It has been acknowledged for some time that personal experience, relationship and emotional factors are important aspects of difficulties in learning to read and write; however there is still little research carried out in this area. This thesis explores the way in which eight adults make sense of their difficulties with reading and writing and identification of dyslexia; and their process of developing more positive self-perceptions and coping strategies. The study is guided by standpoint theory, with priority given to participants’ perceptions about difficulties in reading and writing rather than to academic and/or practitioner perspectives. Analysis of interviews is carried out through a life history methodology that identifies discourses of dyslexia in order to situate the way difficulties are understood and addressed. The discourses include four identified by Pollak (2005) and identification of six additional discourses of dyslexia that were present in both the literature review and at least half of the participant interviews. In the analysis, use of these discourses is mapped alongside the life story of each participant using the Model of Vocational Success (MVS) (Gerber et al. 1992) as a framework for classifying the development of positive self-perceptions and coping mechanisms. The participants’ life histories reveal that, without identification of dyslexia, difficulties with reading and writing are most often attributed by others such as teachers, peers and/or parents to low intelligence and/or lack of effort. Some participants rejected this understanding and others internalised it. Experience of ‘niche’ where the participant found themselves to be successful in a specific context best supported the development of positive self-perceptions and coping strategies before identification of dyslexia. Identification of dyslexia provided a means of making sense of difficulties, bolstered self-belief in intelligence, and initiated changes in support and personal motivation which, for the majority of participants, were notably beneficial. This PhD makes a number of unique contributions to knowledge about dyslexia, particularly through its prioritization of the voice of dyslexic people over professional voices. The identification of six additional discourses of dyslexia contributes to knowledge about the way difficulties with reading and writing can be understood and talked about, and exploration of how these discourses link to the MVS contributes knowledge about the advantages and disadvantages of these discourses to dyslexic people. The discourse ‘Hemispherist’ (Pollak 2005) was found to offer the most opportunity for dyslexic adults to develop positive self-perceptions and take constructive action to compensate for difficulties.

The issue investigated in this thesis concerned the adaptive coping strategies that caregivers of the mentally ill adopt at different stages of encounter with their family member’s illness. Specifically, family caregivers’ responses to the illness were investigated within the parameters of the Spaniol and Zipple (1994) 4-stage model of the evolution of caregivers’ responses to mental illness. The accuracy of the model’s representation of the experience of caregivers across all kinship relationships to the care-recipient was evaluated. Spaniol and Zipple proposed four stages which they termed (1) Discovery/Denial, (2) Recognition/Acceptance, (3) Coping and (4) Personal/Political Advocacy. The first stage is characterised by persistent denial of mental illness and seeking answers from multiple sources. The second stage involves caregivers’ expectations of professionals providing answers when the illness is recognised. At this stage caregivers experience guilt, embarrassment and blame. The cyclical nature of the illness impedes acceptance and caregivers experience a deep sense of loss and crisis of meaning as they gradually accept the reality of the situation. In the third stage coping replaces grieving and the issues encountered include loss of faith in professionals, disruption to family life and recurrent crises. Belief in family expertise grows and the focus of coping changes. The fourth stage proposes that caregivers become more assertive, self-blame decreases and the focus is upon changing the system. New meanings and values are integrated. This study found that the model did not accurately describe the experience of all caregivers. Caregiver did not deny mental illness and adaptive coping occurred throughout all stages. Coping evolved as the issues encountered changed and was independent of resolution of grief. The issues encountered were more extensive than the model proposed and differed according to kinship relationship to the care recipient. The ways in which adaptive coping evolved were identified, as were the issues and their accompanying responses. Caregivers coped by adaptively responding to the requirements of care provision, maintaining a sense of self worth and generating positive effect.

Many children and adolescents in South Africa are being exposed as witnesses or are direct victims of violence in today's society. The purpose of this study is to explore what violent exposure adolescents have experienced and to develop a programme that includes coping skills, expression of emotion and communication. The research formed part of the FLAGH study. The research was done in the form of action research where the adolescents took part in the whole process of developing the programme. The study was done in four phases. In the first phase a random sample of 36 adolescents from Fikadibeng School in the North West Province were selected. They completed the Coping Responses Inventory-Youth Form, the Survey of exposure to community violence, Things I have seen and heard questionnaire and the Self-expression and control scales. In the second phase the programme was developed using the results of the pre-testing and a literature study on the effects of the exposure of violence on children. During the third phase the developed programme was pilot tested on a randomly selected group of the children and the post-testing took place in order to evaluate and adjust the programme according to the results found. Suggestion for the adjustment of the programme was done during the fourth phase of the study. Adolescents were largely exposed to community violence. They also displayed tendencies to internalize anger and used looking for guidance and cognitive avoidance as part of their coping repertoire. The programme proved to benefit the children in their coping with violence. It is recommended that for the future, larger groups of adolescents should be evaluated and programmes should be presented to a larger community in order to assist adolescent in their use of coping skills. / Thesis (M.A. (Clinical Psychology))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2005.

