Young adults of the twenty-first century face a long path to adulthood marked by uncertainty and lack of stability. In response, young adults are heading back to or failing to leave their family homes in higher numbers than generations before (Jacobsen and Mather 2011; Qian 2012). These macro-level trends bring about questions about their impact on family relationships as well as how these relationships have evolved over time. My thesis investigates parent-child relationships during co-residence with a specific focus on generation and gender differences. Through secondary data analysis of the National Survey of Families and Households, I explore how parent-child relationships during co-residence differ between parents of Generation Xer young adults (born between 1965-1980) and Millennial young adults (born between 1981-1996). Additionally, I examine gender differences between these two generational cohorts. My findings offer support that intergenerational relationships are not necessary closer, but look different for parents of Millennials as compared to Generation Xers. I also find that there are significant gender differences between mothers and fathers of Generation Xers versus those of Millennials. I find that mothers of Generation Xers report more time shared with co-residing young adults and increased frequency of perceived emotional support from their child than fathers; yet, fathers of Millennials report more perceived support than mothers. I suggest these findings offer support for the notion that gendered roles play out into young adulthood and potentially have more flexibility for fathers across time. As the economic and social landscape continues to change and present more uncertainty, family relationships become a form of social security; thus it becomes increasingly important to understand these dynamics. My findings are significant as they contribute to a better understanding of parent-child relationships over time and offer discussion on the potential implications.

Factors influencing the career development of Asian Americans have included family influences, including parental expectations and parent-young adult relationship, and adherence to Asian cultural values. Variables such as interests and values have been shown to be important factors in the career-related decisions of western, European American culture individuals, although interests have been found to be less important for Asian Americans. Research suggests that parental expectations and adherence to traditional Asian values have more influence on career development among this population. Sandhu found in 2011 that parental expectations are highly linked with career choice of a specific Asian subgroup. The current study examined the relationship between parental expectations, acculturation, career values, adherence to Asian cultural values, the parent-young adult relationship, and career choice in the Asian American population. The values gap between the parents’ and young adults’ cultural values as well as the gap’s effects on the parent-child relationship were assessed. A sample of 173 self-identified Asian Americans aged 18 to 25 were recruited from across the US to complete an Internet survey consisting of demographic questions, career choice questions, a measure of acculturation, an assessment of career-related values, an assessment of adherence to Asian cultural values, and an assessment of the parent-young adult relationship. Results from hierarchical multiple regression analyses showed that the prestige of parents’ career expectations was a significant predictor of the prestige of young adults’ expected career choices. Although other family and process variables were not found to be significant predictors of young adults’ career choices, interesting correlations were noted among many of these variables.

Previous research indicates that those with a history of abuse have an increased risk to experience subsequent traumatic events. This study utilized a convenience sample of undergraduate students to examine the reaction of those with a history of abuse to subsequent traumatic experiences. In addition, the study assessed the level of posttraumatic growth an individual experiences following childhood abuse. The level of posttraumatic growth was examined to determine if the growth allowed for participants to better handle successive traumas. Those with a history of abuse experienced higher levels of symptomology following a successive traumatic event. Results did not support the hypothesis that among those with a history of abuse, lower levels of posttraumatic growth would predict higher levels of symptoms following a later trauma. Implications and limitations of the study, as well as directions for future research are discussed.

Using a feminist poststructuralist approach as a guide, I begin this thesis with the workinghypothesis that gender may be an adult-centred concept in feminist studies. This leads me toask: If the concept of gender in feminist studies is adult-centred, how is this centring formedand maintained? To answer this question, I begin by splitting my analysis into three analyticalsections: age, children, and gender. Although I include age, children, and gender into eachsectional analysis, my main priority in the first two sections is to look at how feminist scholarsdiscuss and use the terms age and child(ren). In the gender section, I use three canonical gendertheory texts as the basis of my analysis, where I see how gender is discussed and conceptualisedand how both children and age figure in these conceptualisations.One of the main concerns of feminist poststructuralist theory is tackling binaries. However,with the category of age having been often taken for granted in feminist studies, and thereforeunder-theorised, the adult/child binary in the category of age remains largely unchallenged.Instead, where age has been investigated in terms of tackling binaries, the young/old binary hasdominated but has remained centred around the adult; leaving children underacknowledgedand under-theorised in feminist studies age discourse. This under-theorisation of childrenmeans that “child” remains a master status with seemingly unshakeable connotations ofinnocence, vulnerability, and incompetence. Children are those who are not adults and not-yetsubjects. They are understood as being in constant need of care from the competent andcomplete adult. In this thesis, I show how these points, among others, contribute to both theformation and maintenance of the concept of gender as adult-centred.

