The benefits of breastfeeding for mother and baby are well established; however, only 37.5% of Scottish women are currently breastfeeding at six to eight weeks with less than 1% breastfeeding exclusively for six months, as recommended by UK and international health policy. Family influence is amongst the socio-demographic factors which affect breastfeeding initiation and duration and women who were not breastfed themselves are 25% less likely to initiate breastfeeding. While there is a growing body of literature which seeks to understand breastfeeding by exploring the perspectives of breastfeeding mothers, no studies can be found describing the experience of making a different feeding choice from that of one’s family-of-origin, nor of the potential impact of this decision on relationships with them. As such, this study exploring the experience of being the first in your family to breastfeed is novel. The aim of the study was to investigate the experience and meaning of being the first person to breastfeed in a family. Consequently, areas explored included women’s experience of initiating and sustaining breastfeeding when they have no immediate family history of breastfeeding, how women make sense of their decision to breastfeed and their understanding of how their decision has affected their relationships. A methodological development in the form of an Infant Feeding Genogram was used to record relevant demographic and family information and semi-structured interviews with fourteen women obtained in-depth narratives. Interpretative phenomenological analysis (IPA) was used as an approach and to analyse the data. Following the completion of idiographic analysis, cross participant analysis was undertaken and four superordinate themes emerged: Breaching Family and Social Norms; Volitions and Imperatives; Unprepared for the Challenge; and A Sacrifice but Worth It. Within these superordinate themes, 13 themes were identified and articulated. Findings from this research were synthesised to provide an account of how women experience being the first to breastfeed in a family, make sense of their decisions and the impact this has on their relationships with their family. This provides an understanding of women’s experience in an original context, and the contextualising within the existing literature generates commonalities and highlights differences between the experience of this group of breastfeeding women and the wider cohort. The findings of this research inform recommendations for practice at both an individual and public health levels, and have implications for policy makers, health professionals and breastfeeding support organisations. It is asserted that policy makers and the health service need to acknowledge the unanticipated consequences of some current breastfeeding discourses associated with health promotion practices, and take a mother and family focussed approach to breastfeeding that acknowledges women’s embodied experience, which often includes breastfeeding difficulties. A mother and family centred approach can identify and adapt to women’s support needs in their own particular context, which may include very limited community and family support for their decision.

Inledning: Äkta humor, glädje och skämt kan skapa en lättnad i det mänskliga livet. Men till skillnad från konflikter, smärtor och ångest har dessa känslor inte varit lika framträdande i psykoterapin. Det beror på att systematiska studier av användandet och funktionen av humor i den psykoterapeutiska processen till stor del saknas. Frågeställningar:Vilka är patienters erfarenheter av humor i den psykoterapeutiska relationen? Hur anser patienterna att humor kan ha påverkat den psykoterapeutiska processen? Metod:Studien har en kvalitativ forskningsansats. Fem deltagare som går i psykoterapi intervjuades. Intervjuerna analyserades och tolkades utifrån en kvalitativ innehållsanalys. Resultat:Humor i terapi kan skapa en god allians genom terapeutens delaktighet, ge en ökad känsla av frihet och meningsfullhet för deltagaren, väcka en förändring av det upplevda problemet eller händelsen ur ett mer humoristiskt sätt samt vara ett verktyg för att bearbeta synen på tidigare upplevelser. Användning av humor stärker deltagarnas självuppfattning, intresse för den egna utvecklingen och slutligen möjligheten att utveckla ett förtroende med terapeuten.                                        Diskussion:Humor kan vara en mycket verksam och utvecklande del i psykoterapin. I studien visar användandet av humor främst positiva effekter och få negativa effekter. Användning av humor kan ge optimala förutsättningar för ett positivt terapiarbete och kan utgöra en viktig betydelse för den terapeutiska relationen och processen. Flertalet forskare och terapeuter motsäger sig dock användandet av humor och ser humor som en försvarsmekanism. Tidigare forskning beskriver framväxten av humor i terapin som ytterst begränsad. / Introduction: Genuine humor, joy and jokes can create a relief in human life, just as conflicts, pain and anxiety these emotions have been as prominent. The use of humor in therapy and the function of humor in the therapeutic process have had a very limited role in the psychotherapeutic world. Question formulation: What are the patient’s experiences of humor in a psychotherapeutic relationship? How do patients consider that humor may have affected the psychotherapeutic process? Method: The study has a qualitative research approach. Five participants attending psychotherapy were interviewed. The interviews were analyzed and interpreted based on a qualitative content analysis. Results: Humor in therapy can create a good alliance through the therapist's participation, provide a greater sense of freedom and meaningfulness to the participant, bringing a change in the perceived problem or event in a more humorous way, and be a tool to process the view of past experiences. The use of humor strengthens participants' self-perception, interest in their own development, and finally the ability to develop trust with the therapist. Discussion: Humor can be a very effective and stimulating part of psychotherapy. The study shows the use of humor has mostly positive effects with only a few negative effects. The use of humor can provide optimal conditions for a positive therapy work and can be an important bearing on the therapeutic relationship and process. Most researchers and therapists contradict the use of humor and sees it as a defense mechanism. Previous research describes the emergence of humor therapy as extremely limited.

