Thesis (M.S.W.)--University of Hong Kong, 1998. / Includes bibliographical references.

M.Cur. / The role players participating within the support groups for patients with chronic diseases in Primary Health care services are facing a difficult task of managing support groups effectively. They are confronted by managerial challenges involved in the managing of support groups for patients with chronic diseases, such as careful planning, organising, leading and controlling the support groups. This is evidently confirmed by the disintegration of support groups and patients openly and deliberately rebelling and ignoring participation in support groups. The resistance and opposition is also displayed by other staff members within the clinic. The general dissatisfaction and frustration among the primary health care facilitators serves as proof of the poor management of support groups. The need to investigate and address this dilemma is important. It is therefore the reason why the researcher embarked on this studying order to explore the I experiences of the role players with regard to the management of the support groups for patients with chronic diseases within the clinic context, and then utilise the results ad basis for formulating guidelines for quality management of support groups within Primary Health Care clinics in Soweto. The following research questions are therefore relevant: ~ What are the experiences of the primary health care facilitators with regard to the management of support groups for the patients with chronic diseases with primary health care clinics in Soweto? ~ What are the experiences of the facility managers with regard to the management of support groups for patients with chronic diseases within primary health care clinics in Soweto? ~ What are the experiences of patients with chronic diseases with regard to the management of support groups? ~ What guidelines should be formulated to ensure quality management and sustainability of support groups for patients with chronic diseases within the primary health care clinics in Soweto? The following research objectives were formulated: ~ To explore and describe the experiences offacility managers with regard to the management of support groups for patients with chronic diseases within primary health care clinics in Soweto. ~ To explore and describe the experiences of the primary health care facilitators with regard to the management of support groups for patients with chronic diseases within primary health care clinics in Soweto. ~ To explore and describe the experiences of the patients with chronic diseases with regard to the management of support groups within primary health care clinics in Soweto. ~ To formulate guidelines for quality management and sustainability of support groups for patients with chronic diseases within the primary health care clinics in Soweto.

A Thesis Proposal Submitted to the Psychology Department School of Human and Community Development University of Witwatersrand in Partial Fulfilment of the Degree of Master of Arts Degree in Psychology by Dissertation. February 2016 / This study was aimed at an in-depth exploration of the recovery experiences of a group of 12 individuals who attended 12 step self-help groups situated in different regions in Johannesburg. 12-step self-help groups are presently the largest clinical supplements in the world. Ongoing discussions with the relevant representatives from the fellowships of Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) and Narcotics Anonymous (NA) were utilised in order to gain access to this population of people. These 12 individuals suffered from substance dependence and one or more co-occurring disorders (CODs) and were interviewed in semi-structured interviews about how their lives had changed since they had achieved a state of recovery and about some of the difficulties they had experienced since the point at which they had achieved remission from their substance-related disorder. The study also focused on the therapeutic aids that the participants had found useful during their time in recovery. In this study, CODs refers to the existence of at least one substance-related disorder and at least one psychiatric disorder in the same individual. The overarching methodological framework that was used in the study was phenomenological. It was evident from the study that the road to recovery is fraught with many challenges that the recovering individual needs to negotiate and that very often there is no information available on what the best course of action to follow is. In conclusion it is evident that recovering addicts, especially those that have been diagnosed with one or more CODs often require on going support and care if they are to continue on their journey of recovery

Thesis advisor: Belle Liang / Previous research on mentoring has primarily focused on outcomes associated with these relationships. This body of literature has shown that youths can reap academic, psychological, social, and vocational benefits from the support and guidance provided by these relationships. In addition to outcomes, there has been a slow, but steady, shift to understand the process, or experience, of mentoring from the perspectives of both the mentor and youth. Yet both of these lines of inquiry tend to presuppose that youths are ready, willing, and able to engage in a relationship with a mentor, as long as one is available. Indeed, other research shows that not all youths are ready to be mentored. Therefore, in an attempt to address the conceptual gap regarding the understanding of how youths come to participate in mentoring relationships, the current study used developmental frameworks to investigate precursors to youths' readiness to be mentored. Specifically, this study considered the role of demographic characteristics and parental attachment with eighth grade youths' readiness to be mentored. Readiness to be mentored was conceptualized as consisting of attitudinal and probable-action elements, based on help-seeking theory, and was assessed using adapted scales that were piloted in the current study. Youths in eighth grade from four K-8 elementary schools in the Northeast (N=104) completed self-report questionnaires assessing parental attachment, attitude towards seeking a mentor, likelihood to engage a mentor, demographic characteristics, and mentor characteristics. The gender differences that were hypothesized were not supported; rather, mentor presence was linked to positive attitudes towards seeking a mentor and increased likelihood to engage a mentor. Among the youths with mentors, aspects of parental attachment differentially predicted attitude towards seeking a mentor and likelihood to engage a mentor. Of particular interest was that those without mentors most frequently reported not needing a mentor. This finding draws attention to the understandings youths have of the role and potential utility of mentoring in their lives, and the factors that shape these understandings. Theoretical considerations, implications for future research, and practice implications are discussed. / Thesis (PhD) — Boston College, 2009. / Submitted to: Boston College. Lynch School of Education. / Discipline: Counseling, Developmental, and Educational Psychology.

