Adolescent suicide and attempted suicide is an unhealthy practice that involves mental illness which led the suicidal behavior to be an important public health problem globally and in Africa. Suicide prevalence rates in young people in South Africa and in all major ethnic groups are a significant cause for concern. The adolescent mental illness causes sleepless nights on the education system. Though much research has been done on this problem it still remains one of the leading causes of death amongst adolescent learners locally and globally. As a parent and an educator reading news articles, attending memorial services and funerals of adolescent learners who took their own lives, gave me enough reason for actions to be taken in order to find out what is causing adolescents to commit suicide. During this emotional experience as the researcher, I have discovered that the adolescent stage is a very fragile stage. I also discovered that when life stresses strike, coping as an adolescent becomes difficult. This study focuses on an in-depth study of the causative factors of suicide and attempted suicide amongst the adolescent learners of Tshwane North (D3) area. The topic was investigated by means of a literature study and an empirical investigation using a qualitative approach. Data was collected by means of focus group discussion and one to one interview using a tape recorder and taking notes. Participant's answers were analysed individually and compared with all others. Findings shows that adolescent suicide and attempted suicide is a mental disorder that need to be addressed by including physicians and psychologists, upon realizing the warning signs of suicide in order to minimalize the practice. It is also clear that adolescence is a fragile stage of growth and adolescents struggle to cope with life challenges such as peer pressure, parent separations, socialization, pregnancy, chronic illness and academic pressure. It is recommended that NGOs in collaboration with the Health and Education Departments need to take action by organizing workshops to address causative factors of suicide and how to find help when realizing a suicidal adolescent learner. The department of education needs to ensure that adolescent suicide and attempted suicide preventative strategies should be taught from primary school level and be added to life skills subject in all grades. Life Orientation educator's to be trained about adolescent suicide to be well equipped to teach learners on how to recognize warning signs in their peers and friends. / Inclusive Education / M. Ed. (Inclusive Education)

A study was conducted to describe and interpret the personal strategies that South African Police Service officers in the Vhembe District, Limpopo Province, use in their line of work. These are strategies to deal with the impact of the primary victims’ critical incidents of rape, domestic violence, murder and road accidents. The focus was on describing the impact of the critical incidents that the officers are exposed to, which manifest in a form of traumatic stress, namely, vicarious traumatisation, and management of this impact. Twenty participants were selected through purposive and theoretical sampling techniques from the family violence, child protection and sexual offences, domestic violence, field training, detective and social crime prevention units. Unstructured open-ended interviews, diaries and follow-up telephone interviews were used as data collection methods and data were collected in the participants’ home languages, Tshivenda and Xitsonga. Data gathered necessitated looking into both the aspects of the officers’ organisational and operational work. Data were thus analysed through the content thematic and constant comparative data analysis methods. The results first presented a profile of police vicarious traumatisation in the Vhembe District, which include the types of critical incidents exposed to, the organisational and operational stressors that lead to vicarious traumatisation, and the description of vicarious traumatisation symptoms. Second, a theoretical framework of the process of police critical incidents impact management (PCIIM) was developed. The framework shows that the management of the impact of the encountered incidents is inspired by various coping needs and subcultures of the officers, and the management takes place through the use of two styles of trauma management, namely, the linear and multilateral styles, which refer to application of coping strategies successively and the combination of horizontal and vertical application of coping strategies, respectively. The coping strategies used by the officers help them to have an objective understanding of the critical incidents encountered, have less severe symptoms of vicarious traumatisation, some symptoms last for shorter periods than before, and other symptoms are no longer experienced. Resilience to the encountered incidents is shown through the development of coping strategies to handle the incidents, facing them, and showing cognitive hardiness. The officers also manage to reflect on the experiences encountered, engage in narratives about them and mutual help thus still working towards attaining posttraumatic growth. / Psychology / D. Litt. et Phil. (Psychology)

Die wachsende Zahl an Menschen, die aus ihren Herkunftsländern fliehen musste und nach 2015 in Berlin ankam, stellte städtische Einrichtungen und die Bereitstellung sozioökonomischer Dienstleistungen für Personen mit diversen soziokulturellem und politischen Hintergründen vor eine große Herausforderung. Es gilt anzunehmen, dass zusätzlich zu früheren traumatischen Erfahrungen, der mehrdimensionale und komplizierte Prozess der Verteilung von Geflüchteten in städtischen Räumen zu Belastungen führen und die Prävalenz psychischer Störungen erhöhen kann. Angesichts der Tatsache, dass geflüchtete Frauen verstärkt unter verschiedenen Formen stressbedingter Störungen leiden, zielt die Dissertation darauf ab, jene sozialen Stressoren in drei verschiedenen sozio-räumlichen Settings zu untersuchen, welchen sich geflüchtete Frauen bei ihrer Ankunft in Berlin ausgesetzt wahrnahmen. / The growing number of forcibly displaced people arriving in Berlin after 2015 brought about an extensive challenge in providing urban socio-economic facilities and services for numerous individuals from different socio-cultural and political backgrounds. The multi-dimensional and complicated process of resettlement of refugees in urban spaces, in addition to their earlier traumatic experiences, might result in distress and intensify the prevalence of mental disorders. Considering that refugee women are more likely to suffer from various forms of stress-related disorders, the dissertation aimed to evaluate the perceived social stressors by refugee women in three different socio-spatial settings upon their arrival in Berlin.

