A Thesis Proposal Submitted to the Psychology Department School of Human and Community Development University of Witwatersrand in Partial Fulfilment of the Degree of Master of Arts Degree in Psychology by Dissertation. February 2016 / This study was aimed at an in-depth exploration of the recovery experiences of a group of 12 individuals who attended 12 step self-help groups situated in different regions in Johannesburg. 12-step self-help groups are presently the largest clinical supplements in the world. Ongoing discussions with the relevant representatives from the fellowships of Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) and Narcotics Anonymous (NA) were utilised in order to gain access to this population of people. These 12 individuals suffered from substance dependence and one or more co-occurring disorders (CODs) and were interviewed in semi-structured interviews about how their lives had changed since they had achieved a state of recovery and about some of the difficulties they had experienced since the point at which they had achieved remission from their substance-related disorder. The study also focused on the therapeutic aids that the participants had found useful during their time in recovery. In this study, CODs refers to the existence of at least one substance-related disorder and at least one psychiatric disorder in the same individual. The overarching methodological framework that was used in the study was phenomenological. It was evident from the study that the road to recovery is fraught with many challenges that the recovering individual needs to negotiate and that very often there is no information available on what the best course of action to follow is. In conclusion it is evident that recovering addicts, especially those that have been diagnosed with one or more CODs often require on going support and care if they are to continue on their journey of recovery

A research report submitted to the Faculty of Health Sciences (School of Public Health), The University of the Witwatersrand, in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Public Health in the field of Social Behaviour Change and Communication. June , 2017 / Introduction Proper access to antenatal care services and skilled birth attendants during delivery is key to reducing maternal deaths. But studies show that women in rural communities in Nigeria, do not access Ante-Natal Care (ANC) and a lower proportion deliver in a health facility. An internationally funded maternal and child health program in Enugu State, Nigeria introduced the concept of using the support group to improve uptake of antenatal care services and health facility delivery services. The support group comprised of pregnant women who encouraged and supported each other from pregnancy through to delivery in a health facility. However there was no documented evidence to show that the support groups actually influenced women’s intention to deliver in a health facility. This research work is being carried out to address this gap – by providing evidence on whether the support groups influenced women’s intention to deliver in a health facility. Methods Following informed consent, a qualitative study was conducted. Data was collected from women aged between 18 years and 49 years who were in a support group in seven health facilities in Nkanu West Local Government Area (LGA) of Enugu State, Nigeria. Seven Focus Group Discussions (FGD) and In-depth Interviews (IDI) were conducted. The data analysis was done using NVIVO software. All field notes were checked against translated interviews to ensure completeness and correctness. Inter-coding agreement, triangulation of data was done to ensure consistency. A descriptive analysis of the findings against theoretical framework was done and all findings also linked to objectives of the study. ii Results The pregnant women support group is shown to influence pregnant women’s intention to deliver in a health facility. Reasons for joining the group included; increasing knowledge about pregnancy and the benefits of ANC attendance and health facility delivery, socio-economic and spiritual support. However, the intention to deliver in a health facility is influenced by other factors such as; good and caring attitude of health workers, availability of qualified health workers, and better health infrastructure to respond to complications and emergencies. Other influences such as mother-in-law and spouses were also identified. The members of the group enjoyed benefits such as; visitation and presentation of gifts by support group members upon delivery, post- natal care and sometimes financial support. Despite these benefits, the goal of having a safe delivery remained the ultimate benefit of being a member of the support group. The existence, management and survival of the group other than by its members were dependent on the health facility workers. Conclusion The study demonstrated that the support group intervention did influence pregnant women’s intention to deliver in a health facility. But, the intention to deliver in a health facility was also driven by other factors such as; availability of skilled health workers, improved infrastructure and the cost of health services. / MT2017

Thesis (Ed. D.)--West Virginia University, 2004. / Title from document title page. Document formatted into pages; contains vi, 166 p. : ill. (some col.). Vita. Includes abstract. Includes bibliographical references (p. 102-116).

Thesis (DPysch) - Dept. of Psychology, Swinburne University of Technology, 2005. / Submitted in fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Professional Doctorate Health Psychology, Department of Psychology, Swinburne University of Technology - 2005. Typescript. Includes bibliographical references (p. 151-159).

Honors Project--Smith College, Northampton, Mass., 2010. / Includes bibliographical references (p. 30-37).

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Texas at Austin, 2005. / Vita. Includes bibliographical references.

