PhD (Sociology) / Department of Sociology / The purpose of the study was to explore and understand the circumstances, which influence abused female breadwinners to stay in nuptial contracts and to model coping strategies for their plight. The study was qualitative in nature and an explorative case study design of abused married female breadwinners who had reported cases at Thohoyandou Victim Empowerment Programme (TVEP) trauma centers in the Vhembe District of Limpopo Province, South Africa was used. A critical case purposive sample was used to draw a cross-sectional sample of 12 participants from a total population of 1800 female breadwinners who reported cases between 2010 and 2015. The data collection methods were; in-depth interviews, focus group discussions from the same participants and key informants‟ interviews from three TVEP female managers. The three data collection techniques ensured triangulation for more complete and well-validated outcomes of the study. The data analysis method was the Van Mann. The study found out that a plethora of circumstances that involves the following; culture, the desire to take care of children, culture, religion, social needs, social status and entrapment influences abused married female breadwinners to stay in abusive marriages. As a result, they are forced to devise some coping strategies that include; problem solving strategies, reporting to the police, protection orders, seeking refuge, alcohol abuse and dependence, counselling, religious intervention, social support to cope with their plight. Establishing the reasons was critical in coming up with intervention methods that may help to curb abuse and coping strategies that may assist them in their plight. / NRF

The aim of this study was to explore the self-concept of battered South African women. The ecosystemic approach was used to ground the battering experience. This qualitative framework was exploratory and also included an in-depth analysis of the battering experiences as narrated by abused women. Semi-structured interviews were conducted, and the data obtained were analysed through the use of the hermeneutic method. The following were the themes that emerged out of the narratives: dominance, control versus loss of control, connection versus disconnection, security versus insecurity, and feelings of degradation. The study provides a holistic understanding of battering and its impact on women’s selfconcept. / Psychology / M.A. (Clinical Psychology)

Thesis (M Social Work (Social Work))--University of Stellenbosch, 2009. / This research concentrates on the development of guidelines for the social worker who works with the sexual abused adolescent that is involved in the court. The research was executed according to the quantitative descriptive design. The first part (Chapter 2, 3 & 4) focus on the problem analysis and information gathering linked to the development of a theoretical stage for the develop of guidelines. Adolescence as developmental stage is discussed and suggestions are made as to how this information can be used by the social worker during the preparation of the child that is involved in the court. Different forms and consequences of sexual abuse are discussed. The law system and testimony are discussed as well as the process and problems that occur in the law system. The second part of the research (Chapter 5 & 6) is related to conducting of a pilot study and the results of the empirical research are presented (A questionnaire was handed to twenty respondents). The focus is on the problems and needs of the sexually abused adolescent. The study concludes with conclusions and recommendations. Recommendations for the social worker as well as the court system that work on a daily basis with sexually abused children have been outlined. These recommendations can be used as a support for effective service delivery.