Abstract not available

After over 30 years of research, our knowledge of the consequences of childhood sexual abuse (CSA) is still marked by considerable disarray. A research programme of three studies was designed to improve our understanding of functioning in adulthood after CSA by considering perceptions of sexual abuse from three different viewpoints: Clients with a history of CSA, lay, non-abused adults, and sexual abuse practitioners. In the first study, Multidimensional scaling was employed to develop a reporting device summarising the wide range effects and coping efforts likely to following sexual abuse (RESA – Reporting Effects of Sexual Abuse). A two-fold mapping and profiling approach was then used to highlight consistency and specificity of sexual abuse sequelae by comparing effect-coping patterns of 113 adults with a history of CSA to profiles describing the functioning of nontraumatised adults. The second study then enquired about the stability of perceptions of CSA consequences carried by 149 lay, non-abused adults. An analogue priming study explored how the impact of emotional arousal and cognitive re-structuring intervention adjust participants’ understanding of CSA outcomes. As lay, non-abused adults were found to carry an oversimplified perception of CSA sequelae, Study Three therefore investigated if practitioners were exempt from such underlying biases. Signal detection analysis was used in the final third study to independently assess 85 practitioners’ judgment accuracy and bias when asked to identify sexual abuse effects among a set of supposedly unrelated behaviour, and to discriminate direct effects from secondary ways of coping with CSA. While practitioners were successful in detecting relevant CSA sequelae, they nonetheless demonstrated a highly overinclusive perception compared to the empirical reports by sexually abused clients and societal perceptions. Findings of the three studies were integrated to build an empirical framework on the multiplicity of perceptions on the sequelae of CSA. Overall, this research showed that all individuals, regardless of their association with CSA, carry perceptions about the consequences of CSA. These perceptions appeared to be universal, independent of emotional arousal or attempted cognitive restructuring. While CSA clients reported an array of effects and coping efforts, society only seemed to reflect basic elements of these as related to CSA. Professionals, on the other hand, indicated overinclusive perceptions in which most characteristics were identified as CSA sequelae, in particular as a mean of coping. Finally, no specific pathway was found to follow CSA. While there appeared to be an increased intensity of effects and a greater need for coping among adults with a history of CSA, the general pattern or type of sequelae was also reported by non-traumatised adults. Understanding the functional processes underlying these patterns of common sequelae can help to tailor treatment to the individual needs of clients who experienced CSA. Further implications of this empirical model for practice and research in the area of sexual abuse in Aotearoa/New Zealand are discussed.

In the United States, there are advocacy groups that support sexual relationships between adults and children. These groups use justifications that make pedophile behaviors seem normal and appropriate. This thesis describes the physical, emotional, and psychological harms that result from child sexual abuse. The reader will understand how prominent child sexual abuse is and how it takes a lot of effort for abusers to take advantage of children. There are many psychological resources available to children and their families, but it does not make sexual abuse okay for society to ignore. The justifications used by pedophile advocates are irrational and should be fought against by society.

Uppsatsens övergripande syfte är att undersöka hur det har påverkat ett barn att växa upp med en familjehemlighet. Vi har intervjuat en person vars familjehemlighet grundade sig i att hennes pappa hade ett alkoholmissbruk. Vi belyser hur ett barn påverkas av att bevara en familjehemlighet utifrån tre olika miljöer; familjen, skolan och kompisrelationer samt om och i så fall hur det har gjort intryck i hennes vuxna liv. För att besvara uppsatsens syfte har vi genom en kvalitativ metod i form av en halvstrukturerad livsvärldsintervju samlat in vår empiri. Teoretiska perspektiv vi använt oss av är systemteori och KASAM- Känsla av sammanhang, som speglar individen, samspelen och sammanhangen mellan de teman vi valt att fokusera på. Intervjumaterialet är analyserat utifrån den narrativa metoden. Vidare har vi använt oss av teman och perspektiv då vi undersökt hur intervjupersonen har skapat en identitet och gett sitt liv mening utifrån sina livserfarenheter. Resultatet visar att intervjupersonens familj, skolgång samt kompisrelationer har påverkats. Bland annat gjorde hon ett aktivt val och är idag nykterist. Intervjupersonen har i olika perioder av sin uppväxt tagit sig an olika roller och beteenden beroende på i vilka sammanhang och miljöer hon befunnit sig. Dessa roller och beteenden har inte varit bestående men återkommande vilket är viktigt att påvisa. / The essay´s overall purpose is to examine how it has affected a child growing up with a family secret. We have interviewed a person whose family secret was based on the alcohol addiction of her father. We have chosen to illustrate how a child is affected by maintaining a family secret from three different environments; family, school, and through friendship, and whether and if so, how it has made an impression in her adult life. To answer the purpose for this thesis, we have collected our empirical data through a qualitative method, in the form of a semi-structured life-world interview. Theoretical perspectives we have made use of are systems’ theory and SOC – Sense of Coherence, which reflect the individual, the interactions, and relationships between the themes we have chosen to focus on.The interviews have been analyzed based on the narrative method. Furthermore, we have used the themes and perspectives when investigating how the interviewee has created an identity and conferred meaning to her life, from the basis of her experiences. The results show that the interviewee's family, school, and friendships have been affected. Among other things, she made an active choice and is now a teetotaler. During different periods of her growth, she has adopted different roles and behaviors, depending on the situation and environment she has been in. These roles and behaviors have not been durable, but recurring, which is important to emphasize.