A thesis submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree: PhD (COMMUNITY PSYCHOLOGY) IN THE DEPARTMENT OF PSYCHOLOGY FACULTY OF ARTS UNIVERSITY OF ZULULAND, 2010. / Empowerment is an act of enriching someone within a certain context to gain inner self-control. The best way of understanding empowerment is to focus on its process rather than outcome. It is also important to determine the structure upon which empowerment is likely to exist. As a result, this study was about the exploration of the interaction between empowerment as a process and the self-help group which forms a structural basis of empowerment. Therefore, the main focus of the research study was to investigate specific processes through which one goes to achieve empowerment when participating in a self–help group for divorced women.The qualitative research method, which incorporated participant observation, semi-structured interviews and focus group,formed the basis for the process of data collection and analysis. The sample consisted of 10 divorced women who participated in a self-help group for a contracted period of eight weeks. The findings of the research study suggested that, the process of empowerment within a self-help group structure is interactive rather than linear. The process of empowerment through the self-help group encounters included discovering the reality of the divorced status, the role of frustration in the process of empowerment, critical reflection as the powerful force behind the process of empowerment and taking charge of one’s life as a motivational factor that facilitated the self-help group activities and the process of empowerment. The only interpersonal factor that was significant in the study was the role of social support by group members in the process of empowerment. The conceptualization of the process of empowerment in the context of the self-help group, that emerged from the study, was remarkably distinct from the conceptualization of empowerment that has been depicted in the literature. Therefore, a significant finding in this study was how the self–help group can facilitate the process of empowerment for divorced women, which contrasted with other studies in which a sense of community was critical to personal empowerment. The interactions which were both positive and negative with others were the foundations for the process of empowerment in the form of critical reflections.

No description available.

The goal of this effort was to write the definitive history of a high school for Blacks in Nansemond County. The destruction of school records in the fires that eventually led to the closing of the school made that task difficult. While attempting the historical research, however, two factors were found which still make the effort worthwhile. First, there was a definite sense of pride found in all who had been associated with the Nansemond Collegiate Institute. This pride gave one the sense that attending Nansemond Collegiate Institute was almost as much an expression of freedom as it was an effort to secure an education. The second factor was the determination of the need for Nansemond Collegiate Institute based on the disparities in services offered to Blacks when compared to Whites in the public school setting. Public education in Suffolk and Nansemond County, Virginia had its beginnings in 1871 when the first school boards were appointed for those localities. Nineteen years later, there still existed no secondary educational opportunities for the Blacks of Nansemond County. In order to address this lack, Blacks in the county pooled their resources and started their own school, Nansemond Collegiate Institute. Founded in 1890, Nansemond Collegiate Institute provided for the elementary and secondary educational needs of Black youth in Nansemond County, Virginia for nearly fifty years. This school was a case study of local control and self-help. The school maintained a classical educational curriculum during the time when the Hampton Industrial Education model was being touted as the preferred model of education for Blacks. Under the leadership of five principals, four of whom were ministers, the Institute demonstrated the power of a community to control its own destiny. The Institute's supporters raised the funds needed to establish and run the school. It struggled for many years with funding and curriculum issues. The school's last principal, Mr. William Huskerson, arrived in 1926. He made several advances in terms of funding and building. His tenure, however, began just one year before the county established its first public high school for Blacks. This competition and a series of "suspicious" fires ultimately led to the close of the Nansemond Collegiate Institute. This closing did not occur before the Institute had opened possibilities for many Blacks who might not otherwise have had varied career choices. By having existed, Nansemond Collegiate Institute had a lasting impact on the lives of many Blacks of Nansemond County. / Ed. D.

Student Number : 0111065D - PhD thesis - School of Architecture and Planning - Faculty of Engineering and the Built Environment / This thesis deals with self-help housing networks in Nairobi, Kenya and Johannesburg, South Africa. It starts by discussing some of the current manifestations and challenges of self-help housing in the two contexts. It locates these against neo-liberal development paradigms in Kenya and South Africa. It reviews some of the main theories and concepts that have been applied to understand self-help housing, arguing that there are many issues that these lenses fail to explain. Amongst these are the relationships amongst actors and the ways resources are exchanged in self-help housing. The thesis discusses some of the key resources used for self-help housing in Nairobi and Johannesburg, namely: land, finance, labour, materials and technology, and infrastructure and services. It develops a case for network analysis of these resources and actors in self-help housing. The second part of the thesis is dedicated to analysis of self-help housing networks in Nairobi and Johannesburg, based on empirical data. The three categories of networks analysed are: individual-based ego-centric networks; group-based networks of collective action; and content-of-ties-based networks of exchange. The study compares self-help housing networks in Nairobi and Johannesburg. On one hand, lack of the state intervention in Kenya has resulted in self-help housing in Nairobi being accessed almost exclusively through networks. On the other hand, state intervention in South Africa has resulted in weakening of ties within local groups and domination of state/market hierarchies in access to various self-help housing resources in Johannesburg. The major conclusion from this study is that, in both cities, networks remain a viable third way of provision of housing, in addition to (not instead of) housing production through state/market hierarchies and decentralised models. Networks tend to overcome lack of inclusion dominant in state/market hierarchies and lack of capacity, endemic in decentralised models. In terms of analysis, the study shows that network theories are relevant to understanding the operations of actors and access to resources in low-income housing, complementing sector-based understanding, which remains dominant in analysis of low-income housing today.