Over half of all lifetime mental health disorders emerge during early adulthood and is associated with many adverse outcomes including: lower educational achievement, substance misuse and premature death. Despite the prevalence and burden of mental health problems, young adults with mental health needs are the least likely to seek professional help. This study aimed to gain a better understanding of help-seeking among young adults aged 18-25 and aimed to identify the factors that can delay or prevent access to mental health support. Quantitative and qualitative data was collected from young adults in the community using an anonymous online survey. The results of the study showed that approximately a third of participants did not seek any help for an emotional or mental health difficulty and of those who sought help the majority had accessed help from their friends or their GP. Intention to seek professional help was significantly association with satisfaction from services and perceived stigma, however psychological distress revealed a non-significant relationship. Thematic analysis revealed that stigmatising beliefs, perceiving the problem as not serious, a preference for self-reliance and difficulty in accessing help or communicating concerns were common barrier themes. Facilitator themes highlighted the importance of having a flexible and confidential service. The clinical implications of the results are discussed as well as consideration for future research.

M.A. / Late adolescence/young adulthood is characterised by turbulence and major life transitions, and individuals in this life stage are confronted with stressors on a daily basis (Santrock, 2003). This situation necessitates adequate coping so that these young people can negotiate the transition between childhood and adulthood successfully. Health practitioners and educators need to establish ways to enhance adequate coping in young people in order to minimise their stress and ward off negative and unwanted consequences of stressors; consequences such as addictions, suicide, depression and other pathologies (Frydenberg & Lewis, 2004; Puskar, Hoover & Miewald, 1992). Research shows that more and more young people are reporting that their lives seem hopeless and meaningless (Santrock, 2003). Clearly it is beneficial to investigate the relationship between meaning, well-being and coping with stress in young adults. Past research has investigated meaning in life and sense of coherence and other wellbeing measures on adults who have already established themselves, and very specific samples, such as elderly people, the terminally ill and employees in the workplace (for example Marais & Stuart, 2005; Shek, 2003; Strümpfer & Mlonzi, 2001; Yiu-Kee & Tang, 2005). However, researchers have debated the extent to which any real progress has been made in the field of stress and coping (see Coyne & Racioppo, 2000; Lazarus, 2000; Lewis & Frydenberg, 2002; Seligman & Csikszentmihalyi, 2000; Somerfield & McCrae, 2000). These and other studies have been critically evaluated in the current study, and it is clear that research is needed on meaning in life and well-being in late adolescence/young adulthood in order to assess how young people cope with stressors. Furthermore, research is needed on young people in SouthAfrica, in order to ascertain how they cope with stressors that may be countryspecific. The overall aim of the study was to establish whether there are relationships between meaning in life, sense of coherence and the ability to cope in young adults. More specifically, the study aimed to ascertain whether the extent to which an individual has discovered meaning in life and the extent to which he/she has developed a sense of coherence predicts coping with stress in a late adolescent/young adult population. A quantitative research methodology was conducted on a sample of male and female young adults (N=258). The participants were selected from a tertiary institution and had an average age range of 17 to 21 years. The measurement instruments have been used in previous research and were deemed culturally fair with valid and reliable psychometric properties. All three questionnaires were self-report measures. In order to assess the extent to which an individual has found meaning in their lives, the Purpose in Life Test (Crumbaugh & Maholick, 1981) was used. To ascertain whether or not an individual had developed a strong sense of coherence, the Orientation to Life questionnaire, also known as the Sense of Coherence scale (Antonovsky, 1987) was used. The Adolescent Coping Scale (Frydenberg & Lewis, 1993) was used to determine the ability to cope in young people. Various statistical analyses were conducted on the raw data collected from the questionnaires. Factor analyses were conducted to determine the internal validity and reliability of the measuring instruments. The distribution of the data within the subscales was tested for normality. Analysis of variance was used to determinewhether certain biographical variables could account for any differences in meaning in life, sense of coherence and ability to cope. Pearson product moment correlations were used. Thereafter both multiple regression and logistic regression were performed to determine if meaning in life and sense of coherence can predict differences in ability to cope. The results indicate that the constructs explored, as measured by the questionnaires, were not influenced by the age, gender, home language or direction of study of the participants. The sample could therefore be regarded as fairly homogeneous and the effect of confounding variables limited. However, as a result of this homogeneity, the findings of this study cannot necessarily be generalised to other populations. Findings indicate that there are relationships between meaning in life and the ability to cope. This finding points to the possibility that the extent to which an individual has discovered meaning in life, or the extent to which an individual views his or her life as meaningful is related to his or her ability to select effective coping strategies. Furthermore it was found that there are relationships between sense of coherence as well as the individual components of sense of coherence, namely comprehensibility, manageability and meaningfulness, and the ability to cope. This finding suggests that the extent to which an individual has developed a sense of coherence is related to his or her ability to select effective coping strategies.