Thèse de doctorat présenté en vue de l'obtention du doctorat en psychologie - recherche intervention, option psychologie clinique (Ph.D) / L'infertilité est reconnue non seulement comme une maladie médicale, mais aussi comme une condition sociale et émotionnelle (Burns et Covington, 2006; Pawar et al., 2020; The Lancet Global Health, 2022). Bien que les études aient, de plus en plus, commencé à étudier l'impact de l'infertilité sur le bien-être psychologique et social (p. ex., Drosdzol et Skrzypulec, 2008; Hasanpoor-Azghdy et al., 2015), les chercheurs en connaissent toujours peu sur le bien-être sexuel des couples qui suivent un traitement de fertilité. Des recherches ont montré que les couples ayant recours à la procréation médicalement assistée (PMA) sont plus susceptibles d'éprouver des difficultés sexuelles que les couples fertiles (Starc et al., 2019). Toutefois, les facteurs qui permettent d’expliquer ces difficultés chez les couples ayant recours à la PMA ont été très peu étudiés à ce jour. Ainsi, en utilisant une approche biopsychosociale de la compréhension de l’infertilité (Gerrity, 2001; Grinion, 2005; Williams et al., 1992) et de la sexualité (Althof et al., 2005; McCabe et al., 2010), cette thèse examine à la fois les facteurs spécifiques à l'infertilité et les facteurs dyadiques sous-jacents au bien-être sexuel des couples infertiles. Afin de mieux comprendre les facteurs spécifiques à l'infertilité associés à la fonction sexuelle des couples qui ont recours à la PMA, une première étude transversale dyadique a été menée auprès de 185 couples de sexes mixtes en processus de PMA qui ont rempli en ligne l’outil Fertility Quality of Life Tool et soit le Female Sexual Function Index (femmes) ou le International Index of Erectile Function (hommes). L'étude a examiné les facteurs de stress personnels et relationnels, et le désir sexuel, l’orgasme, l’excitation et la satisfaction sexuelle des deux partenaires. Les associations entre les caractéristiques liées au diagnostic de l’infertilité et au traitement et les domaines de fonction sexuelle et la satisfaction sexuelle des deux partenaires ont également été examinées pour déterminer si ces variables seraient incluses comme covariables dans les analyses principales. Les analyses acheminatoires ont révélé que pour les hommes et les femmes, les facteurs de stress émotionnels liés à l'infertilité étaient associés à leur propre désir sexuel et à celui de leurs partenaires. Pour les femmes, les facteurs de stress émotionnels liés à l'infertilité étaient également associés à une satisfaction sexuelle plus faible chez leur partenaire et les facteurs de stress corps-esprit étaient associés à une excitation sexuelle plus faible chez leur partenaire. Les facteurs de stress relationnels liés à l'infertilité étaient également associés à une excitation et satisfaction sexuelle plus faibles des individus et à une satisfaction sexuelle plus faible chez leur partenaire. Pour les femmes, les facteurs de stress relationnels liés à l'infertilité étaient également associés à leur propre désir sexuel et orgasme. Ces résultats suggèrent que les interventions portant sur les sphères émotionnelles, psychocorporelles et relationnelles des couples en PMA pourraient aider à faciliter l'amélioration de la fonction et de la satisfaction sexuelles et à mieux répondre aux besoins des couples infertiles. S'appuyant sur les résultats de la première étude, qui suggèrent que l'expérience subjective des couples en matière d'infertilité et de traitement, en particulier les facteurs de stress relationnels, semblent être plus fortement associés à leur santé sexuelle que les facteurs objectifs liés au traitement, le deuxième article visait à étudier les processus relationnels qui sous-tendent le bien-être sexuel des couples. Plus précisément, l'étude a examiné si les perceptions de gestion du stress dyadique (GSD) du partenaire et de la façon dont les deux partenaires gèrent ensemble le stress (GSD commun) sont associées au bien-être sexuel des deux partenaires chez les couples en processus de PMA. Les participants comprenaient 232 couples avec une infertilité médicale qui ont rempli des questionnaires évaluant la gestion du stress dyadique et le bien-être sexuel (préoccupations sexuelles liées à l'infertilité, détresse sexuelle et satisfaction sexuelle). Les analyses acheminatoires ont révélé que les perceptions que le partenaire utilise plus de stratégies de GSD négatives étaient associées à un bien-être sexuel plus faibles des individus. Les perceptions que le partenaire utilise plus de stratégies de GSD positives étaient associées à une satisfaction sexuelle plus élevée pour les hommes et à des préoccupations sexuelles liées à l'infertilité plus élevées pour les femmes. Les perceptions d’une utilisation plus élevée de GSD commun étaient associées à un bien-être sexuel plus élevé chez les deux partenaires. Pour les hommes, les perceptions d’une utilisation plus élevée de GSD commun