This qualitative research enquiry sought to develop an understanding from forty-four women, comprising twenty-two couples in committed lesbian partnerships, of how they managed the long-term impacts of child sexual abuse, both on themselves and on their relationships. This is an area that is under- theorised in the literature. A number of key findings emerged from the analysis. The sexual abuse that women had experienced had impacted their adult lives in various ways. Of these the personal aspect featured most highly, with feelings of self-blame, shame and low self esteem commonly reported. Those women who reported physically invasive sexual abuse also reported a wider variety of effects, and in proportionately greater numbers, than women whose abusive experience had not encompassed that particular dimension. Just as the survivors were impacted in a variety of ways by their abuse, so too were their partners, although the effects upon the partner varied over time and in intensity depending on the length of the relationship and the degree of resolution experienced by the survivor. Despite challenges the over all view of couple relationships was positive, and couples were able to articulate coping strategies they felt would be useful to others in similar circumstances. Partners were able to identify with many of the relationship issues outlined by heterosexual male partners of female survivors, although lesbian partners had more a positive view of counselling. The emotional support and commitment of a caring partner was clearly valued although in these partnerships both women wanted their relationship to be based on more than the reparative needs of one member. Finally, being lesbian was no barrier to seeking counselling assistance. A large proportion of the participants had used counselling as a way of working through their experiences of child sexual abuse and had found this to be valuable. These findings have implications for social work practice with child and adult female survivors. They emphasise the long term impacts of sexual abuse, the important contributions made by partners and counsellors in supporting women sexually abused as children and the levels of inter-sibling sexual abuse perpetrated by brothers. The research findings also contain information from the women themselves on what facilitated their ability to cope with the effects of child sexual abuse from the varying perspectives of survivor, partner and couple. This will be essential information for counsellors and social workers wishing to employ strengths and evidence-based approaches in their work with this client group and others, particularly heterosexual women and heterosexual couples.

The aim of this thesis was to explore the experience of “self” within the clinical context of adult survivors of childhood trauma. Childhood trauma in this study referred to a range of childhood experiences of emotional and physical assault, including encounters with various kinds of abuse and neglect. The focus was on the experience of a sense of disintegration and dislocation, associated to aspects of self being in conflict. This was explored from theoretical perspectives of Jungian analytic psychology, as well as art therapy.Answers were sought to the questions of how claywork, as a form of art therapy, may facilitate the integration of the self and contribute to the development of a healing dialogue with feared and hated aspects of self. Grounded in Jungian theory, integration of the self was conceptualised as a movement towards “differentiating wholeness”. The study took the form of a phenomenological-hermeneutic case study. One participant’s experience of making and discussing a clay sculpture in a therapeutic setting according to Edwards’ method, was analysed thematically. It was concluded that the potential of claywork in therapy to facilitate the integration of the self is related to three aspects. Firstly, claywork in therapy may promote a concrete personification of feared and hated aspects of self, which may enable the maker to view these aspects from a distance, and learn to understand them in a new way. Secondly, claywork in therapy may facilitate the safe ‘unearthing’ of repressed feelings as well as hidden aspects of the personality. Thirdly, claywork’s potential to mediate symbolic functioning was shown to be an important aspect of the integration process. These findings confirmed and extended existing theory regarding the usefulness of claywork in psychotherapy with adult survivors of childhood trauma. Brief recommendations for future research were provided.