Over the past three decades, childhood bullying research has developed. Although bullying was first understood as an individual problem, researchers now understand that bullying is a relationship problem. Children come to a social exchange with their own cognitions and coping strategies, but are also impacted by their peers. Developmental contextualism forms the macro level framework of these studies and states that change occurs reciprocally and across many levels including the individual, interpersonal, community, and society. Social cognitive theory (and social information processing, in particular) helps at the individual and interpersonal levels in understanding the role cognitions play in affecting children’s responses in social exchanges. The series of papers in this dissertation focus on: (1) How attributions and coping styles interact within victimized children and how that affects victimization; (2) How attributions and coping styles are associated in children who bully others and how that interaction affects bullying behaviour; and (3) How children’s friendships protect or put them at risk for victimization. Overall, results suggest that children’s attributions and coping are directly associated with victimization and bullying, but do not work together in a mediational relationship. Rather specific types of attributions and coping strategies are related to involvement in bullying and victimization both within and across time and differences exist between boys and girls. With regards to friendships, the identity and communication skills of one’s friends appear to be important. Findings suggest the need for interventions that teach victimized children and their friends how to cope effectively with victimization and communicate with each other about their needs. / Thesis (Ph.D, Psychology) -- Queen's University, 2009-12-29 15:17:14.814

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<p>The purpose of the study was to investigate levels of occupational stress experienced by police officers and the strategies used to cope with stress. The study findings are based on a sample of 104 police officers from six police stations within the Cape Town area. The results indicated that participants have been in the police service for an average of 7.72 years, and have worked an average of 4.8 years at their present stations. The majority of participants are between 26-30 years old (31%), male (75%), married(51%), coloured (65%), constables (45%), Afrikaans speaking (47%), and have a matric qualification (70%). The Spielberger Police Stress Survey and the Brief COPE Inventory were used as data collection tools. The findings indicated that police officers were experiencing moderate levels of stress as an outcome of inherent and organisational occupational demands. Secondly, police officers were more likely to use problem-focussed coping strategies to manage occupational stress than maladaptive strategies. The limited use of avoidance coping strategies was surprising, given the elevated prevalence of both physical and psychological disorders within the police context. The results indicated no significant association between levels of distress and avoidance coping strategies. The potential adverse outcomes of severe stress within this group affect&nbsp / society in general more than stress from most other occupational groups. Addressing persistent stress within the organisation is imperative in ensuring a well-functioning police service, and ultimately, a secure and healthy society.</p>

Children are often overlooked in the aftermath of a natural disaster, and children’s use of coping strategies plays an important part in their post-disaster adaptation (Vernberg, La Greca, Silverman, & Prinstein, 1996). The aim of this qualitative study was to explore the coping strategies of children with adequate self-regulation skills and minimal behaviour problems, living in Christchurch following the major 2010 and 2011 earthquakes. This aim was achieved through the use of semi-structured interviews with five seven-year-old children, their parents, and their teachers. These interviews were analysed using Directed Content Analysis and results showed that children most often reported using active and adaptive coping strategies, followed by avoidant strategies. Results in the current literature regarding children’s coping suggest that children exposed to natural disasters are able to utilise strategies that involve some personal control over their environment and emotions, through the use of active and adaptive coping strategies. Findings from this study contribute to the current understanding of children’s use of coping strategies when faced with commonly occurring childhood upsets. Further research is required regarding the outcomes associated with the use of effective coping strategies following traumatic events.