étaient également associées à des préoccupations sexuelles liées à l'infertilité plus faibles chez leur partenaire. Les analyses étaient ajustées pour la satisfaction relationnelle. Ces résultats suggèrent que le bien-être sexuel des couples pendant les traitements de fertilité pourrait être facilité en favorisant une gestion de stress dyadique commun plus élevée et soulignent que le contexte interpersonnel entourant la sexualité de ces couples devrait être systématiquement abordé auprès des deux membres du couple. / Infertility is recognized as being not only a medical illness, but also a social and emotional condition (Burns & Covington, 2006; Pawar et al., 2020; The Lancet Global Health, 2022). Although studies have increasingly begun to investigate the impact of infertility on psychological and social well-being (e.g., Drosdzol & Skrzypulec, 2008; Hasanpoor-Azghdy et al., 2015), little remains known about the sexual well-being of couples undergoing fertility treatment. Research has shown that couples seeking assisted reproductive technology (ART) are more likely to experience sexual difficulties than fertile couples (Starc et al., 2019). However, very few studies have examined the factors that may explain these difficulties in couples seeking ART. Hence, using a biopsychosocial approach to the understanding of infertility (Gerrity, 2001; Grinion, 2005; Williams et al., 1992) and sexuality (Althof et al., 2005; McCabe et al., 2010), this thesis examines both infertility-specific and dyadic factors underlying the sexual well-being of infertile couples. To better understand the infertility-specific factors associated with the sexual function of couples seeking ART, a first dyadic cross-sectional study was conducted with 185 mixed-sex couples seeking ART who completed online the Fertility Quality of Life Tool and either the Female Sexual Function Index (women) or the International Index of Erectile Function (men). The study examined the association between personal and relational stressors and the sexual desire, orgasm, arousal, and sexual satisfaction of couples seeking ART. The associations between diagnosis and treatment-related factors and both partners’ domains of sexual function and sexual satisfaction were also examined to determine whether these variables should be included as covariates in the main analyses. Path analyses revealed that for men and women, infertility-related emotional stressors were associated with their own and their partners’ lower sexual desire. For women, experiencing greater infertility-related emotional stressors was also associated with their partner’s lower sexual satisfaction and experiencing greater infertility-related mind-body stressors was associated with their partner’s lower sexual arousal. Infertility-related relational stressors were also associated with individuals’ own lower sexual arousal and satisfaction and their partner’s lower sexual satisfaction. For women, experiencing greater relational stressors was also associated with their own lower sexual desire and orgasm. These results suggest that interventions addressing the emotional, mind-body, and relational spheres of couples seeking ART may help facilitate improvements in sexual function and satisfaction and better serve infertile couples’ needs. Building on the results of the first study, which suggest that couples’ subjective experience of infertility and treatment, particularly relational stressors, seem to be more strongly associated with their sexual well-being than objective treatment-related factors, the second study aimed to investigate the relational processes that underly couples’ sexual well-being. More specifically, the study examined whether perceptions of the partner’s dyadic coping (DC) and of how both partners cope together (common DC) are associated with both partners’ sexual well-being in couples seeking ART. Participants included 232 couples with medical infertility who completed questionnaires assessing dyadic coping and sexual well-being (infertility-related sexual concerns, sexual distress, and sexual satisfaction). The path analyses revealed that perceptions of partners’ use of higher negative DC were associated with individuals’ own lower sexual well-being. Perceptions of partners’ use of higher positive DC were associated with higher sexual satisfaction for men and greater infertility-related sexual concerns for women. Perceptions of higher use of common DC were associated with both partners’ higher sexual well-being. For men, perceptions of higher use of common DC were also associated with their partner’s fewer infertility-related sexual concerns (partner effect). Analyses adjusted for relationship satisfaction. These results suggest that couples’ sexual well-being during fertility treatment could be facilitated by promoting greater common DC and highlight that the interpersonal context surrounding these couples’ sexuality should be routinely discussed with both members of the couple.

