Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Wisconsin--Madison, 1981. / Typescript. Vita. eContent provider-neutral record in process. Description based on print version record. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 319-340).

Thesis (M.S.)--University of Wisconsin--Madison, 1980. / Typescript. eContent provider-neutral record in process. Description based on print version record. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 49-57).

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Wisconsin--Madison, 1984. / Typescript. Vita. eContent provider-neutral record in process. Description based on print version record. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 209-226).

Thesis (M.S.)--Wisconsin. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 75-78).

Thesis, PlanB (M.S.)--University of Wisconsin--Stout, 2005. / Includes bibliographical references.

Woman Abuse is recognized as a serious issue that is epidemic in Canadian society; women of any ethnicity, race, education, and socio-economic status are at risk. Although non-physical abuse is harmful, in the absence of physical abuse, it is often overlooked or minimized by potential helpers. Consequently, in the absence of physical abuse, understanding that the abuse is unacceptable and requires action, and having the abuse taken seriously by potential helpers, is more difficult. The purpose of this study was to better understand how women who have experienced non-physical abuse in an intimate partner relationship use language to describe, interpret, and evaluate their experiences, and how they communicate their understanding to others. In this qualitative study, the narrative method was used to examine how women use language to make meaning from their abuse experiences tempered by current personal, family, sociocultural, and environmental norms. Five women who self-identified as having experienced non-physical abuse in an intimate partner relationship participated in this study. Data analysis of in-depth interviews included an examination of the telling of the narrative, then an analysis of form and subsequent graphic depiction of the overall structure of the narrative. The content analysis that followed derived six overarching themes that formed the basis for new understanding in four key areas: categorization of abuse constrains understanding for women survivors of abuse and potential helpers; the evidence is in the telling: listening creates connection and enables recognition of abuse across categories; recognition of the state of “Death” of Self clarifies and deepens understanding of the impact of abuse; and education, employment, and support networks can mediate the effects of abuse. The findings emphasize the need to view all forms of abuse as abuse, and to view women who may be experiencing abuse in intimate partner relationships as capable, competent, and worthy. Connection and engagement is a vital step to providing access to care and support, and the most helpful interventions for women who experience non-physical abuse in intimate partner relationships may be those that are decided upon collaboratively with the woman, when the potential helper chooses to listen first. / Applied Science, Faculty of / Nursing, School of / Graduate

[no abstract included] / Arts, Faculty of / Social Work, School of / Graduate

In recent years, there has been an increased interest in broadening the study of sexual abuse to include male child victims and to investigating the well-being of male adults with a history of sexual abuse. The research is however primarily descriptive. This study applied a theoretical framework to the investigation of coping patterns amongst three groups of male undergraduate students (those with a history of childhood sexual abuse, those with a history of negative events other than sexual abuse, and those with a non-victimizing history) attending a large Canadian university and a large community college. One hundred and thirty-five male respondents (M age = 22.17 years) completed a survey regarding their self-worth, assumptions about the benevolence and meaningfulness of the world, degree of gender role stress, choice of coping strategies in interpersonal stressful situations, and history of negative childhood events. Thirteen respondents reported having been sexually abused as a child (9.63% of the total), 25 respondents reported having experienced victimizing events other than sexual abuse (18.52%), and 97 respondents reported no victimizing events (71.86%). Hierarchical multiple regression analyses were used to investigate the effect of the self and world assumptions, and gender role stress upon the relationship between victim status and the use of coping strategies in a interpersonal stressful situation. As hypothesized, there was a significant linear relationship between the schema and gender role stress scores, and the coping score, which accounted for 21% of the variance. Distortion in schematic patterns and high gender role stress distortion upon the relationship between victimization status and the use of maladaptive coping patterns, however did not arise. The findings contribute knowledge about the effect of undergraduate men's values and beliefs upon coping patterns. / Education, Faculty of / Educational and Counselling Psychology, and Special Education (ECPS), Department of / Graduate

A thesis submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of PhD in Community Psychology in the Department of Psychology, University of Zululand, 2007. / Alcohol abuse is recognized as one of the greatest health and social problems in South Africa, affecting both adults and adolescents alike. While there is a substantial amount of research about various aspects of adult alcohol use, only recently has attention been given to comprehensive and thorough evaluation in the adolescent population. However, there is a dearth of information as far as treatment is concerned. This research attempts to fill this hiatus in the research literature. The diverse etiological perspectives for understanding adolescent alcohol abuse most often offer partial, often one-dimensional views of this dynamic and pervasive problem. However, there is no single source of influence, or single developmental model that can explain acquisition of and recover}' from addictions. The Transtheoretical Model (TTM) of intentional behaviour change attempts to bring together the divergent perspectives by focusing on how individuals change behaviour and by identifying key change dimensions involved in this process. The Stages-of-Change treatment programme, based on the Transtheoretical Model, was the focus of this investigation. The programme was evaluated by a group of learners, educators and psychologists using a phenomenological approach. Process evaluation and appreciative inquiry methods were used to obtain qualitative data into their experiences of the programme. Themes that emerged from the analysis included the following: Knowledge/empowerment, transference of skills, positive group dynamics, cognitive and behavioural shifts, improved communication, flexibility, comprehensiveness and motivation. Participants also made several suggestions for improving the programme. Finally, the implications of these findings are discussed and recommendations are offered. It is hoped that the present study will not only contribute to a greater understanding of the treatment of adolescent substance abuse, but will also stimulate further research in this field.

Submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Masters of Arts (Counselling Psychology) in the Department of Psychology at the University of Zululand, South Africa, 2012. / Living with alcohol-abusing parents during the adolescence stage is often an emotional draining experience to some adolescents. This study was purposed at exploring the experiences that adolescents living with parents who abuse alcohol go through and the coping mechanisms that they employ to deal with such experiences. The convenient sample of six participants was selected from the Appelsbosch population and they participated voluntarily. The research findings indicated that the experiences of adolescents living with alcohol abusing in Appelsbosch are comprised by parent’s lack of proper parental supervision, lack of parent’s involvement in their school work, poverty, being sent out at night, witnessing parent’s conflicts, and assuming a role of a caregiver at an early age. Other family members, neighbors, friends, social groups as well as sport groups were found to be effective in helping adolescents cope with the parent’s alcohol abuse. / Medical Research council