This study focused on the psychosocial effects of parental loss on children orphaned by HIV/AIDS. The primary aim of the research was to explore the psychosocial effects of parental loss on children orphaned by HIV/AIDS through the eyes of the caregivers. Five participants were selected for this study using convenience sampling. The data was collected using face-to-face semi-structured interviews. The interviews were analysed using thematic content analysis and themes were extracted and presented. The results of this study indicate that children orphaned by HIV/AIDS living in the children’s home experience many psychosocial problems. Further research on the psychosocial issues specific to orphaned children raised in children’s homes in rural areas is recommended / Psychology / M. A. (Clinical Psychology)

<p>This dissertation examines a series of novels by Aminata Zaaria, Ken Bugul, Gaston-Paul Effa, Boubacar Boris Diop and Yolande Mukagasana. At the heart of my study is a problem that haunts much literary production and literary criticism about post-colonial Francophone African writing: the layers of distance and misunderstanding that often exist between readers and writers. Several of the authors in this study express frustration at the limited expectations that readers have of them, complaining that readers outside of the continent continue to read their novels solely in order to gain a grasp of socio-political "realities" of Africa. I propose a return to a select group of author's largely semi-autobiographical texts in order to better understand each writer's individual literary projects within the interdisciplinary framework of trauma studies. Interviews that I conducted with Senegalese and Cameroonian publishing directors, psychologists, sociologists and authors themselves offer an analysis of these texts within the context of broader social debates. </p><p> My first chapter focuses on Zaaria's La Nuit est tombée sur Dakar (2004) and Bugul's Le Baobab Fou (1983) and Cendres et Braises (1995) in order to examine intergenerational Senegalese semi-autobiographical representations of prostitution. My study ultimately finds that neither Senegalese society nor Zaaria and Bugul's narratives evidence healing through writing. Rather, both present literature as a "default" chosen because the authors found no one with whom they could initially share their stories face-to-face. Chapter Two hones in on Bugul's relationship with her mother, a painful theme revisited from one end of Bugul's semi-autobiographical oeuvre (Le Baobab Fou, 1982) to the other (De l'autre côté du regard, 2002). Chapter Three examines the trauma of parental loss in Gaston-Paul Effa's semi-autobiographical works, from Tout ce bleu (1996) to a more recent novel (Nous, les enfants de la tradition, 2008) in order to examine the evolution of Effa's personal identity quest and his extensive self-analysis over time in light of the author's permanent exile in France. My fourth chapter begins with a study of genocide survivor Yolande Mukagasana's recent narrative entitled N'aie pas peur de savoir (1999) in order to examine author/reader relationships in light of the often inconceivable trauma of genocide. I then move on to consider the ethics of speaking "for" genocide survivors by analyzing the well-known Senegalese author Boubacar Boris Diop's Murambi, le livre des ossements (2000) and the related Fest'Africa project. I end Chapter Four with a critique of Etoke's Melancholia africana: l'indéspensable dépassement de la condition noire (2010) in order to question whether or not sweeping theories of the various traumas experienced by members of Africa and its diaspora are in fact helpful in every context. Finally, I end my study with Effa's Voici le dernier jour du monde, which exhibits the interplay between autobiography, biography, fiction and the issue of literary violence. </p><p> I ultimately argue that a major difference between the "talking cure" of psychoanalysis and the process of seeking healing through literary narratives involves the question of audience. In the case of Sub-Saharan African literature, the author/reader relationship does not necessarily provide a safe space akin to the doctor/patient model in Freud's "talking cure." Therefore, I ultimately call for a closer analysis of the myriad ways by which authors are seeking healing and answers outside the realm of literature.</p> / Dissertation

This study focused on the psychosocial effects of parental loss on children orphaned by HIV/AIDS. The primary aim of the research was to explore the psychosocial effects of parental loss on children orphaned by HIV/AIDS through the eyes of the caregivers. Five participants were selected for this study using convenience sampling. The data was collected using face-to-face semi-structured interviews. The interviews were analysed using thematic content analysis and themes were extracted and presented. The results of this study indicate that children orphaned by HIV/AIDS living in the children’s home experience many psychosocial problems. Further research on the psychosocial issues specific to orphaned children raised in children’s homes in rural areas is recommended / Psychology / M. A. (Clinical Psychology)

