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)

The purpose of this study was to explore possible problems associated with pregnancy amongst student nurses in the Northern Province, and to determine whether their studies were adversely affected by their pregnancies. This study was designed as a quantitative, exploratory descriptive survey to look into the pregnancies of a specific group of students exploring their experiences in the classrooms and in the clinical areas. During 1998 data was collected by distributing questionnaires to ninety three pregnant . student nurses. Sixty-seven (71,0%) of student nurses fell pregnant because they lacked knowledge about contraceptives. Four-six (49,5%) of the respondents delayed seeking antenatal care, although they needed advice and support. Whilst fifty-eight (62,4%) of the respondents suffered from minor ailments such as tiredness, pre-eclampsia, early bleeding prior to three months pregnancy, and dizziness. Fifty-eight (62,4%) of the respondents encountered problems with their academic progress, as revealed by decreasing marks scored before, during, and after delivery. Student nurses would willingly avail themselves of guidance, advice and support during their pregnancies if they could access such services. / Advanced Nursing Science / M.A.(Nursing Science)

The aim of this qualitative study was to explore the vulnerability to HIV of rural male youth with regard to their beliefs, sexual attitudes and behaviour. The study took place in the Waterberg, a district of Limpopo in South Africa, and provided insight into and understanding of the youths’ attitudes to and intentions regarding HIV prevention and their perceptions of how they were influenced by the Boys2Men programme. The Theory of Reasoned Action and the Social Constructionist Theory provided a framework for the study. Nine participants between the ages of 19 and 26 were purposefully selected, and data was collected via individual face-to-face and focus group interviews. A number of semi-structured questions were used to guide the study, and data captured from the interviews was analysed by thematic content analysis. / Sociology / M.A. (Social Behaviour Studies in HIV/AIDS)

AIDS-related illnesses are the leading cause of deaths in South Africa. Alcohol misuse among male youths fuels the risk of Sexually Transmitted Infections (STIs), including HIV. Literature review was conducted on the association of alcohol misuse and the risk of contracting HIV among male youths. In this qualitative study fourteen male youths, all from Soshanguve in Gauteng province, participated in face-to-face interviews. The male youths who misuse alcohol show greater signs of indulging in risky sexual intercourse. In addition, the male youths who find their sexual partners at taverns were less likely to use condoms during sex. Other factors linked to alcohol misuse that hinder HIV-prevention include multiple sexual partners, transactional sex, men who have sex with men (MSM), young men’s dominance over young women and non-use of condoms. The findings of this research project indicate the need of deliberate focus on alcohol misuse during HIV-prevention education. HIV-prevention interventions should pay attention to reducing sexual risk behaviour associated with alcohol misuse among young men. / Sociology / M.A. (Social Behaviour Studies in HIV/AIDS)

Mixed race and African South African parents of children coming out as Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transsexual, Intersex, Queer, Questioning and A-Sexual+ have a unique set of challenges within their cultural, religious and social contexts. The problem statement for the study entails that parents have to deal with familial and societal perceptions and reactions to their child coming out, face their own challenges and fears concerning their child’s sexual orientation or identity, and find coping strategies to deal with their coming out as LGBTIQA+. During my research in the UNISA library and online I found that there is a paucity of literature on this subject matter, especially within the South African context. The aim of this study was to obtain an in-depth understanding of these mixed race and African parents’ experiences, challenges and coping strategies in relation to a child coming out as LGBTIQA+. The Resiliency Theory of Family Stress, Adjustment and Adaptation, as linked to Hill’s Stress Theory and the Strength-based approach, were adopted as related theories within the theoretical framework of this study. A qualitative approach was employed, as I intended to gain insight into the lived experiences, challenges and coping strategies of mixed race and African South African parents in relation to a child coming out as LGBTIQA+, as well as to gain advice on social work support. A phenomenological and collective instrumental case study design, together with an explorative, descriptive and contextual strategy of inquiry, were used to explore, describe and contextualise how mixed race and African parents of LGBTIQA+ children experienced their children’s coming out, what their challenges were, and the coping strategies they employed to manage the challenges experienced. The sample of participants was selected by utilising purposive sampling. Semi-structured interviews, contained in an interview guide, were used to collect the data that was analysed using Tesch’s method of analysis (in Creswell, 2014:198). The data were collected by means of individual interviews and presented in a cross-person manner using selected narratives from the participants. Guba’s model, as espoused in Krefting (1991) and Lietz and Zayas (2010), was used and the four aspects of trustworthiness, namely credibility, transferability, dependability and confirmability, were applied. Ethical considerations were observed. The findings led the researcher to make recommendations regarding social work practice, education and further research into the phenomenon of parental experiences, challenges and coping strategies in relation to a child coming out as LGBTIQA+. In terms of parental experiences of their child coming out as LGBTIQA+, I found that parents were surprised and unhappy, disappointed, pained and shocked, and fearful for their child’s safety when they realised he or she was LGBTIQA+. When it came to their challenges and fears, the parents openly admitted that what the community, church and external family would make of their child being LGBTIQA+ caused stress for them. Lastly, the parents made recommendations to social workers based on their experiences, challenges and coping strategies, indicating that social workers should focus on sharing information and guiding parents; but firstly, social workers must have self-awareness and understand their own attitudes toward LGBTIQA+ matters. / Social Work / MA (Social Work)