The previous study on the experiences of widowhood and beliefs about the mourning process of the Batswana people found that widows were stigmatised due to cultural beliefs that made coping a difficult process for the widow. The literature revealed that widowhood following the death of a partner from AIDS is a difficult process due to HIV and AIDS being highly stigmatized. Stigma is an attribute that is deeply discrediting and devaluating to an individual social identity. It also reduces the person from her usual status to one with a tainted image due to the belief that having contracted HIV and AIDS is a choice and that an individual is responsible for her immoral behaviour. This negative attitude that amounts to prejudice contributes to the women's feelings of unworthiness. It was also found that the stigma against people living with HIV and AIDS is not only directed at them, but also to those having close relationships with them namely, their spouses, children, relatives, as well as health workers, which is known as secondary or associated stigma. The stigma was found to be attributed to discrimination based on gender, age, sexual orientation and race, hence women living with HIV and AIDS were found to be more stigmatised than men. Women whose partners died of AIDS were thus perceived by the community as having infected their partners, therefore, they were blamed, isolated and excluded from community activities. Coping with the loss of a partner was found to be a difficult process for the widow, aggravated by the death from AIDS. Some women coped by denying their late partner's status, while others kept it secret to avoid stigmatization. Some women, however, coped by challenging perpetrators of stigma about their attitude. This study was motivated by the challenge perceived by the researcher concerning women who lost their partners to AIDS who had to be assisted with coping with stigma associated with them having had a partner who was infected and died from AIDS. The objectives of this study were to explore and describe the experiences of coping with stigma by women whose partners died of AIDS, as well as to develop, implement and evaluate a programme to assist women whose partners died of aids to cope with the stigma associated with their partner having had a relationship with an infected partner who died of AIDS. The literature was studied in order to contextualize both stigma and coping. A qualitative phenomenological design was followed in phase one of the study as well as a case study in phase two. A purposive sample was used in phase one as well as in phase two. Data were collected by means of single open ended questions. In-depth interviews were recorded on audio tape and transcribed verbatim. Personal, observational as well as methodological field notes were written after each interview. Data analysis was conducted according to the content analysis technique of Tesch. The co-coder and the researcher analysed the data independently, after which a consensus meeting was held to finalise data. Ethical principles were applied according to Burns and Grove, as well as the Democratic Nurses Organisation of South Africa and the Department of Health. Trustworthiness of the study was ensured through the model of Lincoln and Guba. The criteria of creditability, transferability, dependability, as well as confirmability were ensured. The findings of phase one of the study as well as the literature study of stigma intervention programmes assisted in the formulation of a programme. An eight sessions programme for coping with stigma for women whose partners died of AIDS was developed, implemented and evaluated. Phase two of the study consisted of a holistic multiple case design for presenting the developed programme. Data were collected by means of multiple sources of evidence. Data were analysed by means of a case record. Conclusions indicated that the programme for coping with stigma for women whose partners died of AIDS had a positive impact on the expansion of their coping skills. / Thesis (Ph.D. (Community Psychiatric Nursing))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2008.

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Tidigare forskning beskriver att stress är en riskfaktor för ohälsa och det är ett arbetsmiljöproblem. Ohälsa bland unga kvinnor ökar i dagens samhälle. Syftet med studien var att finna olika kvalité i stresskänsla hos unga kvinnor och hur deras arbetssituation kan inverka på deras arbetsrelaterade stressupplevelse. För att få mer kunskap kring ämnet stress, har det undersökts hur kvinnor berörs av stress i deras arbetssituation och hur kvinnorna hanterar sin stressupplevelse på deras arbetsplats. Åtta kvinnor som dagligen upplevde arbetsrelaterad stress samt arbetat minst i sex månader, intervjuades. Kravet för att delta i studien var att de hade arbetat minst i sex månader.  Analysen resulterade i temana känslor, ohälsa, känsla av tidsbrist och hanteringsstrategier. Magknip, ångest, hög arbetsbörda och tidsbrist kunde vara orsaker till stressupplevelse. Med hjälp av planering, strukturering, ventilera med kollegor och listor kunde kvinnorna hantera sin stresskänsla. Stress som uppstår på arbetet kan beröra kvinnornas hälsa negativt.

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The purpose of this study was to determine the sources of stress, support systems, coping strategies and psychological well-being of adolescents in a rural area, and to use this information to develop a coping and life skills programme. While all families face stressor events and crises, some are more likely than others to experience a series of challenges that threaten their functioning. Rural families often face a greater variety of stressor events on a more continues basis than do families in metropolitan areas (Dyk, 2003). Rural families do not have as many resources and services available lo address their problems as do urban families (Deavers & Hoppe, 2001). Farm schools suffer from a variety of shortages. Many schools suffer from a pressing shortage of space and educational aids and in most cases there is only one teacher for every 50 learners (Van Kleist, 2002). Some of the learners have to walk more than 1Okm to school everyday because of the lack of transport. Most schools lack proper sanitation and electricity. Recreational and cultural activities are curtailed through shortages of equipment and suitable locations. Education in life skills may contribute to the enhancement of life quality, The development of constructive coping strategies protects mental health and enhances bio psycho- social well-being in times of high stress. Previously it was assumed that each individual acquired these skills as part of growing up. Alas, the truth is that many people do not cope with life and never learned these skills. These skills should therefore be taught in a direct and systematic way, rather than being left to be learnt incidentally. The qualitative research design was based on a sample of 56 male and female adolescents between 1 2 and 16 years of age. The adolescents were from four farm schools situated in the Potchefstroom area. Sixteen learners were randomly selected for semi-structured interviews to obtain basic information for the pilot study. Approximately 37 learners took part in the programme. The learners attended Grades 4-7. The deve1opment of the programme was done in five phases. During phase one semi structured interviews were held with some of the learners. During phase two the interviews were evaluated thematically, The data was then organized into conceptual categories and was then analyzed. During phase three the programme was developed according to the themes derived from phase two. In phase four the programme was presented at the schools as a trial test. During phase five the programme underwent some changes according to the findings in phase four. The development of the programme went well, however presenting the programme was a more demanding task. Almost none of the participants could properly speak or understand Afrikaans or English. / Thesis (M.A. (Psychology))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2007