Master of Science / Department of Family Studies and Human Services / Anthony Jurich / Throughout this report, I focused on the effects that the loss of a parent has on an adolescent during the various stages of adolescent development. Drawing upon research already completed on divorce during adolescence, I speculated on the similarities and differences between losing a parent through divorce or death during the adolescent stages of development. Loss by any means is tragic and life altering. However, as I attempted to illustrate, it was even more defining when encountered during the period of adolescence.

Thesis (MA)--University of Stellenbosch, 2011. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: Parental bereavement has generated interest internationally, and yet very few bereavement studies have been conducted within South Africa, even though the prevalence of South African adolescents experiencing parental bereavement is on the increase. The attachment theory explains why the loss of a parental figure during adolescence could have a long lasting negative influence on adolescents’ psychological development. The present study aimed to explore the psychological experience of bereavement for 66 adolescents who recently lost either a parent or a significant caregiver who played a parental role for the bereaved adolescent. By means of a cross-sectional quantitative design the following variables were examined: depression (using the Beck Depression Inventory–Second Edition; BDI-II), anxiety (using the Beck Anxiety Inventory; BAI), coping (using the Coping Strategy Indicator; CSI), attachment (using the Inventory of Parent and Peer Attachment; IPPA) and social support (using the Social Support Appraisal; SSA). The results showed that the strongest significant positive correlations were between depression and anxiety, followed by positive correlations between attachment to the remaining mother figure and problem-solving coping. Furthermore, the results showed that the strongest significant negative correlations were between: depression and problem-solving coping, followed by the correlation between attachment to the remaining mother figure and peers and depression. Support from significant attachment figures in the bereaved adolescent's life was found to promote healthy adjustment to the significant loss by lowering depression and strengthening perceived social support for the bereaved adolescent. For the South African population, peer run support group interventions, based in schools or community youth groups, have been identified as best suited to promote resilience for adolescents during the bereavement process. The interventions would bring together bereaved adolescents, creating a support group for the adolescent to draw on during their bereavement. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: In teenstelling met die internasionale gemeenskap geniet studies rakende ouerlike verlies in Suid- Afrika relatief min belangstelling en alhoewel gevalle van adolessente wat ouerlike verlies ondervind in Suid-Afrika vermeerder, word daar baie min sulke studies plaaslik onderneem. Die teorie van gehegtheid verklaar hoekom die verlies van ‘n ouer-figuur gedurende adolessensie langtermyn psigologiese newe-effekte kan meebring. Hierdie studie beoog om die psigologiese ondervindinge van 66 adolessente , wat onlangs ‘n ouer of voog moes afstaan, te bestudeer. Deur gebruik te maak van ‘n kwantitatiewe kruispeiling is die volgende veranderlikes bestudeer: depressie (deur gebruik te maak van die “Beck Depression Inventory-Second Edition; BDI-II”), angs (deur gebruik te maak van die “Beck Anxiety Inventory; BAI”), aangewassenheid (deur gebruik te maak van die “Coping Strategy Indicator; CSI”), gehegtheid (deur gebruik te maak van die “Inventory of Parent and Peer Attachment; IPPA”) en sosiale ondersteuning (deur gebruik te maak van die “Social Support Appraisal; SSA”). Die resultate toon dat die sterkste betekenisvolle positiewe korrelasies tussen angs en depressie bestaan, gevolg deur positiewe korrelasies tussen gehegtheid tot ‘n oorblywende moeder-figuur en aangewassenheid. Verder toon die resultate dat die sterkste betekenisvolle negatiewe korrelasies tussen depressie en probleem-oplossings opgewassenheid gevind kan word, gevolg deur gehegtheid aan ‘n oorblywende moeder-figuur en tydgenote en depressie. Ondersteuning van figure waarteen die adolessent aangeheg voel bewys om gesonde aanpassing tot die verlies te bewerkstellig deur die aanslag van depressie te bestry en begrip van sosiale ondersteuning te bevorder. In die Suid-Afrikaanse omgewing is gevind dat ingrypende ondersteuningsgroepe, wat bestuur word deur tydgenote van die adolessent, gebaseer in skole of gemeenskap jeug groepe, die beste vaar daarin om adolessente opgewasse te maak teen die verlies van ‘n ouer of voog gedurende die treur proses. Hierdie ingrypende ondersteuning groepeer treurende adolessente saam en bevorder so die vorming van ondersteuningsgroepe waar treurende adolessente mekaar kan bemoedig.

