Abstract This pilot study examined the efficacy of Peer Support Australia’s anti-bullying module for primary schools’. A quantitative questionnaire was used to survey 77 students from two primary schools (mean age 10.1 years) in the greater Sydney, Australia area. One school implemented the anti-bullying intervention module, Speaking Up, (intervention school) the other school did not (non-intervention school). Students completed a survey containing questions relating to bullying behaviours in their school. This questionnaire was developed from Peer Relations Assessment Questionnaire Students (PRAQ) devised by Rigby and Slee (1993). This study has provided further evidence to suggest intervention programs are effective in reducing bullying behaviours. It has quantified the assumptions made regarding the efficacy of Speaking Up as a module which reduces bullying behaviours which was the principal purpose of this study. The current study into the anti-bullying intervention module, Speaking Up, provided further evidence for the following: • students developed friendships across the year groups; • students were more inclusive of others; • students developed the skills to support target students; and • students developed the skills to report bullying behaviours. The anti-bullying intervention module, Speaking Up, was shown to: • reduce the incidence of bullying behaviours; • change attitudes towards bullying behaviours in the culture of the school; • provide greater awareness of the different types of bullying behaviours; • provide support for the longer term benefits of the intervention program. Peer Support Australia’s primary schools anti-bullying module, Speaking Up, is an effective intervention strategy supporting students to develop the skills, knowledge and attitudes necessary to make a positive contribution to the creation and maintenance of a safe school environment by reducing bullying behaviours. The findings of the current study make a contribution to research already undertaken in this area.

Social support, and in particular perceived social support, has been established in past research to be related to many areas of functioning. Positive perceptions of social support have been associated with; happiness; well-being; mental health and, in children, school attainment. However, the majority of past research has been conducted in the USA, and little research has looked at perceived social support in the UK. Therefore, an in depth exploration of the perceptions of social support of children, within key stage two in the UK was undertaken to establish children’s viewpoints. This exploration indicates that children in the UK perceive social support from a wide range of sources, some of which have not been discussed in previous literature. These sources include an extensive range of family members, friends, and people in the community, as well as toys and animals. The style of support which children value is also wide ranging; it includes the desire for a sense of being seen and heard; their needs being responded to; time and attention being provided in a fun and interactive way; and having shared experiences or interests with their supporters . The exploration of perceived social support in the UK informed the development of a new scale of perceived social support (SOPSS). This scale has been initially piloted in a small group of children, appropriate adaptations have been made and a large scale pilot has been completed. The analysis of the SOPSS initially provides some good evidence that it is a reliable and valid tool. Although further refinement is required, as well as validation in a larger and more diverse population, the tool initially appears to be a valuable addition to the existing social support literature.

Den psykiska ohälsan bland Sveriges befolkning har ökat och i takt med den även internetanvändandet. Den ständiga tillgången till internet har öppnat upp för människor att söka hjälp och publicera egna livsberättelser om sitt mående. På internetbaserade mötesplatser har det skapats en gemenskap och öppnats upp för informella stödgrupper, som vem som helst kan ta del av då behovet uppstår. Internet erbjuder snabba svar på användarnas frågor, och den som använder mötesplatserna kan vara anonym när den kommenterar. Detta har skapat en utmaning för dagens socialarbetare, då klienterna väljer det informella stödet på internet istället för det professionella. För att samla in material till denna studie har den svenska influencern Therese Lindgrens YouTube-kanal använts, där kommentarsfälten till två av hennes filmer använts som empiriskt case. Studiens resultat visar på en kravlös gemenskap vid den digitala mötesplatsen, där användarna själva styr innehållet. Mötesplatsen har visat sig användas som ett ställe dit användarna vänder sig för att ge och ta emot råd, stötta andra och berätta om egna erfarenheter av ångest. Genom att studien synliggör den mediala utvecklingen och de informella stödgrupperna som finns på internet, kan den bidra till en förståelse av den utmaning som socialarbetare står inför. Efter att genomförd studie redogjorts, ges förslag om hur socialarbetare kan anpassa sig till den utveckling som skett. Detta förslag grundar sig i ett samarbete mellan influencers och professionella. Syftet med studien är att ge en inblick i digitala forum och hur dessa nyttjas som informell support av dess användare.

This thesis presents the development and evaluation of a computerized physician-parent decision support tool for a neonatal intensive care unit (NICU), known as Physician and Parent Decision Support (PPADS). The NICU is a specialized hospital unit that treats very-ill neonates. Many difficult care decisions are made daily for this vulnerable population. The PPADS tool aims to augment current NICU decision-making by helping parents and physicians make more informed decisions, improving physician-parent communication, increasing parent decision-making satisfaction, decreasing conflict, and increasing decision efficiency. The development of the PPADS tool followed a five-step methodology: assessing the clinical environment, establishing the design criteria, developing the system design, implementing the system, and performing usability testing. Usability testing of the PPADS tool was performed on neonatologists and on parents of neonates who have graduated (survived) from a tertiary level NICU. The usability testing demonstrated the usefulness and ease of use of the tool.

No description available.

Prostitution is the oldest form of oppression. Many prostituted women in South Africa wish to exit sex work, but are unable to because they have no other means of earning money. There is a dearth of research available on assisting prostituted women to exit sex work in South Africa. This study explored the effectiveness of a Cape Town-based NGO's - Embrace Dignity - exit intervention for prostituted women. Using semi-structured interviews it investigated the experiences of eight prostituted women in Cape Town. The research goal was to be able to inform improvements to the intervention for exit. An interpretative phenomenological approach was used to analyse interviews of women's experiences of the intervention. Findings revealed that attempting to exit prostitution in South Africa is an incredibly difficult and deeply complex process. An exploration of women's experiences of Embrace Dignity suggested that whilst it provides emotional and social support to prostituted women, it does not address their physical needs, most importantly that of employment. This study reveals that although emotional support plays a crucial role in assisting prostituted women to exit, it is secondary to the urgent physical support needed to satisfy the basic survival needs of prostituted women living in extreme poverty in South Africa.

No description available.

Child support is a means to financially support children, yet fewer than half of children eligible for child support receive full payment, with many receiving none. Child support nonpayment is a national concern that has led to negative repercussions for non-intact families, the community, and economic system. In some cases, noncustodial parents have an inability to pay. The purpose of this descriptive, phenomenological study was to understand custodial parental perceptions and experiences of noncustodial parent's inability to pay their child support. Social learning theory served as the conceptual framework for the study. In-depth interviews were conducted with a sample of 10 custodial parents ranging in age from 18 to 45 who had an active child support case enforced by a Domestic Relations Office in the northeastern United States but were not receiving payments due to the noncustodial parent's inability to pay. Audiotaped interviews were manually transcribed and coded for themes using a typology organization structure. Coding was based on key terms, word repetitions, and metaphors. Member checking and audit trails were used to establish the trustworthiness of the data. The findings revealed that many custodial parents did not trust that the noncustodial parent was being truthful in their claims of having a true inability to pay. Other custodial parents believed that the noncustodial parent could make more attempts to try to assist the custodial parent in the absence of financial support. The findings of this study may contribute to social change by advancing knowledge and policies within the child support system. Likewise, findings may assist caseworkers and clinicians in better understanding their client's experiences and challenges resulting in a better client service experience.

No description available.

No description available.