Объектом исследования являются стресс и стрессоустойчивость старших подростков. Предметом исследования стал стресс и стрессоустойчивость старших подростков к современным стрессорам во внешней среде. Магистерская диссертация состоит из введения, двух глав, заключения, списка литературы (63 источников) и приложения, включающего в себя бланки применявшихся методик. Объем магистерской диссертации 85 страниц, на которых размещены 4 рисунка и 25 таблиц. Во введении раскрывается актуальность проблемы исследования, разработанность проблематики, ставятся цель и задачи исследования, определяются объект и предмет исследования, формулируется гипотеза, указываются методы и эмпирическая база, а также этапы проведения исследования, научная новизна, теоретическая и практическая значимость работы. Первая глава включает в себя обзор статей и отечественной литературы по теме повышения стрессоустойчивости старших подростков к неблагоприятным условиям внешней среды. Представлены разделы, посвященные исследованию показателей структурных составляющих стресса и стрессоустойчивости у старших подростков. Выводы по первой главе представляют собой итоги по изучению теоретического материала. Вторая глава посвящена эмпирической части исследования. В ней представлено описание организации и методов проведенного исследования и результатов, полученных по всем использованным методикам: методика выявления степени подверженности стрессорным воздействиям» Е.А Тарасова, Шкала PSM-25 Лемура-Тесье-Филлиона (адаптация Н.Е. Водопьяновой), методика диагностики тревожности Ч.Д. Спилбергера (адаптация Ю.Л. Ханина), «Диагностика стрессоустойчивости личности» Н.П. Фетискина. Также в главе представлена разработка и апробация программы тренинга по повышению стрессоустойчивости старших подростков к неблагоприятным условиям внешней среды. Выводы по главе 2 включают в себя основные результаты эмпирического исследования. В заключении в обобщенном виде изложены результаты теоретической и эмпирической частей работы, а также выводы по выдвинутым гипотезам, обоснована практическая значимость исследования и описаны возможные перспективы дальнейшей разработки данной проблематики. / The object of the study is stress and stress tolerance of older adolescents. The subject of the study is stress and stress tolerance of older adolescents to modern stressors in the external environment. Master's thesis consists of an introduction, two chapters, conclusion, list of literature (63 sources) and an appendiсes, including forms of applied methods. The volume of the master's thesis is 85 pages with 4 figures and 25 tables. The introduction reveals the relevance of the research problem, the development of the issues, sets the purpose and objectives of the study, defines the object and subject of the study, formulates hypothesis, specifies the methods and empirical basis, as well as the stages of the study, scientific novelty, theoretical and practical significance of the work. The first chapter includes a review of articles and domestic literature on the topic of increasing stress tolerance of older adolescents to unfavorable external environment. Sections devoted to the study of indicators of structural components of stress and stress tolerance of their interrelationships in older adolescents are presented. The conclusions of the first chapter represent the results of the study of theoretical material. The second chapter is devoted to the empirical part of the research. It presents a description of the organization and methods of the study and the results obtained by all the methods used: the technique of identifying the degree of exposure to stressors” E.A. Tarasov, PSM-25 Lemur-Tessier-Phillion Scale (adapted by N.E. Vodopyanova), anxiety diagnostic technique C.D. Spielberger (adapted by Y.L. Khanin), ‘Diagnostics of personality stress resistance’ N.P. Fetiskin. Also, the chapter presents the development and approbation of the training program to improve stress tolerance of older adolescents unfavorable external environment. The conclusions of Chapter 2 include the main results of the empirical study. The conclusion summarizes the results of the theoretical and empirical parts of the work, as well as conclusions on the hypotheses, substantiates the practical significance of the study and describes possible development perspective of this issue.