There is nothing new about the utilization of the arts, generally speaking, as a method of facilitation. It is used not only in the context of the performing arts such as dance, drama and music, but particularly too in painting, sculpture, pottery, weaving, and a number of other art media and types. Yet all of these use a hands-on approach whereby it is expected of the participants to be active in the act of creation or performing. Of these, music stands out as an art form that can be used in a non-performance mode, and where a passive engagement with the completed work of art receives the focus. No such approach seems to have been suggested, described or developed for the visual arts. This study suggests and researches exactly that: the use of visual art works without involving a hands-on creative process, in a psycho-educational facilitative programme. This process is described as an isomorphic identification with the work of art, and the research design has been characterised by the relative novelty of the suggested approach towards intervention and stress facilitation outlined in this thesis. Although the term isomorphic identification is not of uncommon usage, it appears only very rarely in literature, and then in context with very recent work only to be found on the Internet. Undeniably, the occurrence of unhealthy stress levels in any population is on the increase. This research focuses on the way that stress impacts on the lives of young adults, particularly students, who share two common denominators; clearly identifiable unhealthy stress levels, and an academic background in which an art appreciation or an art history course was a part of their academic curriculum. The stated goal of this research is to design, develop and describe a method of stress management using the visual arts in a psycho-educational programme. The approach to this study is qualitative, with the research design being based on the single case study with an emphasis on the trustworthiness of research findings. The explorative nature of this research is underlined as being extremely important, with the role of the researcher as central to this type of qualitative research emphasised at every stage of the research strategy. As an important characteristic of the psycho-educational nature of this research, approaches to theory construction and the evaluative research cycle are followed by a discussion on strategies to ensure trustworthiness, including an analysis of and discourse on ethical measures. Obviously the major focus falls on the development, application, analysis, interpretation and evaluation of the programme for the facilitative use of the visual arts as an intervention procedure. Emphasis is put on the idea that art does in actual fact serve a number of purposes, and that the (visual) arts do not exist merely for the sake of existing. The argument is tendered that (visual) art can serve the function of personal homeostasis via a number of varieties of visual experiences according to which art could be experienced and interpreted. The idea is advanced that art works contain a message that is embedded in the medium of the artwork, and that interactive participation through graded exposure should be deemed a cathartic experience of value to the participant. This in turn focuses attention on the narrative discourse made possible through the interactive viewing mentioned, which in turn could be used by the participants as a journey of discovery, which is part and parcel of the facilitation suggested. The psycho-educational theoretical model for use within the visual arts is based on a hierarchical flow of events by way of a three-tiered four-phase approach that shares some characteristics with existing art historical models. As a programme, isomorphism as a strategy of facilitation fits well into a Post-modern paradigm, as it focuses on a holistic stress management programme designed to be of benefit for the participants. / Prof. C.P.H. Myburgh

This dissertation research aims to develop systemic methods to analyze mental disorder and social media use data in young adults in a dynamic way. The first part of the dissertation is a comprehensive review on modeling methods of longitudinal data. The second part describes the methods that we used to identify symptom clusters that can characterize treatment trajectories and to predict responses of anti-depressants for depression patients. Manhattan distance and bottom-up hierarchical clustering methods were used to identify the symptom clusters. Penalized logistic regressions were conducted to identify top baseline predictors of treatment outcomes. The third part presents of Tweedie distribution application with generalized linear models and growth mixed models for analyzing association between social media use patterns and mental health status. The fourth part is future work and research directions.

M.A. / Over the years it has become clear that divorce is an increasingly common occurrence. As a legal process, divorce sanctions the dissolution of a marriage but it does not necessarily dissolve the connections that developed between the individuals during a marriage. This is particularly the case when children are involved. Parents might choose to relinquish their connection to each other as husband and wife but they cannot relinquish the connection to their children as mother and father. This study was designed to explore the way in which the effects of parental divorce surface during the developmental period of young adulthood. The aim of the study was to offer some insight into the long-term effects of parental divorce and to add to the knowledge and understanding of this complex phenomenon. The design of the study was qualitative and data was collected through in-depth unstructured interviews with three young adults who have experienced parental divorce. The interviews with each of the participants were conducted as part of a therapeutic process. An intra-individual analysis of the information offered by each participant rendered an understanding of their phenomenological experience of parental divorce while an inter-individual analysis of their accounts permitted a discussion of common and contrasting themes and patterns. The literature reviews on the effects of parental divorce and the findings of this study, have formed the basis for a proposed a theoretical framework which will enhance the understanding of the phenomenological experience of parental divorce. It is hoped that the information gained will serve as guidelines for those working with individuals who have experienced parental divorce. Key Words: Parental divorce, young adult, identity, relationship, holism, system, cybernetics, constructivism, phenomenological, qualitative investigation, process.

Explores the relationship between recollections of parenting, Early Maladaptive Schemas (EMS), and symptoms of depression and anxiety in a sample of undergraduate students attending California State University, San Bernardino (N = 232). A correlational-regression approach was adopted to test the hypothesis. Parental socialization was measured with three different subscales. Psychological adjustment was measured by the Symptom Checklist-90-Revised. Early Maladaptive Schema was measured with the Schema Questionnaire-Short Form. Partial mediation of EMS was found with maternal connection and psychological control, but not with paternal socialization. Findings lend support to the schema model and suggest that clinical work with adults suffering from depression and/or anxiety may need to identify and re-structure EMS that develop from "toxic parenting."