Aims: Recently, empirical literature exploring cognitive characteristics of intimate partner violence offenders has received considerable attention with both theory and practice historically focusing on victims of the abuse. Qualitative exploration has proposed implicit theories (ITs), that is distinct sets of schemas that offenders hold in relation to themselves, the world and others. In relation to cognition in intimate partner violence offenders, this thesis had two aims: to systematically analyse qualitative literature exploring cognition in intimate partner violence offenders and to implement interpretative phenomenological analysis to explore cognition in intimate partner violence sex offenders. Methods: Aims are addressed separately in two journal articles. A systematic review of qualitative literature exploring cognition in intimate partner violence offenders is presented in journal article 1. Journal article 2 utilises interpretative phenomenological analysis to explore cognition in 11 intimate partner sex offenders. Results: In relation to journal article 1, systematic searches of bibliographic databases in addition to hand-searches of various articles in the domain of intimate partner violence were conducted to identify eight empirical papers qualitatively exploring cognition in intimate partner violence offenders. Synthesis of the papers resulted in 10 themes being extrapolated thought to be representative of cognition in intimate partner violence males: “violence is normal”; “policing partner”; “women are provoking” “need for control”; “grievance/revenge”; “external factors responsible”; “rejection/abandonment”; “minimisation/denial”; “entitlement” and “remorse”. Journal article two utilised interpretative phenomenological analysis of 11 transcripts of IPV offenders. This revealed five superordinate and 14 subthemes which are proposed as implicit theories present in this specific offender group. These are: “violence is acceptable”; “grievance/revenge”; “dangerous world”; “need for control”; “real man”; “entitlement/women are objects”; “male sex drive/policing partner”; “women are provoking”; “rejection/abandonment”; “women are supportive”; “uncontrollability”; “nature of harm”; “the new me” and “I‟m not like them”. Conclusions: Cognitions identified from the systematic review are discussed in addition to limitations of the synthesis and clinical and empirical utility. The implicit theories identified in journal article 2 are discussed in relation to other offending behaviour groups in addition to their clinical implications in the development of effective interventions and risk assessment tools.

This qualitative study provided insight into the phenomenon of newcomers in social networking, in particular, to understand what role specific Facebook features play in motivating content sharing and contribution among newcomers. Research indicated that the first several months or years of social networking site (SNS) membership are the most crucial in terms of indicating long-term participation and commitment to the SNS. Long-term participation is specifically manifested through interactions with peers who are members of the same website and through interactivity such as content sharing and contribution. A number of quantitative studies have focused on motivations for user contribution in social networking sites, but inconsistent findings demonstrated the need for a qualitative approach to understand the user experience more clearly. The purpose of the study was to understand how users are motivated to engage in Facebook from their perspective as newcomers and to distill the significance of social media interface features as an enabler of community sharing. Insight into this phenomenon further demonstrates how specific actions on Facebook such as tagging, posting on profiles, and chatting help foster a sense of belonging and socialization among the sample group. The phenomenon is studied through interviews with a distinct group of Facebook members - women who are aged 40 and older in the Science, Engineering, and Technology (SET) industry who are also newcomers to Facebook. The lived experiences of these respondents were explored through open-ended questions, related to their own use of the said social networking site. Semi-structured interviews allowed respondents to be candid and comprehensive in their answers. Five themes developed related to the motivations for Facebook use from the lived experiences of the women interviewed. The themes were (a) social connection, (b) visual artifact sharing, (c) shared identity, (d) social investigation and (e) education. These themes were consistent with findings of other studies, but the personal accounts of these women revealed how they perceived use of various Facebook features improved the quality and depth of their interpersonal relationships. The findings of this study have implications for designers, developers, and users of computer-mediated communications and technologies. By understanding the value of various features to users of all ages, communications inhibitors such as distance and culture can be overcome with effective design and innovation.

No description available.

published_or_final_version / abstract / Education / Master / Master of Education

In South Africa, the staff of higher education institutions experiences several stressors in their work and home domains. Therefore, it is important to understand how these two life domains are in interaction with each other. The general objective of this study was to investigate how higher education staff experienced work-personal life interaction (WPLI). A sample of 24 higher education staff that was willing to participate in the study was taken from different faculties and departments from a higher education institution in the Free State Province. For the purpose of this research, a qualitative design from a phenomenological approach was used. The specific objectives of this study were to determine the experiences, main dimensions, antecedents, consequences, and strategies in the lives of higher education staff. The results obtained indicated that Afrikaans and African women and men experienced time and strain-based conflict. Their work environment was characterised by a heavy workload, long working hours, resulting in work being taken home, and their home environment was characterised by a demanding family (spouses and children) and household duties. Men and women also thought about things in the family domain (e.g., when their children were sick) while they were at work. This caused a constant spill over, leaving employees tired and stressed. Strategies (e.g., prioritising, planning and time management) and support (e.g., spouses, division of family and household duties, friends and colleagues, as well as the flexible working hours) helped them to cope with this interaction. Recommendations were made for future research and the organisation. / Thesis (M.Com. (Industrial Psychology))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2007.