This sociological study investigates the effects of work stress on family dynamics. Job demands, like heavy workload and working overtime, could have an effect on family members to fulfill role obligations and vital family functions according to Parsons’s, Murdock’s and Merton’s functionalist theories. By employing qualitative research techniques, fifty in-depth interviews guided by an interview schedule are conducted. The three research questions or tentative hypotheses, based on the functionalist theory, are answered by the findings from the data gathered. An inductive strategy is used to gather and interpret data to eventually build new theory. Theory is grounded in the data, hence grounded theory. The findings are categorized in terms of the research questions and describe and explain how the family is affected when work stress is experienced by the employee and family member. Possible explanations are offered as to why this occurs. Recommendations for further research are also made. / Sociology / M.A. (Sociology)

Job insecurity in the workplace has become an increasingly important trend in organisational research. The appraisal of job insecurity by individuals plays a significant part in how reactions manifest in the experiences of workplace stressors, job satisfaction, positive and negative work attributes and social support. However, there is a lack of research regarding specific workplace stressors at work leading to certain outcomes like safety behaviour, turnover intention and mental health, especially within a South African working context. Job insecurity has also been classified as a workplace stressor. The existence of other stressors tends to increase the ultimate effect of insecurity for the individual. The attempts from organisational management to manage this phenomenon are therefore crucial in decreasing the negative effects of job insecurity and increasing the productivity of the organisation. In order to measure the job insecurity levels of employees, it is important to make use of valid and reliable job insecurity measures. An absence of empirical research on validity and reliability studies in terms of job insecurity in South African is evident. The main objectives of this research were: 1) to establish the psychometric properties of a measure of job insecurity in a selected gold mining company in South Africa; 2) to determine the influence of job insecurity and work stress (i.e. role conflict, clarity and overload) on worker safety performance and if coping could moderate this; 3) to investigate the theoretical and empirical relationships between job stressors (task completion ambiguity and task quality ambiguity), competency demands, employability perceptions, job satisfaction and turnover intention over time, and 4) to investigate if social support has a mediating effect between positive interpersonal attributes, negative interpersonal attributes, job insecurity and subsequent health. To achieve the first objective, a cross-sectional design was used (N = 566), including various business units of a South African-based gold mining company. The assessment of the psychometric properties of a measure of quantitative and qualitative job insecurity for employees was determined through construct (structural) equivalence, exploratory factor analysis and multivariate analysis of variance to calculate the comparison of the factor structure for the different cultural groups. For qualitative job insecurity, the scale shows low equivalence for the African languages group. Statistically significant differences were found between the levels of job insecurity of employees in terms of gender. The second objective, concerning the investigation into the relationship of work stress and job insecurity with unsafe behaviour at work, was achieved with across-sectional survey design (N = 771). The hypothesised model included the influence of role conflict, role ambiguity, role overload, and job insecurity on unsafe work behaviour. Coping was introduced as a moderator in this relationship. The results indicated that when employees experience work stress and job insecurity, their safety compliance is low. This relationship was also moderated by a coping strategy of Avoidance. To achieve the third objective, a longitudinal study was conducted and data was gathered by means of an electronic survey, with 771 employees participating at Time 1, and 345 participating at Time 2. Results for predicting employees’ turnover intentions, experience of task completion and quality ambiguity, external employability and job satisfaction made a direct contribution in predicting their turnover intention. No mediating role of job satisfaction between job stressors, competency demands and employability perceptions on the one hand and turnover intentions on the other hand, were found. Addressing the fourth objective in investigating the moderating role of social support between the relationship of experiencing positive interpersonal (communication with the manager and feedback), negative interpersonal experiences (powerlessness and interpersonal conflict), job insecurity (quantitative and qualitative) and health, was met with a longitudinal random sample of employees in different business units in one selected multi-national mining company based in South Africa (N = 771). Results for these employees indicated that all the proposed variables, except feedback from the manager, were statistically significantly related to health. No moderating effect for social support could be found over time, but it was shown that interpersonal conflict at work is a longitudinal predictor of employee health. By way of conclusion, the implications of the research were discussed and recommendations for managers and for future research were made. / Thesis (PhD (Industrial Psychology))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2013.