Background: The death of a child has been found to have long term consequences for both individual and family functioning. This is particularly true for bereaved siblings who have been found to be at increased risk of developing mental health difficulties in later life. Literature on parental bereavement proposes that the parenting phenomenon, such as replacement child syndrome, subsequent child syndrome and the parenting paradox, which can emerge after the death of a child, may account for this. However, there is very little research on these labels of observed parenting phenomenon and, as a result, any hypothesis offered remains under elaborated. In addition, limited evidence suggests that, due to the sudden, unexpected and unexplained nature of the loss, SIDS parents are more likely to experience a greater degree of distress and adjustment difficulties than other perinatally bereaved populations. Given this, it could be hypothesised that SIDS parents may be likely to experience these parenting phenomena. Despite this, however, SIDS remains a neglected area of research. Aims: As a consequence of this research gap, the study aims to explore mothers’ experiences of parenting in their transition from being a parent unaffected by Sudden Infant Death Syndrome to a parent affected by Sudden Infant Death Syndrome. Methodology: Semi-structured interviews were conducted with seven mothers who had experienced an incident of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome. The interviews were then transcribed and analysed using Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA). Results: Five master themes emerged from the analysis: ‘Channelling the Parent Within’, a naturally developing and responsive parenting style that is facilitated by internal mechanisms, such as flexibility and confidence; ‘Parenting Outside of Yourself’, a parenting style that develops in the aftermath of a SIDS event, which is characterised by self doubt and a reliance on external mechanisms such as reassurance and restriction; ‘Restoration Through You’, the restorative effect of the subsequent and surviving children, which allows vindication and re-establishes happiness; ‘The Bitter Restoration’, a restoration that encompasses internal knowledge and external evidence of loss, including a disrupted family composition and a continued awareness of existential threat; ‘A Disruptive Appreciation’, the development of a greater appreciation for the subsequent and surviving children that impacts discipline and incorporates indulgence. These, along with the subthemes contributing to them, are presented as a narrative account. Conclusion: The results imply that mothers who have experienced a SIDS event shift into a permissive and anxious style of parenting which is characterised by safety behaviours. A model of parenting in the aftermath of SIDS has been proposed in order to explain the underlying cognitions and processes which drive this behaviour and the factors which serve to maintain it. By doing this it is hoped that, when working with bereaved parents and siblings, clinicians will be better positioned to frame parenting practices and intervene at a cognitive level.