Hardly any research has been done on work-life interaction (WLI) in the mining industry in South Africa. Mining is a high-risk profession and the custom of reducing the occurrence of morbidity and inhumanity in these industries must be gainfully considered. Many of the individuals who work in the mining industry are shift workers. Individuals who are working shifts often appear to have little time for non-work related commitments. Their families, personal health, socialising with friends, maintenance of their households and hobbies do not receive the necessary attention, which cause an imbalance of work and life. The general objective of this research was to study the experience of WLI of two cultural groups (Afrikaans and Setswana-speaking individuals) in the mining industry and more specifically, to determine certain antecedents, consequences and strategies used with regards to WLI. A non-probability purposive voluntary sample of 25 mineworkers was taken from the Northern Cape Province. Participants consisting of males and females were stratified in terms of language (Afrikaans and Setswana). Data collection for this research consisted of a pilot study, qualitative interviews and field notes, The data was transcribed verbatim and checked by independent researchers. Content analysis was used to analyse the data. It was found that Afrikaans males, Setswana males and Setswana females experienced pressure and stress at work, where the Afrikaans females did not have that same experience. Several antecedents (e.g., pressure at work, heavy workload, stress, and family obligations) that led to definite consequences (e.g., lack of quality time for self and family, physical and emotional strains, and low levels of productivity), as well as the strategies (e.g., prioritising, time management, communication and planning) which the different language groups use to cope with their work-life interaction were revealed during interviews. The results also confirmed that there were some major differences between Afrikaans and Setswana-speaking individuals in terms of their experiences of work-life interaction. Recommendations were made for the organisation and for future research. / Thesis (M.Com. (Industrial Psychology))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2007

Background: Until recently, qualitative researchers have avoided interviewing participants with brain injuries because of the ethical and practical dilemmas which may arise and because it has been argued that they may not be able to reflect and accurately report upon their experiences. Therefore, little research has been produced which explores the personal experience of living with a brain injury. Recently, however, some researchers have challenged the view that people with brain injuries are unsuitable as interviewees in qualitative research and have, through their own research, highlighted the importance of understanding their views and perspectives in order to provide them with the best care and rehabilitation. Aims: With this in mind, and in line with current calls for more research gaining the brain injured person’s perspective, this study attempted to gain an in depth understanding of what it is like from the brain injured person’s perspective, to live with an acquired brain injury. The study focussed upon the experience of gaining consciousness following a brain injury, the experience of living with permanent memory loss, the experience of gaining awareness of deficits, the experience of losing an identity and adjusting to a new identity, the impact on relationships with friends and family and experiences as an inpatient in a Brain Injury Unit. Sources of strength and coping mechanisms were also explored. Method: Semi-structured interviews were conducted with six individuals who had severe acquired brain injuries and were inpatients in a post-acute neuro-rehabilitation unit. The verbatim transcripts of the semi-structured interviews were then analysed using Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA). Results: The analysis produced four master themes. These were: ‘Piecing together the past and becoming aware of the present’, ‘The transition from old self to new self’, ‘Sources of strength and survival’ and ‘Experiences in rehabilitation’. A description of these themes is presented with the corresponding subordinate themes. Conclusions: The clinical implications of the research and guidance for future research are discussed. The study produced a valuable insight into the personal experience of living with a severe acquired brain injury that could be used to inform rehabilitation interventions. The results also indicated that people with acquired brain injuries may experience Post Traumatic Growth.

Aim: A wealth of quantitative literature exists exploring the adjustment of children and young people with Type 1 Diabetes Mellitus. However, results are often confusing and contradictory, at least partly due to studies using different definitions and measures. Studies have been criticised for over relying on parental reports and failing to consider young people’s own perceptions. Furthermore, they have often conceptualised adjustment as an outcome, rather than exploring the process involved. Additionally, although peers are considered to play an important role in young people’s lives, their role in young people’s adjustment to living with diabetes has rarely been examined. To address this gap, this study attempted to gain a rich understanding of young people’s experiences of adjusting to life with diabetes and explore how they feel their peers have contributed to this process, with the hope of informing clinical practice and improving support to young people and their families. Method: A qualitative approach was chosen and six young females aged 12 – 15 with a diagnosis of Type 1 diabetes were interviewed using semi-structured interviews. Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis was used to analyse the transcripts. Results: Five main themes emerged from participants’ accounts: Developing a balanced relationship with diabetes; the uncomfortable position of difference; grappling with the fall out of diabetes; making diabetes more bearable; and the role of parents and friends. The findings are discussed in relation to the relevant literature. Clinical implications, methodological limitations and directions for future research are presented. Conclusions: This study provided an insight into the complex and dynamic process of young people’s adjustment to life with Type 1 diabetes. It highlighted the challenges and struggles they faced as a result of their diagnosis and the different strategies they employed to manage these. It also emphasised the valuable role both parents and friends provide in supporting young people with their illness.