The aim of this study was to explore how effectively educators in primary schools in the Thabo Mofutsanyana district (rural QwaQwa area, Free State province) affected by the HIV/AIDS pandemic can be supported to cope more resiliently with the pandemic's challenges, using the Resilient Educators programme (REds). REds has been piloted with urban educators previously, but not with rural educators. In order for me to achieve this aim, I used mixed methods to gather data: qualitative and quantitative data were gathered in the pre- and post-tests (before and after the implementation of REds) to comment on participant empowerment. I interpreted the data to comment on whether and how the REds programme supported educators affected by HIV/AIDS. Previous Reds piloting was done with urban educators. My piloting would explore if and how REds would enable rural educators. To actualise the study, I recruited ten participants (two males and eight females), but only the eight females completed the study. My participants were Sesotho-speaking educators frorn one of the primary schools in the rural area in the Thabo Mofutsanyana district (QwaQwa area) and all were affected by the pandemic. My findings indicated that REds was a meaningful intervention, but that it needs to be improved as regards the following: • Facilitators should take note of the strengths that participants have relating to HIV/AIDS. • Future REds should encourage positive interpersonal relationships. • The entire staff and different stakeholders in the community should be involved in future REds participation. • REds should be an ongoing intervention strategy for supporting infected educators and those otherwise affected by the pandemic. / M.Ed., North-West University, Vaal Triangle Campus, 2010

The aim of this study was to explore how effectively educators in primary schools in the Thabo Mofutsanyana district (rural QwaQwa area, Free State province) affected by the HIV/AIDS pandemic can be supported to cope more resiliently with the pandemic's challenges, using the Resilient Educators programme (REds). REds has been piloted with urban educators previously, but not with rural educators. In order for me to achieve this aim, I used mixed methods to gather data: qualitative and quantitative data were gathered in the pre- and post-tests (before and after the implementation of REds) to comment on participant empowerment. I interpreted the data to comment on whether and how the REds programme supported educators affected by HIV/AIDS. Previous Reds piloting was done with urban educators. My piloting would explore if and how REds would enable rural educators. To actualise the study, I recruited ten participants (two males and eight females), but only the eight females completed the study. My participants were Sesotho-speaking educators frorn one of the primary schools in the rural area in the Thabo Mofutsanyana district (QwaQwa area) and all were affected by the pandemic. My findings indicated that REds was a meaningful intervention, but that it needs to be improved as regards the following: • Facilitators should take note of the strengths that participants have relating to HIV/AIDS. • Future REds should encourage positive interpersonal relationships. • The entire staff and different stakeholders in the community should be involved in future REds participation. • REds should be an ongoing intervention strategy for supporting infected educators and those otherwise affected by the pandemic. / M.Ed., North-West University, Vaal Triangle Campus, 2010

Burgeoning numbers of child abuse and neglect reports throughout the developed world has prompted calls for preventive and early intervention measures to support and prepare families for parenting. Nurse home visiting is one form of service delivery gaining acceptance as an appropriate strategy. Although home visiting is not a new concept in service delivery, enthusiasm for home-visitation programmes has re-emerged not only in Australia in recent years, but in many other developed countries with initiatives being launched or recommended at state, national and international levels. This thesis presents a review of the tenets of home visiting and examines a home visiting intervention programme targeting children born into families with child abuse or neglect risk factors. A randomised controlled trial using a cohort of 181 families was undertaken to evaluate the impact of this home visiting programme. Mothers were recruited in the immediate postnatal period and allocated either into the home visiting programme or into a comparison group. The research design required self-identification into the study by providing positive responses to a range of risk factors. This procedure was shown to have utility in the context of recruitment to a research trial, in that respondents were willing to disclose sensitive personal issues using this form of screening as the basis for targeted intervention. The home visiting programme examined by this study was also shown to have social validity, with mothers willing to accept this form of intervention from the immediate postnatal period. High retention and satisfaction rates strengthened this conclusion. The ability of this study to evaluate the effectiveness of the home visiting intervention programme may have been compromised by a range of contextual factors influencing programme outcomes detailed in this thesis. Nonetheless, the study found that, for a group of families reporting risk factors for child abuse and neglect potential, provision of an intensive home visiting intervention using nurses, social workers, and parent aides was not effective in producing more favourable adjustment to the parenting role over time compared with nonintervention or clinic based service provision. The intervention programme group participants gained knowledge of child development and child management skills during the early postnatal weeks while the comparison group participants developed knowledge and skills later in the first year of their infant's lift. Early adaptation to the parenting role, parenting knowledge, and skill acquisition bodes well for parent-infant attachment and the children's long-term health and developmental outcomes. However, a 12-month assessment of maternal, family, and child development variables did not demonstrate maintenance of a positive intervention impact on parenting stress, parenting competence, or quality of the home environment. Finally, predictive analysis of fictors measured in the immediate postnatal period revealed an absence of any predictive value to demographic characteristics, which secondary prevention efforts typically target. These results not only demonstrate that there is a relationship between maternal, family and enviromnental factors identified in the immediate postnatal period, and adjustment to the parenting role, but also challenge demographic targeting for child abuse and neglect risk. Findings are discussed and placed within the context of previous research and reference is made to implications for future child health practice, development, and research. Recommendations arising from this discussion relate to both future research and community child health practice.

