This survey research was designed to identify play therapy behaviors of sexually abused children. A survey instrument was developed from a comprehensive review of the professional literature and the assistance of an expert panel. After a field test, 140 items of play therapy behavior were developed into a survey instrument. The respondent was asked to rate on a Likert scale the frequency of occurrence of these play therapy behaviors of sexually abused children. Each play therapy behavior was rated for the following four groups: Males, 3-6 Years; Females, 3-6 Years; Males, 7-10 Years and Females, 7-10 Years. The entire international membership of the Association of Play Therapy (APT) was used to obtain the largest possible number of viable responses. As anticipated, of the 786 replies, 41% were not seeing sexually abused children in play therapy. In order to insure the most robust findings possible, it was determined to utilize data from the 249 most experienced play therapists (having worked with 16 or more sexually abused children). The typical respondent in this group was a female play therapist, 40-50 years of age, with a Masters degree in Counseling or Social Work.

A dissertation submitted in fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts in the Department of Psychology, University of Zululand, South Africa, 2002. / The purpose of this study was to explore and uncover the levels of stress and emotional difficulties of victims of sexual abuse through their written narratives. The study involved five females who had been recently sexually abused and had sought assistance at the Empangeni Crisis Centre. In the present study, the researcher used purposive sampling in selecting the research respondents. Data was collected in a series of individual interviews during which individual assessments were also done. All interviews with the subjects were conducted in Zulu in order to avoid any misunderstanding. Qualitative data analysis was used to analyze the thematic content of the narratives to uncover the themes, attitudes, fears and hopes. The following conclusions were drawn from the study: • The written narratives of sexually abused children proved to be an important and a rich source of understanding the experiences of victims of sexual abuse. • Thoughts and feelings experienced by the research respondents including amongst others, loss of trust, anger, guilt, hatred, depression, helplessness and loss of self- esteem are not different from those expressed by individuals with post-traumatic stress disorder. Most participants in this research were victims of incest. This finding confirms the work of Nevid et al., (2000) that the great majority .of assailants had some prior relationship with the child. The present study strongly implicates abuse by a parent figure, a factor also supported by the findings of Cahill, Llewelyn and Pearson (1991). In the light of the above-findings, the researcher recommends that a great deal of research is needed to enable us to understand the mechanism, processes, conditions and the many other variables in operation in the development of the kinds of problems which have been identified in children who are victims of sexual abuse.

No description available.

Sexually transmitted infections (STIs) are a common health problem in all populations; however, female adolescents are at increased risk for acquiring STIs and their complications. Their increased risk of acquiring STIs is due to their behavior, anatomy. and lack of knowledge about STIs. STIs have many complications in women. Some complications include: pelvic inflammatory disease, ectopic pregnancy, chronic pelvic pain, and infertility. The purpose of this integrative review is to identify current sexual behaviors of female adolescents, and to find strategies at preventing or reducing STIs within this population. Nurses and other health care providers need to know the current statistics of STIs in adolescent females, and need to understand their current sexual behaviors in order to implement effective preventative strategies.

When a child has been sexually abused, the non-offending parent and child may benefit from an intervention aimed at enhancing the parent child relationship. This mixed-methods study examined the process of child parent relationship therapy (CPRT) with non-offending parents of children who had been sexually abused. One purpose of the present study was to examine change in parent-child relationship, child behavior, and parent empathy of non-offending parents whose children have been sexually abused after participation in CPRT. A secondary purpose of this study was to explore subjective experiences of non-offending parents who participate in CPRT. Participants (N = 8) completed 11 weeks of CPRT in either Spanish speaking (n = 4) or English speaking (n = 4) groups. All participants completed pretest and posttest instruments including Child Behavior Checklist, Parenting Stress Index, and Measurement of Empathy in Adult-Child Interaction. Pretest and posttest means were reported but because of small sample size, only descriptive statistics are reported. Possible trends in pretest/posttest mean scores of the quantitative instruments are discussed. All participants also completed a post semi-structured interview to account for the experience of participants qualitatively. Analysis of the qualitative data revealed enhanced parent-child relationships, improved communication, greater acceptance, positive parental internal changes, positive behavioral changes in child, and positive changes in discipline.

