This study explores the facilitation of preparation for breast cancer surgery. The aim of the study was to develop a reasonably comprehensive scheme of categories that would describe, from the perspective of women with breast cancer, what facilitates or hinders positive psychological preparation for breast cancer surgery and, therefore, identify and conceptually organize a broad array of these experiences. The research method involved interviews with 30 women who underwent an operation for breast cancer 6-12 months prior to their interviews. The Critical Incident Technique was used to collect and analyze the data. The women were interviewed and asked to recall incidents that were helpful or hindering in their preparation for a breast cancer surgery. A total of 362 incidents from 30 participants were collected, analyzed, and placed into categories. These incidents were organized into twenty-three categories: Receiving Educational Materials and/or Information; Obtaining an Explanation of Medical Procedures or Problems; Discussing Problems with Loved One; Getting Support and Encouragement from Others; Being Accompanied to a Medical Appointment; Helping Others; Engaging Oneself in Physical and Creative Activities; Developing Helpful Habits; Taking Action on Realizing Own Mortality; Experiencing Physical Closeness; Experiencing Deep Emotional Closeness; Realizing Shift in Relationship with Loved Ones; Healing Through Spiritual Experience and Visualization; Changing Perspective Through Comparison; Using Inspiring, Comforting Material; Getting Alternative Treatment; Establishing Professional Communication; Waiting for Medical Results; Sharing Experiences in Support Groups and Counseling; Perceiving Professional Manners; Experiencing Positive Medical Settings; Getting a Recommendation/Approval of Medical Personnel, Questioning Competence of Medical Care or Personnel. The data also included information about participants' decision-making process regarding the type of operation for breast cancer and some observations on them were drawn. Several procedures were used to examine validity, soundness and trustworthiness of the categories and subcategories. Three narrative accounts were analyzed in an effort to provide meaning and action to these categories. The findings of this study may serve as a basis for better understanding of the process of preparation for breast cancer surgery. Through further examination of the categories and narratives some suggestions and recommendation for research and practice were made. / Education, Faculty of / Educational and Counselling Psychology, and Special Education (ECPS), Department of / Graduate

D.Cur. / This research aims to develop a model for debriefing for the advanced psychiatric nurse practitioner to enable her to support the nurse involved in the termination of pregnancy. This research also aims to generate guidelines for the operationalising of the developed model. The model developed is envisaged to enhance the development of the nurse involved in the termination of pregnancy into a reflexive and mentally healthy person. The transition for a minority government and "Apartheid" regime in South Africa to a democratically elected government in 1994 required the revision of health practices. The World Health Organisation adheres to a strong ethical frame of reference, which includes respect for individuals' choices regarding their personal health. To promote and enhance the health and quality of life for women in South Africa, the Bill on the Freedom of Choice to Terminate a Pregnancy (Bill no. 92 of 1996) was promulgated. The nurse involved in the termination of pregnancy, experiences inner powerlessness and tiredness because of internal conflict and loss of internal control. These feelings are centred around the inability to convince women, who decide to terminate a pregnancy, not to continue with the procedure. She is continually confronted with feelings of sadness and anger. She does not allow herself to give vent to these feelings, nor does she share them with other people. The nurse involved in the termination of pregnancy continuously contests her own religious beliefs, which thus result in feelings of guilt. She copes with these feelings by using ineffective psychological defence mechanisms, such as rationalisation with regard to the involvement with the termination of pregnancy, distancing herself from the situation by facilitating inadequate interpersonal skills, and the repression of her feelings concerning the termination of pregnancy.

No description available.

Submitted in fulfilment of the requirement for the degree MASTER OF EDUCATION in the Department of Educational Psychology of the Faculty of Education at the University of Zululand, 1997. / The aim of this study was to establish the effect of the death of a parent on the psychic life of a child and the support available to assfst the child in his bereavement. As introduction a psychopedagogic perspective of the family was given in describing marriage, the family as an education milieu, parental roles and the special relationship between parent and child. The accompaniment of the child towards adulthood is dependent on the quality of the parent-child relationship. The parents' educational responsibility is to provide adequately for the physical, psychological and spiritual needs of the child. The death of a parent is a traumatic experience for the child. The child feels the effects of death as intensely as an adult but in different ways. Research contributions on how children develop an understanding about death are in general agreement that this understanding develops in an orderly sequence from a state of total unawareness in very early childhood through stages to the point where death can be considered logically in cause of terms and outcome. The death of a parent can affect the child physically and psychologically. If the crisis situation of the child after the death of a loved one is not overcome, his becoming toward adulthood might be stifled. A wide range of behaviour problems may result in affective lability and hamper the child's cognitive development. To overcome the trauma of the death of a parent the child needs support from people close to him - people he knows and trusts. After the death of a parent the process of mourning is considered as very important to the child's -recovery", and needs to be facilitated by the remaining parent or by other significant adult figures. The church, school and welfare institutions also play an important role in rendering support to the bereaved child and his family. In conclusion, the findings emanating from the literature study were presented. Based on these findings, the following recommendations were made: Urgent attention must be given to the introduction of death education programmes in schools. School guidance counsellors must initiate the establishment of programmes on death and dying in schools. Further research on the affect of the death of a parent on children should be undertaken.

No description available.

No description available.

Chronic low back pain (CLBP) is one of the most prevalent and disabling health conditions in the US and worldwide. Biomedical explanations of acute injury fail to account for why some individuals experience remission of pain and restoration of physical function while others do not. Pain-related fear, accompanied by elevated appraisals of physical exertion and avoidance of physical activity, has emerged as a central psychosocial risk factor for transition from acute injury to chronic pain and disability. Research has indicated that these pain-related factors may be maintained through observational learning mechanisms. To date, no studies have experimentally examined the role of observational learning and pain-related fear in the context of actual musculoskeletal injury. Accordingly, the present study examined the impact of observational learning and pain-related fear on activity appraisals and exertion following experimentally- induced acute low back injury. Healthy participants' appraisal of standardized movement tasks along with measures of physical exertion were collected prior to and following a procedure designed to induce delayed onset muscle soreness (DOMS) to the lower back. Following induction of DOMS, participants observed a video prime depicting CLBP patients exhibiting either high or low pain behavior during similar standardized movements. In line with hypothesized effects, participants assigned to the high pain behavior prime demonstrated greater elevation in pain and harm appraisals as well as greater decrement in physical exertion. Further in line with hypotheses, significant changes in appraisal and physical performance following the high pain behavior prime were only observed among participants endorsing high pain-related fear during baseline assessment. Discussion of findings addresses potential mechanisms of action as well as study limitations and direction for future research.

No description available.

No description available.

No description available.