In children, life-threatening illnesses (LTIs) present with both physical and psychosocial side effects, which seem to contribute to the perpetuation of hopelessness and fear among the children and their families. Children with LTIs often experience regular and painful treatment routines. A LTI not only impacts on the child but also on the family. LTIs put families in a critical and vulnerable situation, evoking emotions such as shock, disbelief and fear. Hope and coping strategies appear to be crucial for both children and their families when facing the effects of a LTI on a child. While medical intervention strategies are used to alleviate physical side effects, psychosocial intervention strategies (as referred to in this research study) that are focused on improving the well-being of the child and family, appear to be limited. Psychosocial interventions are defined as any intervention that emphasizes psychological or social factors, rather than biological factors. Psychosocial intervention strategies, such as „dream-come-true‟ projects, appear to ameliorate distress, offer respite, decrease isolation, empower individuals, increase self-confidence and give the children unique opportunities to connect with their families in a positive, normal way. Such a psychosocial intervention strategy is offered by the Reach For A Dream Foundation (RFAD) in South Africa. The experiences of the recipients of RFAD „dream-come-true‟ projects were the focus of this study. The goal of this research study was to study the „dream-come-true‟ psychosocial experiences of children/adolescents and their families, by means of a narrative enquiry design. This design allowed participants to tell their stories truthfully, giving the researcher the opportunity to immerse herself in the personal experience of each participant. Participants were purposively, and then randomly, selected from an RFAD client list. A total of six children/adolescents, between the ages of 8 and 18 years, were randomly selected from Johannesburg and the surrounding areas. The children/adolescents and both parents were interviewed, except for one father who was not present (17 participants in total). Child/adolescent interviews included the use of fun, tactile emotive cushions to assist the participants to recognize emotions they had felt „pre-dream‟, during the „dream‟, and „postdream‟. Semi-structured, individual in-depth interviews were used to interview parent participants. The parent‟s story was not interrupted, thereby providing the opportunity for a fluid narrative. In addition to interviews, the researcher made field notes of the participant‟s reactions, body language and emotions after each interview. All interviews were recorded and transcribed. Tesch‟s (1990) approach was used to identify, analyse and report patterns within the data. The findings of this study suggest that intervention strategies improve emotional health and overall wellness in participants. „Pre-dream‟ feelings of fear, sadness, loneliness and a lack of normality in everyday life, were prominent themes. Participating parents expressed anger, helplessness and guilt about being unable to help their children. During the „dream-come-true‟ experience, the predominant themes that emerged were excitement, amazement and gratitude. The theme of disbelief in the reality and experience of the „dream‟ was also prominent. „Post-dream‟, the participants reported a more positive, confident and hopeful outlook. This research appeared to yield some important information on the possible benefits of psychosocial intervention strategies, as they seemed helpful in addressing the challenges presented by LTIs in children/adolescents. / MA (Psychology), North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2015

