Chronic illness is associated with conditions that may result in psychological ill-health in the adolescence. Consequently there is a need for development of preventive psychosocial support interventions for this target group. The objective was to develop, implement, and evaluate the effect of supportive intervention group program for teenagers suffering from chronic illness - aiming at increasing quality of life and supporting mental and physical health. Method: Six different intervention groups were conducted between 2007 and 2011, age 13–17. The participants diagnoses were Diabetic, Epilepsy, Lung/allergy and Turners syndrome. Eight sessions, once a week, two hours each time. Parents participated on the first and last occasion in all groups. Psychodrama exercises complemented group sessions. All groups had a part of the same program as starting point, with the two main points; psychosocial education and salutogenetic approach with adherence to Aaron Antonovskys theory on “Sense of Coherence” (SOC). Results from the evaluation with the questionnaires SOC-13 and The Ladder of Life, indicate increased mental well-being and sense of meaningfulness for all groups directly after the intervention. The qualitative evaluation show, that to meet others in the same situation created hope and the program contributed to notable therapeutic effects.

The aim of this qualitative study was to investigate the participants experiences of a parent support group and the effect of their participation on their parental role from a learning perspective. As the parent support group takes place as a group activity, the focus was on the individual learning processes which, in turn, are influenced by both the group itself as well as the leaders of the group. The empirical data was collected from a focus group interview with four mothers, and analyzed using empowerment and coping theories. Based on the participants´ narratives, the result showed that the parent support group had a great social and pedagogic effect on the participants. As a result of the received knowledge in the group from both leaders as well as from other participants, they felt less stressed and more confident in their parental role. Keywords: Parent support group, empowerment, coping

People who have been diagnosed HIV positive often experience distress and anxiety due to uncertainties pertaining to the implications of an HIV positive status. These individuals are often reluctant to seek counselling and treatment due to the fear of being rejected and discriminated against (Parker, et al., 2002). There are limited formal networks for HIV support and psychological help in the South African context. Considering this, structured support groups were implemented for recently diagnosed HIV positive pregnant women. These women were recruited from ante natal clinics in Atteridgeville and Mamelodi as part of the Serithi project. Six support groups were implemented and facilitated by various experts including Masters students, of whom the researcher was part. This project is part of the larger study of the Serithi project in which interviews were conducted with three hundred and seventeen HIV positive pregnant women from disadvantaged locations of Tshwane. Based on these interviews, a support group intervention was developed. This research forms part of the evaluation of the support group intervention. The aim of this study was to explore the experiences of women who attended the support groups. Women who had attended 7-10 sessions were selected and interviewed individually using semi-structured interviews. With the permission of the participants, the discussions were tape recorded and transcribed. The data was analyzed, using qualitative research methods, from an interpretative phenomenological approach. This involved systematically studying meanings, themes and general descriptions of experiences by the research participants. The main findings in this study showed that women who participated in support groups adopted positive coping and behaviour that is conducive to their livelihood, learned more about HIV and AIDS, seem to have a positive future outlook and are overall empowered. These findings support previous research and literature in regards to the importance of social support in the form of support groups in effectively assisting HIV positive women in their journey to adjust to psychosocial consequence of the disease. / Dissertation (MA)--University of Pretoria, 2012. / Psychology / unrestricted

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The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of a workshop/support group for parents raising children with type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1DM). Diagnosis of a chronic disease in a child generally arouses acute anxiety and stress in parents. Parental stress when raising a child with type 1 diabetes is often centered on worry about their child's health and parents' ability to maintain the care activities needed by these children. Parents are the primary caregivers of children with Type 1 diabetes, and the effect of stress on parents can impact the health of both children and parents. The present study examined parents of children with type 1 diabetes who attended four separate two hour support groups/workshops. The Pediatric Inventory for Parents (Streisand, 2001) measured parenting stress. The parents completed the Pediatric Inventory for Parents, at the beginning of the first workshop and again at the end of all the workshops. Parents also completed an open ended questionnaire at the end of each workshop. Parents responded positively to the workshops. Parents stated that hearing how others worked through difficult situations while raising their child with type 1 diabetes was helpful. In quantitative analyses, parents had lower mean scores, post- vs. pre- test on measures of stress related to emotional functioning, communication, medical care, and role function. Research shows that support groups that involve the entire family are most beneficial (McBroom & Enriquez, 2009). Nurse practitioners should consider sponsoring or becoming involved in workshops for parents raising children with type 1 diabetes.