Many children and adolescents in South Africa are being exposed as witnesses or are direct victims of violence in today's society. The purpose of this study is to explore what violent exposure adolescents have experienced and to develop a programme that includes coping skills, expression of emotion and communication. The research formed part of the FLAGH study. The research was done in the form of action research where the adolescents took part in the whole process of developing the programme. The study was done in four phases. In the first phase a random sample of 36 adolescents from Fikadibeng School in the North West Province were selected. They completed the Coping Responses Inventory-Youth Form, the Survey of exposure to community violence, Things I have seen and heard questionnaire and the Self-expression and control scales. In the second phase the programme was developed using the results of the pre-testing and a literature study on the effects of the exposure of violence on children. During the third phase the developed programme was pilot tested on a randomly selected group of the children and the post-testing took place in order to evaluate and adjust the programme according to the results found. Suggestion for the adjustment of the programme was done during the fourth phase of the study. Adolescents were largely exposed to community violence. They also displayed tendencies to internalize anger and used looking for guidance and cognitive avoidance as part of their coping repertoire. The programme proved to benefit the children in their coping with violence. It is recommended that for the future, larger groups of adolescents should be evaluated and programmes should be presented to a larger community in order to assist adolescent in their use of coping skills. / Thesis (M.A. (Clinical Psychology))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2005.

Adverse childhood events (ACEs) are associated with poor mental and physical health outcomes, and youth in rural Appalachia have been shown to experience disproportionately more ACEs compared to youth elsewhere. During the spring of 2020, our community partners in Johnson County, Tennessee expressed concern for the mental health of youth and educators in their community and identified a need for information on coping skills and stress reduction. With input from local stakeholders, we created a Calm Corner Kit and a Coping Skills Resource Guide with specific coping strategies, stress reduction techniques, and support programs for students, parents and caregivers, and school personnel in the community. An IRB-approved survey of school personnel who utilized our tools found them to be useful, convenient, and easily accessible resources. These positive results warrant future studies to investigate student and parent perceptions of the value of similar interventions in supporting their mental and emotional health.

This study was designed to describe the experiences of acculturation, acculturative stress, and coping behaviors among Black international students. While research exists on the acculturative and coping experiences of international students in the United States, very few studies have been designed to explicitly examine the experiences of Black international students of sub-Saharan and Caribbean origins. A majority of the existing literature has focused on experiences of Asian and Latin American international students (Malcolm & Mendoza, 2014). This study was intended to provide information about the acculturative experiences of Black international students enrolled at Southern Illinois University Carbondale. Interviews were conducted with four focus groups, each comprising three participants. The interviews were transcribed and analyzed using an interpretive phenomenological approach, and themes were generated from the interviews. The themes that emerged shed light on experiences related to acculturative stress, anti-Black and anti-immigrant discrimination, and adjusting to a new academic environment. Themes also highlighted several ways that Black international students coped with these experiences (e.g., talking to other international students, keeping in contact with family in their home country, and relying on a faith community). Results from this study will inform future research on how Black international students learn race within the U.S context, how geographical location influences the acculturative experiences of Black international students, and the interactions between Black immigrant communities and African American communities. Results of this study could also be used to develop diversity trainings for university staff and community members, and to develop social programs specifically for Black international

The purpose of this current study is to evaluate if there is a relation between Emotional Intelligence, Perceive Stress and Coping Skills in a sample of Mexican employees in a medium size international organization (n =102). The questionnaires used were a compendium of three different instruments; including: 33-item Self-report measure of Emotional Intelligence, four COPE Inventory’ subscales and Perceived Stress Scale (PSS- 14). After analyzing the gathered data, Multiple Regression was applied. Significant correlations in the expected direction were found, indicating that Emotional Intelligence can be useful as a coping skill towards perceive stress.