Job insecurity in the workplace has become an increasingly important trend in organisational research. The appraisal of job insecurity by individuals plays a significant part in how reactions manifest in the experiences of workplace stressors, job satisfaction, positive and negative work attributes and social support. However, there is a lack of research regarding specific workplace stressors at work leading to certain outcomes like safety behaviour, turnover intention and mental health, especially within a South African working context. Job insecurity has also been classified as a workplace stressor. The existence of other stressors tends to increase the ultimate effect of insecurity for the individual. The attempts from organisational management to manage this phenomenon are therefore crucial in decreasing the negative effects of job insecurity and increasing the productivity of the organisation. In order to measure the job insecurity levels of employees, it is important to make use of valid and reliable job insecurity measures. An absence of empirical research on validity and reliability studies in terms of job insecurity in South African is evident. The main objectives of this research were: 1) to establish the psychometric properties of a measure of job insecurity in a selected gold mining company in South Africa; 2) to determine the influence of job insecurity and work stress (i.e. role conflict, clarity and overload) on worker safety performance and if coping could moderate this; 3) to investigate the theoretical and empirical relationships between job stressors (task completion ambiguity and task quality ambiguity), competency demands, employability perceptions, job satisfaction and turnover intention over time, and 4) to investigate if social support has a mediating effect between positive interpersonal attributes, negative interpersonal attributes, job insecurity and subsequent health. To achieve the first objective, a cross-sectional design was used (N = 566), including various business units of a South African-based gold mining company. The assessment of the psychometric properties of a measure of quantitative and qualitative job insecurity for employees was determined through construct (structural) equivalence, exploratory factor analysis and multivariate analysis of variance to calculate the comparison of the factor structure for the different cultural groups. For qualitative job insecurity, the scale shows low equivalence for the African languages group. Statistically significant differences were found between the levels of job insecurity of employees in terms of gender. The second objective, concerning the investigation into the relationship of work stress and job insecurity with unsafe behaviour at work, was achieved with across-sectional survey design (N = 771). The hypothesised model included the influence of role conflict, role ambiguity, role overload, and job insecurity on unsafe work behaviour. Coping was introduced as a moderator in this relationship. The results indicated that when employees experience work stress and job insecurity, their safety compliance is low. This relationship was also moderated by a coping strategy of Avoidance. To achieve the third objective, a longitudinal study was conducted and data was gathered by means of an electronic survey, with 771 employees participating at Time 1, and 345 participating at Time 2. Results for predicting employees’ turnover intentions, experience of task completion and quality ambiguity, external employability and job satisfaction made a direct contribution in predicting their turnover intention. No mediating role of job satisfaction between job stressors, competency demands and employability perceptions on the one hand and turnover intentions on the other hand, were found. Addressing the fourth objective in investigating the moderating role of social support between the relationship of experiencing positive interpersonal (communication with the manager and feedback), negative interpersonal experiences (powerlessness and interpersonal conflict), job insecurity (quantitative and qualitative) and health, was met with a longitudinal random sample of employees in different business units in one selected multi-national mining company based in South Africa (N = 771). Results for these employees indicated that all the proposed variables, except feedback from the manager, were statistically significantly related to health. No moderating effect for social support could be found over time, but it was shown that interpersonal conflict at work is a longitudinal predictor of employee health. By way of conclusion, the implications of the research were discussed and recommendations for managers and for future research were made. / Thesis (PhD (Industrial Psychology))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2013.

This sociological study investigates the effects of work stress on family dynamics. Job demands, like heavy workload and working overtime, could have an effect on family members to fulfill role obligations and vital family functions according to Parsons’s, Murdock’s and Merton’s functionalist theories. By employing qualitative research techniques, fifty in-depth interviews guided by an interview schedule are conducted. The three research questions or tentative hypotheses, based on the functionalist theory, are answered by the findings from the data gathered. An inductive strategy is used to gather and interpret data to eventually build new theory. Theory is grounded in the data, hence grounded theory. The findings are categorized in terms of the research questions and describe and explain how the family is affected when work stress is experienced by the employee and family member. Possible explanations are offered as to why this occurs. Recommendations for further research are also made. / Sociology / M.A. (Sociology)

This diploma work consists of theorethical and practical part. The theorethical part contains general characteristics of difficult life situations as stress, frustration and conflict. There are also mentioned techniques and factors for coping difficult life situations. The practical part contains a research, which deals perception difficult life situations by adolescents. The research was carried out by two questionnaires. At the end of the practical part there is a summary and an evaluation of results.