In children, life-threatening illnesses (LTIs) present with both physical and psychosocial side effects, which seem to contribute to the perpetuation of hopelessness and fear among the children and their families. Children with LTIs often experience regular and painful treatment routines. A LTI not only impacts on the child but also on the family. LTIs put families in a critical and vulnerable situation, evoking emotions such as shock, disbelief and fear. Hope and coping strategies appear to be crucial for both children and their families when facing the effects of a LTI on a child. While medical intervention strategies are used to alleviate physical side effects, psychosocial intervention strategies (as referred to in this research study) that are focused on improving the well-being of the child and family, appear to be limited. Psychosocial interventions are defined as any intervention that emphasizes psychological or social factors, rather than biological factors. Psychosocial intervention strategies, such as „dream-come-true‟ projects, appear to ameliorate distress, offer respite, decrease isolation, empower individuals, increase self-confidence and give the children unique opportunities to connect with their families in a positive, normal way. Such a psychosocial intervention strategy is offered by the Reach For A Dream Foundation (RFAD) in South Africa. The experiences of the recipients of RFAD „dream-come-true‟ projects were the focus of this study. The goal of this research study was to study the „dream-come-true‟ psychosocial experiences of children/adolescents and their families, by means of a narrative enquiry design. This design allowed participants to tell their stories truthfully, giving the researcher the opportunity to immerse herself in the personal experience of each participant. Participants were purposively, and then randomly, selected from an RFAD client list. A total of six children/adolescents, between the ages of 8 and 18 years, were randomly selected from Johannesburg and the surrounding areas. The children/adolescents and both parents were interviewed, except for one father who was not present (17 participants in total). Child/adolescent interviews included the use of fun, tactile emotive cushions to assist the participants to recognize emotions they had felt „pre-dream‟, during the „dream‟, and „postdream‟. Semi-structured, individual in-depth interviews were used to interview parent participants. The parent‟s story was not interrupted, thereby providing the opportunity for a fluid narrative. In addition to interviews, the researcher made field notes of the participant‟s reactions, body language and emotions after each interview. All interviews were recorded and transcribed. Tesch‟s (1990) approach was used to identify, analyse and report patterns within the data. The findings of this study suggest that intervention strategies improve emotional health and overall wellness in participants. „Pre-dream‟ feelings of fear, sadness, loneliness and a lack of normality in everyday life, were prominent themes. Participating parents expressed anger, helplessness and guilt about being unable to help their children. During the „dream-come-true‟ experience, the predominant themes that emerged were excitement, amazement and gratitude. The theme of disbelief in the reality and experience of the „dream‟ was also prominent. „Post-dream‟, the participants reported a more positive, confident and hopeful outlook. This research appeared to yield some important information on the possible benefits of psychosocial intervention strategies, as they seemed helpful in addressing the challenges presented by LTIs in children/adolescents. / MA (Psychology), North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2015

Thesis (M Speech Path)--University of Stellenbosch, 2011. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: This study investigated the effect of two shared-reading intervention programmes on the narratives of 87 Afrikaans-speaking Grade R learners from low income families. Intervention Programme I involved an interactive style where participants were encouraged to engage spontaneously in conversations about the characters’ intentions and goals, to make inferences and to ask questions. Intervention Programme II focused on observable entities and the content of the storybooks. Participants’ narratives were compared before and after intervention in terms of productivity, content and structure. Results indicated that (i) both methods of shared-reading improved the participants’ narratives in terms of productivity, number of different words, and the efficiency of references; (ii) only Intervention Programme I improved the participants’ narratives in terms of the percentage meta-verbs, number of key elements and Goal-Attempt-Outcome sequences included. Clinical implications and recommendations for future research are discussed. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Hierdie studie het die effek van twee gedeelde-leesintervensieprogramme op die narratiewe van 87 Afrikaanssprekende Graad R-leerders vanuit lae-inkomstegesinne ondersoek. Intervensieprogram I het ‘n interaktiewe styl behels, waartydens deelnemers aangemoedig is om spontaan aan gesprekke deel te neem oor die karakters se motiverings en doelwitte, afleidings oor die stories te maak en vrae te vra. Intervensieprogram II het op die waarneembare feite en inhoud van die storieboeke gefokus. Deelnemers se narratiewe is voor en na afloop van die intervensie ten opsigte van produktiwiteit, inhoud en struktuur vergelyk. Resultate het aangedui dat (i) beide metodes van gedeelde-lees die deelnemers se narratiewe ten opsigte van produktiwiteit, totale aantal verskillende woorde, en doeltreffendheid van verwysings verbeter het; (ii) slegs Intervensieprogram I daarin geslaag het om deelnemers se insluiting van die persentasie meta-werkwoorde, aantal sleutelelemente en Doel-Poging-Uitkomsreekse in hul narratiewe te verbeter. Kliniese implikasies en aanbevelings vir toekomstige navorsing word bespreek.