Thesis (M Social Work)--Stellenbosch University, 2013. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: The sexual abuse of boys is regarded as a worldwide problem. Even in South Africa the sexual abuse of boys is described as an epidemic that as the social work phenomenon of women as perpetrators, can no longer be seen as rare. Although legislation, The South African Children’s Act, 38 of 2005 (2006) and The Sexual Offences Amendment Act, 32 of 2007, have contributed to a greater awareness with regards to the boy as victim of sexual abuse, there still is a lot of misconceptions with regards to the boy as victim of sexual abuse. A need for formal scientific research with regards to this problem was therefore identified and lead to the conducting of this study. Focusing on the sexual abuse of the boy in middle childhood was the purpose of this study, because the middle childhood is seen as the most vulnerable developmental phase for the boy to be sexually abused in. Social workers play a primary role in the prevention, early intervention, intervention and after care in this regard. This study was aimed at determining social workers’ opinions on the sexual abuse of boys in middle childhood. The purpose of the study was met through the five goals that were determined. The goals of the study were to discuss the middle childhood as developmental phase within a human developmental perspective and to describe the sexual abuse of boys as social work phenomenon, in order to develop insight with regards to the sexual abuse of boys. Goals determined for the purpose of this study also included the discussion of the sexual abuse of boys as social work phenomenon, focusing on the definition of sexual abuse, inclining factors to sexual abuse, the types of sexual abuse and the context and motivation for sexual abuse of boys. To discuss the different types of perpetrators in the sexual abuse of boys and to investigate the motivations of perpetrators with regards to the sexual abuse of boys were also goals that were determined. This study’s goals were also to investigate the opinions of social workers with regards to the sexual abuse of boys in middle childhood and to make recommendations regarding the promoting of social work service delivery to the sexually abused boy. The literature study that was undertaken builds a foundation for the problem of the sexual abuse of the boy in middle childhood to be seen, within the right context. An explorative and descriptive study was conducted with twenty seven social workers in the Western Cape, Olifantsrivervalley area as geographical area. Semi-structured questionnaires were used for data collection. The results were purposefully processed and analyzed according to a qualitative- and quantitative research method. The empirical study’s findings enabled the researcher to come to certain conclusions. Using the literature study, the empirical study, findings and conclusions that followed on that, recommendations could be made to social workers in order to promote social work service delivery to the sexually abused boy in middle childhood. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Die seksuele mishandeling van seuns word as ‘n wêreldwye probleem beskou. Ook in Suid- Afrika word die seksuele mishandeling van seuns as ‘n epidemie beskryf wat net soos die maatskaplike werk verskynsel van vroue oortreders, nie meer as raar beskou kan word nie. Alhoewel wetgewing soos Die Suid-Afrikaanse Kinderwet, 38 van 2005 (2006), asook Die Wysigingswet op die Strafreg (seksuele misdrywe en verwante aangeleenthede), 32 van 2007, bygedra het tot ‘n groter bewustheid van die seun as slagoffer van seksuele mishandeling, bestaan daar steeds baie wanbegrippe ten opsigte van die die seun as slagoffer van seksuele mishandeling. ‘n Behoefte aan formele wetenskaplike navorsing met betrekking tot hierdie probleem is geïdentifiseer met die gevolg dat hierdie studie onderneem is. Vir die doel van hierdie studie is daar gefokus op die seksuele mishandeling van die seun in sy middelkinderjare, aangesien die middelkinderjare as die mees weerloosste ontwikkelingsfase beskou word vir die seun om seksueel mishandel te word. Maatskaplike werkers speel ‘n primêre rol in die voorkoming, vroeë intervensie, intervensie en nasorg in hierdie verband. Hierdie studie het daarom ten doel gehad om maatskaplike werkers se sienings oor die seksuele mishandeling van seuns in die middelkinderjare te bepaal. Die doel van die studie is bereik na aanleiding van vyf doelwitte wat gestel is. Die doelwitte van die studie was om die middelkinderjare as ontwikkelingsfase binne ‘n menslike ontwikkelingsperspektief te bespreek en om die seksuele mishandeling van die seun as maatskaplike werk verskynsel te verduidelik ten einde begrip met betrekking tot die probleem van seksuele mishandeling van seuns te ontwikkel. Doelwitte wat gestel is ten einde die doel van die studie te bereik, het onder andere behels om seksuele mishandeling van seuns as maatskaplike werk verskynsel te beskou, deur te fokus op die definiëring van seksuele mishandeling, aanleidende faktore tot seksuele mishandeling, die vorme van seksuele mishandeling en die konteks en motivering van seksuele mishandeling van seuns. Om die verskillende tipes oortreders in die seksuele mishandeling van seuns te bespreek en om ondersoek in te stel na die motiverings van oortreders ten opsigte van die seksuele mishandeling van seuns, was ook as doelwit gestel. Hierdie studie se doelwitte was ook om ‘n ondersoek te doen na die sienings van maatskaplike werkers ten opsigte van die seksuele mishandeling van seuns in die middelkinderjare en om aanbevelings te maak ten opsigte van die bevordering van maatskaplike werk dienslewering aan die seksueel mishandelde seun. Die literatuurstudie wat gedoen is het ‘n fondasie geskep om die probleem van die seksuele mishandeling van die seun in sy middelkinderjare, in die regte konteks te kan beskou. ‘n Verkennende en beskrywende studie is gedoen en het sewe-en-twintig maatskaplike werkers in die Wes-Kaap, Olifantsriviervallei area as geografiese gebied ingesluit. Semigestruktureerde vraelyste is benut om inligting in te samel. Die resultate was volgens ‘n kwalitatiewe- en kwantitatiewe navorsingsmetode verwerk en geanaliseer. Die empiriese ondersoek se bevindinge het die navorser in staat gestel om sekere gevolgtrekkings te maak. Na aanleiding van die literatuurstudie, die empiriese ondersoek, die bevindinge en die gevolgtrekkings wat daarop gevolg het, kon aanbevelings gemaak word aan maatskaplike werkers ten einde die maatskaplike werk dienslewering aan die seksueel mishandelde seun in sy middelkinderjare te bevorder.