Tidigare forskning gällande barn som förlorat en förälder genom dödsfall pekar på att det finns tydliga tendenser att fokus ofta läggs på den kvarvarande föräldern och att barnet många gånger kommer i skymundan eller glöms bort. Syftet med studien är att undersöka professionellas uppfattningar och yrkeserfarenheter om barns behov av stödinsatser då en förälder avlidit. Studiens teoretiska ansatser är; det salutogena perspektivet, ”den nya barndomssociologin” samt den konstruktivistiska struktureringsteorin. Metoden fenomenografi har använts för att fånga professionellas uppfattningar och materialet har samlats in genom sju semistrukturerade intervjuer. Resultatet och slutsatserna visar att professionella utgår från någon form av modell i sitt arbete och modellen vägleder den professionelle i hur barnet kan få information, råd och stöd. Barnets behov av stöd är oftast att finna nya strategier, för att hantera sin vardag och för att skapa en identitet utan ena föräldern. Olika stödinsatser kan hjälpa barnet att avdramatisera och normalisera sina känslor då en förälder avlidit. Ambitionen för de professionella är att lyssna till det enskilda barnet och dennes familjesituation. Detta eftersom barn inte är en homogen grupp och för att på bästa sätt tillmötesgå det behov av stöd det enskilda barnet har. Det viktigaste är att barnet inte upplever att denne även förlorar närvaron och omsorgen från den kvarvarande föräldern genom förälderns egen sorgebearbetning. / Previous research of children with parental loss shows visible tendencies that focus is on remaining parent and that the child easily tends to fall in shadow or becomes forgotten. The study aims to investigate professional´s views and experiences of children´s needs for support when losing a parent. The theoretical views of the study are; the perspective of salutogenic, ”the new sociology of childhood” and the theory of structuration in a constructive perspective. The study was performed with a phenomenographic methodological approach to capture professional´s views and experiences and the material consists of seven semi-structured interviews. The result and conclusions shows that professionals proceed from some kind of model in their work and the model then guide the professionals in giving information, support and advice to the child. The child´s needs of support is mainly to find new strategies to deal with everyday life and the creation of identity when losing a parent. Different inputs of supports can help the child to defuse and normalise their expression of emotions in losing a parent. The ambition of the professionals is to listen to the child in order to meet each individual child and his/hers family situation, since children are not an homogenous group, their needs also vary. Most important is that the child doesn´t feel that he/she also is losing the remaining parent´s attendance and caring for him/her, through the parent´s own grieving process.

Although there is a strong body of existing literature on early parental loss, the majority of research is devoted to examining the consequences of parental death in childhood. Less is known about the long-term impact of this early loss. In particular, there is a lack of understanding about what it is like to live with early parental loss in young adulthood. This hermeneutic phenomenological study addresses the question: What is the young adult’s experience of living with early parental loss? An in-depth exploration into the lived meaning of early parental loss was conducted through open-ended interviews with 8 young men and women (20-30 years old) who lost a mother or father in childhood (between the ages of 9-18 years old). Interview data was coded and analyzed using van Manen’s (2014) hermeneutic phenomenological method, including the process of guided existential inquiry. The fundamental existential themes of lived body, lived time, lived space, and lived other were used as a guide to thematic representation of data. Ten identified themes characterize the essential qualities of this phenomenon: (1) The Grief Experience, (2) The Parentless Identity, (3) Body Awareness, (4) The Transition, (5) The Unexpected Visitor, (6) The New World, (7) The Empty Space, (8) Navigating Relationships in New Ways, (9) Continuing Bonds, and (10) The Relationship With Loss. Through rich experiential descriptions, presented findings demonstrate that the early death of a parent has an ‘ever after’ impact and significantly influences many facets of life in young adulthood. Implications for clinical practice and directions for future research are discussed. / Graduate / 2018-10-02

This study sets out to demonstrate the usefulness of cybernetic description for grief therapy, specifically the field parental loss of a child. This paradigm was used to facilitate an alternate mode of conceptualisation, one engendering a more encompassing, aesthetic view. The following core cybernetic concepts were used: punctuation, complementarity, pattern and metapattern forming the framework of cybernetic description as applied. A literature study attempting to merge the gestalt of cybernetic description with that of bereavement theory, specifically that pertaining to the parental loss of a child, is presented. A single case study is described illustrating how cybernetic description is applied to the grief narrative. Arising out of this, the implications of cybernetic description for the field of grief and social work in general are outlined. / Social Work / M.A. (Social Science (Mental Health))

This study sets out to demonstrate the usefulness of cybernetic description for grief therapy, specifically the field parental loss of a child. This paradigm was used to facilitate an alternate mode of conceptualisation, one engendering a more encompassing, aesthetic view. The following core cybernetic concepts were used: punctuation, complementarity, pattern and metapattern forming the framework of cybernetic description as applied. A literature study attempting to merge the gestalt of cybernetic description with that of bereavement theory, specifically that pertaining to the parental loss of a child, is presented. A single case study is described illustrating how cybernetic description is applied to the grief narrative. Arising out of this, the implications of cybernetic description for the field of grief and social work in general are outlined. / Social Work / M.A. (Social Science (Mental Health))