<p>Given the question of how to further decrease childhood mortality and attain the fourth MDG in Bangladesh, the determinants of childhood mortality and successful health intervention programmes in a rural area of Bangladesh are examined in this paper. The binominal logit regression analysis, on Matlab HDSS data from 2001 to 2005, indicates that the child’s birth order, outcome of mother’s previous pregnancy, mother’s age, mother’s education, economic condition of the household, immunization, and place of delivery are important determining factors of childhood mortality. Interview discussions show that the delivery of health services is a determining factor for successful health intervention programmes. It is worth to note that childhood mortality levels are no longer significantly lower in the treatment area of Matlab. Furthermore, the intervention programmes in the area require continuous reform, especially in the fields of birth assistance and injury prevention.</p>

Given the question of how to further decrease childhood mortality and attain the fourth MDG in Bangladesh, the determinants of childhood mortality and successful health intervention programmes in a rural area of Bangladesh are examined in this paper. The binominal logit regression analysis, on Matlab HDSS data from 2001 to 2005, indicates that the child’s birth order, outcome of mother’s previous pregnancy, mother’s age, mother’s education, economic condition of the household, immunization, and place of delivery are important determining factors of childhood mortality. Interview discussions show that the delivery of health services is a determining factor for successful health intervention programmes. It is worth to note that childhood mortality levels are no longer significantly lower in the treatment area of Matlab. Furthermore, the intervention programmes in the area require continuous reform, especially in the fields of birth assistance and injury prevention.

Magister Psychologiae - MPsych / This study aimed to (1) establish the conceptualization of youth violence perpetration within the literature; (2) explore identified community-level protective factors, (3) establish whether the interaction between community-level risk and protective factors are discussed, and (4) establish whether community-level protective factors are conceptualised within community resilience framework within the literature on youth violence. The research design of this study is a systematic review of literature focused on youth violence perpetration, community-level protective factors against perpetration of violence by youth, as well as community resilience. English-medium research literature published between Jan 1994 and Jan 2014 was reviewed. Databases that were searched are: Academic Search Premier, PsycArticles, MEDLINE, JSTOR, SocIndex, and SageOnline. Data extraction was done by two reviewers at three stages of review (abstract reading, title reading, and full-text reading), using three instruments for quality assessment across the three stages. Fifteen articles were deemed acceptable after review at the end of the three stages, achieving a threshold score of 50% or more, and these articles were used in the findings of this review. These primary studies were collated, systematically assessed, synthesised, and interpreted. Findings of this review indicate that youth violence perpetration is conceptualised within the research as various forms of violence committed by young people. The literature has suggested that youth violence perpetration may be as a result of a lack of social infrastructure and opportunities within impoverished communities. For this reason the provision of community resources, economic opportunity, educational and mentoring programmes, and subsequently the development of prosocial involvement/ interaction was suggested as strategies for intervention at a community level. Major findings of the study as well as the implications for practice and further research are discussed.