This purpose of this study was to combine two bodies of literature on relationships, attachment and violence. Given the impact of men's physical aggression and emotional abuse on women, it is likely that these behaviors would also affect attachment. A model proposing that women's attachment style mediated and moderated the relationship between partners' physical and emotional abuse and the stability of women's relationships was tested. Archival data were used from two waves of interviews with a sample of lowincome, ethnically diverse community women. Most (89%) of the initial 835 participants of Project HOW: Health Outcomes of Women completed at least one additional interview providing information on the status of their initial relationships. Of these women, 39% were African American, 30% were Euro-American, and 31% were Mexican American. The effects of men's psychological abuse and physical violence on women's attachment style were tested with regression analyses. The interrelationships between partners' abuse, attachment and relational stability were tested with SEM. Attachment style was expected to moderate the associations among variables and mediate the impact of partners' negative behavior on relational stability. In regression analyses, partners' psychological abuse predicted avoidant and anxious, but not secure attachment ratings. Violence, although significant, explained less variance than psychological abuse for insecure attachment ratings. SEM indicated Physical Aggression was not a significant predictor of Attachment Rating in any group. Moderation was not found. There were no differences between attachment groups. Therefore, attachment was tested in the sample as a mediator. As in analyses for each group, the path from Physical Aggression to Attachment Rating was not significant. In the final model, Emotional Abuse predicted Physical Aggression and Attachment Rating mediated the effect of Emotional Abuse on Relational Stability. Specifically, Emotional Abuse increased (insecure) Attachment Rating, which decreased Relational Stability. Overall, previous research in the violence literature was extended by showing that emotional abuse affected attachment, rather than the reverse.

Women as a group hold little power in the social system which increases women's vulnerability to domestic violence. According to Merton (1970), social problems may be revealed through the disaster recovery process. A coraHunity1s organizational response to social problems such as wife abuse depends upon organizational members' perceptions. The data suggest that organizational perceptions of domestic violence largely depend upon the setting or environment in which an organization exists and operates. A second factor that greatly determines an organization's perception of domestic violence after disaster is organizational type. Organizations which provide services to domestic violence victims pre-disaster are more likely to perceive domestic violence following disaster than organizations which do not provide domestic violence related services prior to disaster.

Women in distressed relationships who had sustained severe psychological abuse and either no, moderate, or severe violence from their partner were included (N = 93). Men's and women's alcohol use did not differ with level of violence. Different patterns were found in the moderate violence group regarding women's beliefs about their partner's substance problem, men's psychological abuse, and the relationship of men's and women's quantity of alcohol use and times intoxicated. Uncertainty resulting from moderate violence may strengthen the emotional impact of psychological abuse. Even when psychological abuse is exacerbated by violence, women may use active coping techniques rather than drinking to cope with abusive relationships. The findings suggest that an inordinate focus on alcohol abuse may be ineffective in combating the problem of domestic violence.

This longitudinal study examined factors influencing the relationship between sustained partner violence and depression/suicidality among ethnically diverse, low income, community women. The sample at Wave 1 consisted of 303 African American, 273 Euro-American, and 260 Mexican American women in long term relationships with a household income less that twice the poverty threshold. There were no ethnic differences on frequency of partner violence, depression, or suicidality. The moderate relationship between partner violence and women's depression, confirmed previous findings. Frequency, but not recency, of violence predicted depression and suicidal ideation for African Americans and Mexican Americans, even after controlling for earlier depression or ideation. Recent violence did not predict Euro-American's depression or suicidality after controlling for initial scores. Causal and responsibility attributions for partners' violence did not mediate the relationship between violence and depression or suicidality in any ethnic group. However, African American women's attributions of global effects for violence mediated the relationship of violence on depression and suicidal ideation. Poverty level and marital status moderated the relationship between violence and the number of times women seriously considered and actually attempted suicide. Frequent violence was most lethal among the poorest women and marriage provided the least protection for women in the most violent relationships. Specifically, poverty status moderated violence on consideration of suicide for African Americans and Euro-Americans and suicide attempts among Mexican Americans. Marital status moderated partners' violence on suicidal ideation and attempts for Mexican Americans and consideration of suicide for Euro-Americans, but was not a moderator for African Americans' depression or suicidality. Women with different ethnic backgrounds appear to differ in the ways partner violence contributes to their depression and suicidality. Policy implications include the need to offer suicide intervention, particularly for low income women seeking services for violence. Mental health professionals should routinely inquire about partner violence when women present with depression or suicidality. Further, sensitivity to ethnic differences is recommended when confronting women's attributions regarding violence.

Thesis (Ph.D. (Social Work)) --University of Limpopo, 2012 / Refer to document / Financial Aid of the University of Limpopo

Thesis (M.Sc.)--University of Alberta, 2009. / A thesis submitted to the Faculty of Graduate Studies and Research in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Science, Psychiatry. Title from pdf file main screen (viewed on August 13, 2009). Includes bibliographical references.