The purpose of this study was to explore the impact of orphanhood on the life world of an adolescent orphaned by AIDS, thereby improving the knowledge base and insight of all those who are involved in helping the orphans. This qualitative study endeavoured to answer the following research question: “What is the impact of orphanhood on the life world of an adolescent orphaned by AIDS, in Ratanda area?”. A literature study was done to give a theoretical overview about AIDS orphans specifically adolescents. A semi-structured interview was conducted from five different schools. Findings from the interviews was discussed and integrated with reference to the literature. A qualitative approach was used as this helped the researcher in understanding the functioning of the AIDS orphan in his natural environment. The researcher aimed at documenting these impacts of orphanhood on the life world and to improve the helping professions’ understanding of the phenomenon. This may lead to more successful intervention strategies for these adolescents. / Educational Studies / M. Ed. (Guidance and Counselling)

The qualitative research approach, applying an explorative, descriptive and contextual strategy of enquiry was used to address the research question formulated, - How do child and youth care workers support child-headed households in the community? In this process the needs, relationships, interactions and encounters which occur between child and youth care workers and young people in child-headed households are described. The research was conducted with children from two child-headed households (12 children in all) and three community child and youth care workers from the Isibindi project in the province of Kwa-Zulu Natal. The findings confirm that the integration of child and youth care work characteristics in the daily life events of the children, contributed to services to children that are therapeutically caring, reclaiming and reflective of the African spirit of Ubuntu – demonstrating a relevant and unique South African expression of child and youth care practice. / Sociology / M. Tech. (Child and Youth Care)

Afrikaans text / Besorgdheid het in die gemeenskap bestaan oar die toenemende getalle kinders wat binne die stedelike konteks van Pretoria op straat leef en werk. Hierdie navorsing is onderneem om die behoeftes van die kinders aan te spreek en om alternatiewe wyses te vind om met hulle te werk. 'n Konteks is geskep sodat na hulle stemme geluister kon word. nag 'n alternatief tot "tradisionele" vorme van gesinsterapie bruikbaar is, op sekere voorwaardes, soos aangedui in hoofstuk vier. Sleutelwoorde: reflekterende span; "straatkinders"; ekosistemiese benadering; ekologie; epistemologie; konstruktivisme; objektivisme; kubernetika; sisteemteorie; mikro-, meso- en makrosisteme; sirkulere en liniere punktuasie Ekosistemiese beginsels is aanvanklik benut, maar was nie vir die span wat saamgewerk het, betekenisvol nie. 'n Gevallestudie-ontwerp was nuttig om die ontwikkeling en "opleiding" van die span wat sou saamwerk, te beskryf, asook die benutting van ekosistemiese beginsels tydens dienste aan die "straatkinders" en hulle gesinne by ltumeleng. Die navorsing het aangedui dat 'n ekosistemiese benadering tot gesinsterapie as / The community showed concern about the increasing number of children living and working on the streets within the urban context of Pretoria. This researchwas undertaken to address the needs of these children and to find alternative ways of working with them. A context was created so that their voices could be heard. Ecosystemic principles were initially used, but were not meaningful to the team who worked together. A case study design proved useful in developing and "training" of the team who would be working together, as well as applying ecosystemic principles while making services available to the "street children" and their families in ltumeleng. The research indicated that an ecosystemic approach to family therapy could be used as an alternative to "traditional" forms of family therapy, subject to certain conditions, as stipulated in Chapter Four. / Social Work / M.A. (Sosiale Wetenskappe (Geestesgesondheid))

This study was undertaken to determine whether a disrupted family life and school climate has an impact on the self-concept of the adolescent. This problem was tackled and investigated from different angles : factors within the home, factors outside the home, intrapsychic factors, interpersonal factors and school factors. An analysis of the above factors and their impact on the self-concept of the adolescent was done by means of measuring instruments in the form of a questionnaire. The results of the empirical research indicated that the more positive the family and school climate, the more positive the academic, social and emotional self-concept of the adolescent. The educational implications of the findings of the literature and the empirical study are discussed to assist teachers and parents to identify and eliminate factors that cause adolescents from disrupted families to underachieve and have negative self-concepts. / M.Ed. (Socio Education)

Adolescence is a significant period of change in physical and psychosocial development of human beings. Being HIV positive and growing up on a dynamically multifaceted HAART treatment, adds to the complexity of adolescence. This study was aimed at exploring the nature of experiences of adolescents who are on long-term Highly Active Antiretroviral Therapy (HAART) in Tembisa, Gauteng province. The study is based on a qualitative research method using in-depth semi-structured open-ended interviews and a focus group for data collection. The sample consisted of seven individual adolescent participants, three parents, guardians and caregivers, as well as 11 health care professionals. The thematic data analysis and the phenomelogical analysis methods were used to analyse data qualitative data while descriptive statistics were used to analyse quantitative biographical data. The study findings cover the negative and positive experiences and the perceived role of HAART treatment over a long period of time. The predominant themes identified from adolescent participants were disclosure of HIV positive status and the stigma surrounding a positive status, early childhood experience of parental death, challenges of taking HAART treatment, factors influencing adherence and non-adherence to HAART treatment, and lastly, the impact of religion on HAART treatment adherence. The findings suggest that adolescents who are on HAART treatment over an extended period of time experience drug fatigue. Drug fatigue has far-reaching implications for the health of an adolescent, as it has a higher likelihood that poor adherence or even complete refusal to take HAART treatment will occur. Poor adherence or refusal to take HAART treatment will most likely lead to cross infection and further spread of HIV and AIDS. A recommendation was made to include the establishment of a youth and adolescent-friendly centre by the hospital – one that is designated for the provision of tailored adolescent services and sensitive to adolescent developmental stages so as to minimise the likelihood of infected adolescents falling through the health care cracks. The introduction of a hospital-based school, an education unit run by dedicated and qualified facilitators focusing on aiding hospitalised learners with catch-up scholarly programmes, was a further recommendation. It was further recommended that reproductive health care needs of adolescents who grow up on HAART treatment be given attention in further research. / Psychology / Ph.D. (Psychology)