Although the research on the effects of cancer on the patient and its impact on the family system, as well as on the benefits of support groups for this population is abundant, there is relatively little research that examines the benefits of online cancer support groups, the meaning that users attribute to giving and receiving support, and the effects of use on the user's significant other. Using the theoretical frameworks of phenomenology, and Social Interactionism online surveys were conducted with seven individuals who considered themselves active members of the online Cancer Survivors Network, were all diagnosed with cancer and living with a significant other. These surveys were coded for themes using Thematic Analysis. The main themes identified included: feeling normal, belonging to a community, hope, honest and open place to talk about fears, feelings and possibility of death, that experiencing and recovering or dealing with cancer is a process, gaining understanding, acceptance and support, as well as information, a better sense of well-being related to hope and humor, and feeling helpful. The themes that emerged when looking at the partner relationships were: feelings of jealousy, and sharing the online community with their partner. Implications for clinical practice and suggestions for future research are included. / Master of Science

Parents of children with severe developmental disabilities face a variety of unique circumstances as they raise a child who requires specialized care. Accessing the support of other parents of children with developmental disabilities can be a valuable external resource for managing the stress associated with raising a child with special needs. The literature on support groups for parents of children with disabilities predominantly focuses on evaluating existing support groups rather than designing support groups based on the recommendations of the population that would utilize them. The purpose of this study was to determine the perceived value of support groups and identify recommendations for support group design based on the experiences and feedback of 19 interviews with parents of children with severe or profound developmental disabilities. Despite varied experiences with support groups, most participants indicated the value of support groups is in providing a place where parents can feel understood, share information, and gather information. There was a high degree of variability among parents' recommendations for support group design, with the preferences of some parents being in direct contrast to the preferences of others; the summary recommendations for support group design address a wide range of preferences: a qualified group leader to organize groups that are highly flexible in structure, composed of parents with a high degree of similarity, and that offer a wide variety of content in various formats. / Master of Science

This thesis focused on the situation of family members of persons with psychotic illness, particular on their experience of the approach of the healthcare professionals and of their feelings of alienation regarding the professional care of their family member. A further aim was to explore how siblings who have participated in a support group for siblings experienced their situation. A questionnaire was developed that enabled the aims of this thesis to be investigated (I). Seventy family members from various parts of Sweden participated, and data were collected via the questionnaire developed in study I (II-III). Thirteen siblings who previously had participated in a support group participated in follow-up focus groups interviews (IV). The questionnaire developed was shown to be reliable and valid in these studies (I). In many cases, the participants had experienced an approach from professionals that indicated that they did not experience openness, confirmation and cooperation, and that they felt powerless and socially isolated in relation to the care. There was also found to be a certain degree of association between how the participants experienced the approach and whether they felt alienation (II). The majority of the participants considered openness, confirmation, and cooperation to be important aspects of professional’s approach. The result also identified a low level of agreement between the participants’ experience and what they considered to be significant in the professional’s approach (III). The findings revealed the complexity of being a sibling of an individual with psychotic illness. Participating in a support group for siblings can be of importance in gaining knowledge and minimizing feelings of being alone (IV). Although the psychiatric care services in Sweden have been aware of the importance of cooperating with family members, the results indicated that there is a need for further research in this area.

Support groups for suicide loss survivors are a relatively common resource used by those who are left to cope in the aftermath of a suicide death. Though descriptive studies have been used to provide an overview of support groups in the past, there have been no efforts to understand nuances of these groups and the impact of these groups and differing facilitation styles on the bereavement experience for attendees. This study explores primary data collected between March 2015 and December 2015 with a sample of 138 survivor of suicide loss support group facilitators in the United States and several other countries. Meaning making and meaning reconstruction is presented as the primary theory used to examine the attitudes of support group facilitators. Basic analytic procedures were used to explore sample descriptives, and an Exploratory Factor Analysis (EFA) with an oblique rotation was used to identify the factors within the Survivor of Suicide Loss Support Group Facilitator Scale. Three factors were revealed with a simple structure, representing the latent themes of (1) Facilitator Perspective on the Role of the Story (α=.73), (2) Facilitator Perspective on the Role of the Facilitator (α=.63), and (3) Facilitator Perspective on Role of the Loss Survivor (α.59). Bivariate analyses revealed that factors 1 and 2 both had a significant relationship with length of time the facilitator had been leading the group, facilitator’s level of compassion satisfaction, and facilitator’s level of burnout. The findings of the EFA support the use of the scale as a tool to discern differences in attitudes about the role of meaning making and sharing of stories in the group as well as the role of the facilitator in aiding this process. The findings provide important information for understanding variation in support group facilitation styles and have implications for future exploration of outcomes for group attendees based on facilitator attitude and style. Implications for practice and future research are discussed.