Thesis (M.A. (Clinical Psychology)) -- University of Limpopo, 2022 / Sexually transmitted infections (STIs) remain a serious global health challenge, which if left untreated, may threaten an individual’s health. The challenge regarding the prevention of STI transmission is the asymptomatic nature of STIs during their early stages. Hence, STI testing is vital in tackling the devastating impact of STIs. The Health Belief Model (HBM) provided a lens through which to understand the study as it provides a basis upon which to predict health behaviours. The study employed a qualitative research method. The study aimed to explore University of Limpopo students’ perceptions towards STI testing. The objectives of the study were (1) to establish the perceptions of second-year Psychology students at the University of Limpopo towards STI testing, and (2) to determine the importance of testing for STIs among second-year Psychology students at the University of Limpopo. The study purposively sampled 15 second-year Psychology students at the University of Limpopo. It was found that the participants were knowledgeable about STI testing. The study revealed psychological effects associated with STI testing ranging from anxiety-related attacks, stress, depression, and insomnia, among others. It further revealed important aspects learned about STI testing, i.e. that some STIs are curable, early detection facilitate early treatment, and STIs are not a myth. The importance of STI testing was also determined. It was also noted that it is important to know one’s health status to prevent mother-to-child transmission and health consequences. The study further established the experiences of STI testing, such as anxiety, stress, feeling embarrassed, ashamed, and overwhelmed. In addition, it was found that students are reluctant to test for STIs because of low-risk perception of contracting STIs, the fear of receiving positive test results, lack of knowledge, stigma, and the judgemental attitude of health professionals. The findings also revealed that students consider testing to be a good health behaviour, although the majority of them rarely consult for STI testing. Constructive counselling is highly recommended for those who consult for STI testing. It is further recommended that future research should be conducted in other universities with broader sample size.

published_or_final_version / Social Work and Social Administration / Master / Master of Social Sciences

No description available.

The general purpose of this study was to duplicate research conducted by Beverley Joyce Miller Pitts, Ph.D., regarding the newswriting process of practicing journalists. (Future reference regarding this study will be termed the Pitts study.) In an effort to update previous research, this study sought to: review literature published between 1981 and 1987, update research conducted since 1981, support or disprove previous findings as documented in the Pitts study, and provide further research regarding the journalist's newswriting process. The study was conducted separately from previous research; thereby adopting an objective atmosphere in which research and data were obtained. The methodology and procedure of this study were replicated from the Pitts study to ensure consistency in research methods. All analyses, discussions, summaries, conclusions, observations, and recommendations, presented in this study, are based solely on data gathered during the research and presentation phases of this study.Although the Pitts study, 1981, consisted of protocol analysis case studies of three practicing journalists, the study contained herein focuses on the case study of one isolated journalist. As with the Pitts study, this study sought to gather data which describes the overall thought process as executed by a practicing journalist. The primary research tool utilized was protocol analysis. During taped sessions, these verbal protocols required the journalist to "think out loud" while composing the news story.Three protocol case studies were comprised. The first protocol session, the journalist was provided with a fact sheet from which to write. In the second and third protocol sessions, the journalist composed news stories based upon events covered on the daily beat. All three stories were composed on a video display terminal (VDT). The three protocol transcripts, follow-up interviews, reporter's notes, and the completed stories provided the data for analysis. These may be found in the Appendix. The coding scheme used in the Pitts study, which isolated and labeled activities of the newswriting process, was utilized; thus, deciphering the thought process evoked from the journalist when composing newsworthy articles.Journalist Kristi Stone, reporter for the Muncie Star, was selected to participate in this study.Findings indicated that the selection and writing of the lead was the most time-consuming task, that the writer wrote in a patterned sequence, that the writercomposed the story in small units, that goals, planning, and evaluations were short-term in nature, and that the writer created sentences as they were being typed into the VDT. In addition, the writer demonstrated recursiveness in her writing style, and had difficulty in composing stories when the newsgathering element was omitted.A major finding was that the task of writing the lead was the initial step in the writing process and had to be completed before any other writing could take place. The selection of the lead determined the direction of the story; thus, it was the most important act the writer performed. The story was organized as it was written, not planned in advance. The writer planned and wrote one sentence at a time incorporating a series of activities aimed at completing an immediate task. Editing was an important part of the writing process as well as a tool for refining. Memory was an important tool for obtaining information during the writing process. Recall was used for the purposes of remembering information from the newsgathering process, while notes provided the specific details of the incident. The newsgathering task was an integral part of the newswriting process, serving as a catalyst for the story's composition. Difficulty in writing occurred when the newsgathering process was omitted; thus, the newsgathering and newswriting tasks worked in unison and were so closely related they could not easily be separated.The findings documented in this research paper support the previous findings by Pitts conducted in her 1981 port the previous findings by study in that:the lead was the most important taskselection and writing of the lead took place first editing was an integral part of the writing process, not a separate act of refining memory served to recall overall story ideas and informationnotes provided a tool for obtaining specific pieces of informationwriters planned and wrote one sentence at a time by orchestrating a complex set of activities directed at completion of an immediate task.l1Beverly Joyce Miller Pitts, "The Newswriting Process: A Protocl Analysis Case Study of Three Practicing Journalists," Ed.D. Dissertation, Ball State University, pp. 2-3. / Department of Psychological Science