A research report submitted to the Faculty of Health Sciences (School of Public Health), The University of the Witwatersrand, in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Public Health in the field of Social Behaviour Change and Communication. June , 2017 / Introduction Proper access to antenatal care services and skilled birth attendants during delivery is key to reducing maternal deaths. But studies show that women in rural communities in Nigeria, do not access Ante-Natal Care (ANC) and a lower proportion deliver in a health facility. An internationally funded maternal and child health program in Enugu State, Nigeria introduced the concept of using the support group to improve uptake of antenatal care services and health facility delivery services. The support group comprised of pregnant women who encouraged and supported each other from pregnancy through to delivery in a health facility. However there was no documented evidence to show that the support groups actually influenced women’s intention to deliver in a health facility. This research work is being carried out to address this gap – by providing evidence on whether the support groups influenced women’s intention to deliver in a health facility. Methods Following informed consent, a qualitative study was conducted. Data was collected from women aged between 18 years and 49 years who were in a support group in seven health facilities in Nkanu West Local Government Area (LGA) of Enugu State, Nigeria. Seven Focus Group Discussions (FGD) and In-depth Interviews (IDI) were conducted. The data analysis was done using NVIVO software. All field notes were checked against translated interviews to ensure completeness and correctness. Inter-coding agreement, triangulation of data was done to ensure consistency. A descriptive analysis of the findings against theoretical framework was done and all findings also linked to objectives of the study. ii Results The pregnant women support group is shown to influence pregnant women’s intention to deliver in a health facility. Reasons for joining the group included; increasing knowledge about pregnancy and the benefits of ANC attendance and health facility delivery, socio-economic and spiritual support. However, the intention to deliver in a health facility is influenced by other factors such as; good and caring attitude of health workers, availability of qualified health workers, and better health infrastructure to respond to complications and emergencies. Other influences such as mother-in-law and spouses were also identified. The members of the group enjoyed benefits such as; visitation and presentation of gifts by support group members upon delivery, post- natal care and sometimes financial support. Despite these benefits, the goal of having a safe delivery remained the ultimate benefit of being a member of the support group. The existence, management and survival of the group other than by its members were dependent on the health facility workers. Conclusion The study demonstrated that the support group intervention did influence pregnant women’s intention to deliver in a health facility. But, the intention to deliver in a health facility was also driven by other factors such as; availability of skilled health workers, improved infrastructure and the cost of health services. / MT2017

A West Coast university has had an increase of students who have experienced anxiety or depression over the last few years and have not sought professional assistance. Students have stated that multiple factors contributed to their anxiety or depression, including difficulty adjusting to their new college environment. This challenge has disrupted students' academic performances and often left them without professional help to deal with their anxiety or depression. The purpose of this qualitative narrative inquiry was to increase understanding of factors that lead undergraduate students to experience anxiety and depression and factors that led to their decision to seek or not seek assistance on campus during their 1st year of college. The conceptual framework that was used encompasses how Ajzen's theory of planned behavior relates to help-seeking behaviors of students. Research questions addressed factors that contribute to an undergraduate's anxiety or depression and what led them to seek or not seek professional assistance during their first year. Eleven undergraduates with a history of anxiety or depression were asked to participate in face-to-face interviews to address the research questions. Narrative analysis was used to analyze the data. The most common themes that were found to have contributed to mental health challenges were pressure, transition and adjustment, and roommate and familial challenges. In addition, the factors that led participants to seek or not seek professional help included influence by peers, affordability, and perceived stigma. Based on findings from the study, a white paper was developed to attempt to improve the institution's culture of mental health by encouraging students to seek assistance for their anxiety and depression without any internal and external barriers.

Thesis (M. Soc. Sc.)--University of Hong Kong, 2003.

Thesis (M. Soc. Sc.)--University of Hong Kong, 2004.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--West Virginia University, 2002. / Title from document title page. Document formatted into pages; contains ix, 136 p. Vita. Includes abstract. Includes bibliographical references (p. 65-75).

Thesis (Ed. D.)--West Virginia University, 2004. / Title from document title page. Document formatted into pages; contains vi, 166 p. : ill. (some col.). Vita. Includes abstract. Includes bibliographical references (p. 102-116).