não participantes dos grupos de convivência. A amostra foi constituída por 297 participantes em um estudo quantitativo e comparativo entre esses idosos, com base na aplicação da escala de qualidade de vida World Health Organization Quality of Life para idosos e a Escala de Suporte Social reduzida (Suport Social Questionaire). Os dados foram armazenados e analisados com o auxílio do software Statistical Package for Social Science/19. Os resultados demonstram que, no tocante à qualidade de vida, os participantes do grupo de convivência pontuaram mais alto nas dimensões: autonomia, atividades presentes, passadas e futuras; participação social e no escore total, evidenciando que eles apresentam maiores índices de qualidade de vida quando comparados aos idosos que não participam de grupos de terceira idade. Por outro lado, o suporte social não diferiu na análise dos grupos e nem se mostrou relacionado à qualidade de vida. Podemos atribuir essa equivalência em virtude do viés amostral, pois os idosos do Grupo de convivência tendem a estabelecer relações íntimas em seu grupo, especialmente por serem, na maioria, não casados e viúvos. Por outro lado, para os idosos não participantes do grupo de convivência, as relações já são estabelecidas seja pelo cônjuge ou pelo suporte familiar. Sendo assim, o estudo sobre a qualidade de vida e suporte social em idosos motiva novas perspectivas para a psicologia social aplicada à saúde, mantendo uma visão ampliada no estudo de variáveis positivas do envelhecimento, expandindo a preocupação social na atribuição das posturas práticas profissionais voltadas aos grupos de apoio.