A Thesis submitted to The University of Arizona College of Medicine - Phoenix in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Medicine. / Chlamydia and gonorrhea are among the most frequently reported infectious diseases in the United States. These two diseases are easily treated with antibiotics; however, challenges exist in providing treatment to cases and their sexual partners. Maricopa County implemented a Field Delivered Therapy (FDT) protocol to treat chlamydia and gonorrhea cases and contacts in 2009. Ultimately, this project sought to inform other public health departments across the United States regarding the benefits of FDT program to treat gonorrhea and chlamydia and provide better insight on how to treat the two most commonly reported infectious diseases. Existing data was analyzed from April 1, 2011 to October 31, 2014 (42 months) for all patients that received FDT in Maricopa County utilizing pharmacy records and electronic health records (PRISM and eClinicalWorks). The following pieces of information were collected from these data sources: gender, age, race/ethnicity, diagnosis, number of partners, and time to treatment. The data were then divided into four FDT groups (FDT, expedited partner therapy via FDT, FDT attempted and FDT planned). There were 172 patients in this analysis; 140 diagnosed or in contact with chlamydia and 16 diagnosed or in contact with gonorrhea. There were 79 patients (45.9%) in the FDT group, 28 (16.3%) in the FDT EPT group, 28 (16.3%) in the FDT attempted and 37 (21.5%) in the FDT planned group. The median age of these patients was 23.8 (range 16.6‐31); 111 (64.5%) were female. The median time to treatment for these patients was 24.6 days (range 0‐64.5 days). Most patients (79.6%) lived outside of central Phoenix. The median number of sexual partners reported by these patients was 6.6 (range 1‐19.7 partners). A majority of the patients were <25 years old, except for in the FDT EPT group where 100% of patients were >25 years old. And the group with the largest <19‐year‐old population (32%) was in the FDT group. All the groups had a female majority, except in the FDT EPT group where 75% of the patients were male. Most patients in the FDT only group received testing at an outside hospital or outpatient clinic, while the FDT attempted and planned were more often tested at the STD clinic. Future Direction/Conclusion Many of the patients that received FDT are young women, some pregnant, that lived outside of Central Phoenix. However, a majority of the overall clients that received expedited partner therapy via FDT were male, a typically hard to reach population for treatment of potentially asymptomatic infections. This study demonstrates an effective method of delivering partner treatment to men. This study can be used to inform other public health departments about this novel practice and to help Maricopa County grow their FDT program to reach even more untreated patients.