A wealth of information exists on self-regulatory processes that have the potential to generate a population shift in health and well-being, but there are many barriers to progress. This thesis addresses three. The first is a lack of transparency and coherence in terminology surrounding 'stress' and 'well-being'. This was addressed using a taxonomy based on self-regulatory theory to provide a platform for clearer differentiation and enhancement of psychological coping mechanisms. The second is the difficulty illuminating a public deluged with contradictory information. This was addressed by demonstrating a means of generating publicly available, validated instruments of change, through more open, transparent and collaborative research. The third barrier is that information provision alone is not enough to induce sustainable behaviour change. This was addressed by systematically exploring ways of optimising intervention adherence, impact and adaptive habit formation. The research programme consisted of three experimental studies. Study 1 piloted a means of adding depth and ingenuity to efforts to achieve personal daily goals, using an adaptation of Pennebaker's experimental writing paradigm, underpinned by social cognitive theory. Framework analysis of interviews with participants led to the development of a web-based version of the intervention, incorporating elements from dual-processing theory. Study 2 investigated effects of this intervention on self-report measures of psychological well-being in a group of 33 university administrators, assessed at baseline and four follow-up time points over twelve months. Sustained improvements were significant for goal progress, self-efficacy, perceived stress, negative affect, and symptoms of anxiety and depression. Study 3 tested the intervention using a randomised controlled trial involving 101 local government administrators. The results for self-report measures further supported and extended the findings of Study 2, whilst additional cortisol assessment proved inconclusive. Overall, the findings demonstrate a viable means of extending self-regulatory knowledge central to the pursuit of psychological and physiological well-being.

Vicarious trauma poses a risk factor for clinicians. The purpose of this qualitative multiple case study is to examine the individual and organizational resources used by counselors who have self-reported vicarious trauma and have continue practicing their profession effectively. Two theories that comprised the framework of this study were: the social cognitive theory and the constructivist self-development theory. The sample consisted of 10 counselors who self-reported vicarious trauma. Data were collected using semi-structured interviews, observations, and then were analyzed using thematic analysis. NVivo software was utilized to come up with distinct similarities in each of the participants. These similarities were then further analyzed to reveal concrete coping strategies that helping professionals can utilize to prevent the effects of vicarious trauma. The top coping skills were discovered to be as follows: effective transition time, spiritual practices, psychological preparedness, wellness, and self-control. Furthermore, organizational skills were also examined to see the effects the organization had on vicarious trauma. The leading organizational coping skills that were acknowledged were: co-workers and supervisor involvement, self-care evenings, weekly wellness meetings, and consultation groups. This study will provide positive social change implications by enabling present and future mental health professionals to gain insight into the coping strategies used to manage vicarious trauma successfully.

My interest in coping and survival of young men is my main motivation for undertaking the field study which this thesis describes. It developed from my concern at the continuing high level of young male suicide. I begin with some background discussion which shows some examples of how the community has been informed, particularly on youth suicide, by reviewing some of the media and government attention to these issues. Because suicidal behaviour is a gendered social phenomenon, this is followed by a discussion of some of the problems inherent in the hegemonic masculinity of young men. I then set out the underlying assumptions, the purpose, aims and theoretical framework of the study. The main theoretical underpinnings of the study are the theory of poststructuralism, as explained by the noted writer on gender and education, Bronwyn Davies. The other major components are Aaron Antonovsky's concepts of Salutogenesis and the Sense of Coherence. Minor but nevertheless important reference is also made to Edward Sampson's idea of the dialogic nature of the self. Following this are two critical reviews of relevant literature. The first addresses studies of resiliency and coping, while the second examines papers given at recent Australian conferences on suicide prevention. Following that I describe the methodology of the study before undertaking an analysis and interpretation of selected transcripts of interviews. This is an exploratory attempt at applying postructuralist discourse analysis to the social problem of male coping skills and male youth suicide. The results describe various discourses young men used in unstructuied interviews to explain how they cope when they feel down or depressed. The main conclusion from the results is that formation of small, confidential, supportive discussion groups for marginalised young men can be useful for sharing and developing coping skills and improving their management of stressors, which are everpresent in the environment. It is argued that the proliferation of such support groups for young men could have long term benefits in reducing the statistics of young male suicide by encouraging young men to share their techniques or behaviours of coping with their peers.