This study utilized a phenomenological approach to describe the experience of displaced individuals and families in a condition of statelessness in a refugee camp and their experiences prelight, translight, and postlight. Topics addressed included the conditions that led to flight from the country of origin and the individual and family experiences in the country of origin prior to flight and during flight, the experiences of living as a refugee in a refugee camp in Greece, and the hopes and dreams of the future for the individual and the family. Fourteen individuals, including five children in seven families were interviewed in the study. Four of the seven families in the research included multiple members of the immediate family. Data analysis followed Moustakas’ (1994) traditional phenomenological technique. Results indicated turmoil in the country of origin was the primary reason for flight. All nine adult refugees indicated some type of danger or unrest necessitating flight from their country of origin. Two families were forced from their country of origin based on ethnicity. Results also indicated that separation of immediate family members was a common experience among refugee families. Six of the seven families reported separation, for various reasons, from immediate family members during the time of this study. Those separated expressed a desire to remain in close contact by any means possible with family members; this was critical for survival, according to those interviewed. Although there were some negative expressions of life as a refugee, such as the difficulty in understanding asylum processes, boredom and a lack of purpose, and a lack of opportunity for education and skills training in the camp, the overall reflections were positive, sharing hopefulness for a better future.

Master of Science / Department of Family Studies and Human Services / Rick J. Scheidt / Schizophrenia can be an extremely disabling individual disorder but it is also clear that it is a "family disorder" as well. Researchers have begun to assess the correlates and possible causes of this disorder on families in the United States as well as in other nations. This report reviews this research. Most research to date has focused on two aspects of the schizophrenia-family relationship: expressed emotion and sense of burden. Following a definitional review of schizophrenia, its history, and its treatment, this report reviews research conducted on expressed emotion (relative's propensity to express critical, hostile, or over involved attitudes about a patient when discussing the patient's illness with an interviewer) and sense objective and subjective of burden of care provision. A personal account is offered regarding what it was like for the writer to grow up in a family with a parent diagnosed with schizophrenia. Finally, the conclusion of this report evaluates the strengths and weaknesses of current research on the impact of schizophrenia and the family. Suggestions for future research are derived partially from the content of the personal account. These include the need for a research targeting the full family, developmentally- and contextually-appropriate theories to guide the research, and the need for more qualitative research to identify individual and family variables that should guide future empirical efforts. It is suggested that programmatic family education and counseling should begin soon after diagnosis of the disorder, be developmentally relevant, and designed to sustain family members over long periods of time.

by Eliza Lau Mei Ting. / Thesis (M.Phil.)--Chinese University of Hong Kong, 1998. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 67-71). / Abstract and questionnaire also in Chinese. / ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS --- p.ii / TABLE OF CONTENTS --- p.iii / LIST OF TABLES --- p.vi / LIST OF FIGURES --- p.v / CHAPTERS / abstract --- p.2 / Chapter 1 --- INTRODUCTION AND LITERATURE REVIEW --- p.3-13 / Purpose of the Study --- p.11 / Hypotheses --- p.12 / Chapter 2 --- METHOD --- p.14-24 / Participants --- p.15-18 / Measures --- p.18-24 / Procedure --- p.24 / Chapter 3 --- RESULTS --- p.25-56 / Chapter 4 --- DISCUSSION --- p.57-64 / REFERENCES --- p.65-69 / APPENDIX A / questionnaire for the study