The Team Resilience Assessment Method for Simulation (TRAMS) is an instrument that consist of several measurements, such as team-member exchange, workload, the TRAMS observation protocol etc. This thesis researches the observation protocol. The TRAMS protocol is an assessment method for resilience in simulation games. The aim of this protocol is to support the identification of resilience strategies used and developed by the participants in a simulation game. It is a challenge to assess resilience in teams and that is why the TRAMS protocol has been developed. The scenario of the simulation games is a disruption for 10 days in the card payment system. During the simulation games, the participants work in teams and have to try to cope with the disruption in the card payment system. During the course of this study, 14 simulation games have been conducted with seven different teams. Each of the simulation games has been executed during one whole day, and the participating teams have in total played two games each. During every simulation game there were three observers equipped with the TRAMS protocol. To interpret the data collected with the TRAMS protocol, two methods have been used: transcription and thematic analysis. As a result, guidelines and design changes was formed. In addition, results showed that the distribution and frequency of observations of resilience strategies made were similar, that the observations noted by the observers were similar, and lastly eight themes from the data collection could be extracted: Coordinate and collaborate, Payment options, Cash circulation, Safety, Fuel and transportation, Inform, communicate and the media, Hoarding and rationing, Vulnerable groups. In conclusion, the TRAMS protocol is still under development and 15 more simulation games are planned to be conducted within the ongoing CCRAAAFFTING project. However, the protocol has been applied in this study´s 14 simulation games so far, and the similarities in how the observers filled in the protocol and how similar the observations were, indicate that it hopefully can develop into a recognized research tool in the future.

Thesis (MA (Psychology))--University of Stellenbosch, 2006. / The primary aim of this study was to identify the characteristics and resources that families possess that enable them to adapt successfully, and as such, be resilient despite the presence of an autistic child in the family. The study was rooted within the contextual framework of the Resilience Model of Adjustment and Adaptation of McCubbin, Thompson and McCubbin (1996). Self-report questionnaires were completed by the parents of 34 families whose children attend either the Alpha School for Autistic Learners, the Vera School for Autistic Learners, or the Special Needs Adapted Programme. The self-report questionnaires were based on the Resilience Model of Adjustment and Adaptation. In addition, families were required to complete a biographical questionnaire and an open-ended question relating to their experience of factors relating to adaptation. The results pointed towards the importance of resilience factors in adaptation. The most significant resilience factors identified in this study include higher socioeconomic status; social support; open and predictable patterns of communication; supportive family environment, including commitment and flexibility; family hardiness; internal and external coping strategies; a positive outlook; and family belief systems. The clinical utility of the study in facilitating adaptation lies in its ability to provide parents with confirmation of the value of their efforts to improve the quality of life of their autistic child, as well as the family, and in providing all those involved in helping the autistic child, albeit parents or professionals, with insight into ways of creating a family environment, which will enhance the well-being of the autistic child, without detriment to the total family system. Family resilience theory provides a relevant framework within which the process of adapting to an autistic child can be considered. By applying these theories to their specific crisis situation, families of autistic children can work towards identifying, as well as implementing those factors which will lead to better adaptation, and thus increased resilience.