The goal of the study was to evaluate the content, implementation and applicability of the Soul City social intervention programme (SCI programme) about HIV and AIDS targeted at the youth in the Northern Cape from an ecosystems perspective. The goal of this study was achieved through the realisation of the objectives of the study. The objectives of the study were: To describe the phenomenon of HIV and AIDS among the youth in the Northern Cape, South Africa from an ecosystems perspective; to describe the NSP 2012-2016 and the Provincial Strategic Plan (PSP) for HIV and AIDS in South Africa; to describe and critically analyse the SCI programme's focus on the youth from the ecosystems perspective; to evaluate the content of the SCI programme for the youth with regard to HIV and AIDS in the Northern Cape in the context of the NSP 2012-2016 on HIV and AIDS from the field workers' perspective; to evaluate the implementation of the SCI programme for the youth on HIV and AIDS in the Northern Cape in the context of the NSP 2012-2016 on HIV and AIDS from the perspective of the youth as service users, and lastly, to provide guidelines for the content, applicability, implementation, monitoring and evaluation of the SCI programme for the youth with regard to HIV and AIDS in the context of the NSP 2012-2016, in order to enhance efforts to mitigate the impact of HIV and AIDS among the youth in the Northern Cape. Furthermore, a mixed-methods research approach was adopted to achieve the research goal. The quantitative and qualitative findings are described in Chapters 6 and 7 respectively. Triangulation, as mixed-method design, was utilised in this study. This enabled the researcher to produce complete and well-validated conclusions. The method of data collection for the part of the study about the youth was a group-administered questionnaire. For the qualitative part of this study, semi-structured interviews, with an interview schedule, were utilised to collect data related to the contents, applicability, implementation, monitoring and evaluation of the SCI programme from trained field workers working in the youth sector and specialising in HIV and AIDS. The quantitative data was analysed using both descriptive and association statistical analyses. In the present study, the researcher strived to ensure a high degree of face validity by allowing experts in the field, for example, social workers practising in the field of HIV and AIDS, to scrutinise the research instrument as part of the pilot test. The questionnaire was piloted with 20 youths to enhance both face and content validity further. In the current study, an acceptable degree of reliability was prioritised and therefore a Cronbach alpha coefficient of 0.70 for all categories of the questionnaire was sought. The qualitative data of the semi-structured interviews with Soul City programme implementers was analysed using thematic analysis. An independent reviewer reviewed the theme generation and analysis to ensure consistency or the interrater reliability of the findings. This aided the researcher to identify patterns or themes from direct quotations and to provide rich data representation. Verbatim quotations from the interviews were used to support the themes. To ensure data trustworthiness, a high premium was placed on credibility, transferability, conformability and dependability. Analyses of three different sources of data, namely the literature review, the youth programme attendees/recipients and interviews with Soul City field workers were undertaken to answer the following research question. "To what extent is the content and implementation of the Soul City social intervention programme applicable to the youth in the Northern Cape?" Subsequently, the sub-question of the study was: "Does the Soul City social intervention programme take the different levels of the ecosystems perspective into account regarding programme content and implementation?" Several key findings were made in the quantitative part of the study, with nine sections of the questionnaire which focussed on: the Biographic details of respondents; Objectives of the Soul City programme for the youth in the Northern Cape; Applicability and relevance of the content of the Soul City Programme; Knowledge gained through attending Soul City; Attitudinal change; Programme delivery; Programme content; Programme facilitation methods and general aspects. Key findings were that there was no statistical association found between any of the variables in most sections of the questionnaire except for combinations of five questions in sections D and G. There was a statistical association found with regard to age where the respondents indicated that the SCP contributed to them achieving their personal life goals. Also in Section D there was a statistical association found where the respondents could see the impact of the SCP on their lives. There was a statistical association found between where respondents indicated that the SCP should focus on ways/strategies to fight poverty in their communities and also when they indicated that the SCP should focus on involving important people/stakeholders such as youth leaders. Lastly, there was a statistical association found between where the respondents indicated that the capacity of the youth in the community to fight the further spread of HIV and AIDS could be built by visiting the community. From an ecosystems perspective, the SCP programme appeared to be influenced by or aligned to micro-, meso-, exo- and macrolevel factors with varying degrees of success and focus areas. The programme's exolevel focus appeared to be more prominent and to a lesser degree the macro- and microlevels. The research found that the SCP is relatively effective regarding programme content and facilitation methods albeit to a limited degree. Furthermore, what was repeatedly clear was a need for the SCP's programme continuation and sustainability, because adequate effort had not been made for this despite the programmes' apparent value when it was operational. / Thesis (DPhil)--University of Pretoria, 2017. / Social Work and Criminology / DPhil / Unrestricted