Thesis (D. Min.)--New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary, 1997. / Includes abstract and vita. "September 1997." This is an electronic reproduction of TREN, #053-0133. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 132-139).

Thesis (D. Min.)--New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary, 1990. / Abstract. Vita. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 142-149).

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Missouri-Columbia, 2006. / The entire dissertation/thesis text is included in the research.pdf file; the official abstract appears in the short.pdf file (which also appears in the research.pdf); a non-technical general description, or public abstract, appears in the public.pdf file. Title from title screen of research.pdf file (viewed on August 13, 2007) Vita. Includes bibliographical references.

Thesis (M.A.B.S.)--Dallas Theological Seminary, 1984. / Typescript. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 63-66).

No description available.

This study began from the pain of a woman going through divorce and experiencing invisibility in the church. Through conversations with divorced people in a small research group and a participatory research process, the study brings together the narratives of literature, narrative therapy and pastoral care to challenge the dominant discourses of divorce and its influence and effects on people's lives and the communities in which they live and worship. From the study has grown a healing ministry with people who are divorced, which has begun to tum around their experience of invisibility and isolation into an experience of community, inclusion and care. / Philosophy, Practical and Systematic Theology / M. Th. (Practical Theology (Pastoral Therapy))

M.A. / South Africa has an exceptionally high divorce rate. The stressful nature of parental separation and divorce results in higher susceptibility of children to psychological, social, academical and health problems. Parental ability to deal with the divorce transition largely influences the long term adjustment of children after divorce. An effective empirically researched based parentfocused educational programme which addresses the most essential divorce related issues and the effects thereof on children, can be of exceptional value. Supplying parents with sufficient knowledge and information regarding divorce as a process, as well as the way it effects children of different ages en developmental stages, will assist the parents in making better choices concerning the children. By educating parents about the effect of prolonged interparental conflict on children and by supplying them with constructive conflict management skills, the negative consequences of divorce on children may be minimised or even eliminated. In this study an educational programme (k.i.d.s.) was assessed by using a one group pretest- postest design. K.i.d.s. is a short, informative and user friendly educational programme. It comprises two, two hour sessions, scheduled two weeks apart. Statistical significance was achieved when pretest-posttest results were compared regarding knowledge on conflict and the divorce process. Participants also reported a significant decline regarding negative conflict behaviour. An overall high level of consumer satisfaction with the program was reported. Despite the small study sample, the positive results of this study proves the k.i.d.s. program to be a potential promising preventative and intervention method for use with divorcing parents. / Mrs. H.F. Ellis

M.A. / The literature research focuses on the psycho-emotional impact of divorce, with reference to the primary school development life stage of the child. Of all age groups, Lakebrink (1989:327) found that the primary school child feels the most intense sense of sadness during the divorce process, due to the use of denial and fantasy, suffering without a means to relieve it, inability to sublimate feelings and an appearance of immobilisation. Children in this age group are particularly vulnerable to continuous parental conflict, have an intense need to maintain a constructive relationship with both parents and become pawns of co-parental struggle, and are vulnerable to loyalty ambivalence. The rationale for conducting the study and the aims to be achieved, are elaborated in the first section of this chapter. The remainder of the chapter is devoted to the introductory information to the study, namely, problem formulation, aims and objectives, research methodology, conceptualisation and summary of this chapter of the study. An overview of the structure and presentation of the study is also included.

D.Litt. et Phil. / The general aim of the study was to develop and evaluate a group intervention programme for adolescents of divorce. The holistic perspective that formed the basis for the group intervention ensured attention to all relevant interacting modalities. The study included a separate, but parallel group programme for custodial parents, aimed at providing relevant information and teaching coping skills. The effect of the programme on emotional adjustment, depression, locus of control and children's beliefs about parental divorce was investigated empirically. Themes that dominated discussions during the adolescent group sessions were identified by qualitative measures. The overall value of the programme as experienced by participants was assessed. The results revealed that the group of adolescents who received intervention without parental involvement in the parent programme, improved significantly from pre to post intervention on the variables locus of control and emotional adjustment. A notable decrease in symptoms of depression was observed. The subjects whose parents participated in the parental intervention benefited less by.the program~e and did not improve significantly on any of the measures. Major themes that emerged from the qualitative study were all associated with post divorce life. Themes identified include: losing out on childhood and family life; continuous parental conflict; feelings of responsibility about the welfare of parents; ambivalent feelings towards the father; difficulties in accepting new partners of their parents and uncertainty regarding future relationships. It is the conclusion of the researcher that an holistic group intervention programme as conducted in this study can contribute towards positive change in adolescents after parental divorce. It is recommended that adolescents should attend group intervention without parental involvement.

This study focuses on the process of custody decision-making in a South African divorce context with the aim of critically examining the operation of the principle of the best interests of the child. A narrative approach is incorporated into Parker and Fairclough's discourse analytic approaches in the context of an instrumental case study. More specifically, the focus falls on moving beyond the understandings of custody embodied within the current psychological literature in order to examine the relationship between theory and practice and to view custody as a dynamic process at both a textual and analytical level. Concepts of dialoguing, context, audience and intertextuality together with a storied approach are central. Further, an attempt is made to provide a disruptive reading of the case through the use of notions of power, ideology and institutional practices embedded within the case and its broader contexts. The analysis demonstrates the need for decision-making to be viewed as a broader process situated across multiple professional, institutional and socio-political texts and contexts. Further, it is argued that in order for the process to uphold the principle of the child's best interests, specialised training must be supplemented with changes at the level of policy, aimed at moving toward a more inclusive, process-oriented approach to custody decision-making.