This study was concerned with developing and exploring a reasonably comprehensive scheme of categories which describes, from the perspective of adolescents, what facilitates their career development during the process of participating in the Partners Program. The critical incidents Technique was used to elicit 302 Incidents from nine dyads. Each dyad consisted of a parent and their high school adolescent. This study took place over a four-month period, and after completion of the program, the participants were interviewed individually to determine the events that facilitated the career development of the adolescent. Sixteen categories emerged from the incidents reported. Reliability was suggested by two independent raters who showed 100% agreement in categorization. Participation rate varying from 44% - 61% indicated the soundness of these categories. From an examination of the findings, theories surfaced from the categories that reflected the threefold aim of the Partners Program. Firstly it fosters career development by increasing self-awareness, career awareness and decision and planning capabilities. Secondly, it strengthens the family support network. Thirdly, it enables the adolescent to make better use of career resources and programs. It is suggested that there is a potency in family relationships in career counselling which could be a powerful ally for the professional counsellor. / Education, Faculty of / Educational and Counselling Psychology, and Special Education (ECPS), Department of / Graduate

While taking a personological approach to decision making theory, this thesis addresses the issue of how adolescents make occupational decisions. Implicit in this thesis is the idea that a personological approach to decision making has theoretical and practical significance when it is conducted through a personality orientation. The personality orientation used to examine adolescent decision making is the social cognitive theory of Berzonsky's identity-processing styles. Based on Berzonsky's identity-processing styles, 63 adolescents were classified as Informational, Normative and Diffuse/ avoidant for assessing the extent compensatory (high demand) and non-compensatory (reduced-demand) processing was used in an occupational choice situation that varied in cognitive complexity. Additional interest was also directed at determining whether the identity-processing styles reflected different intrinsic or extrinsic value preferences in their final choices. All processing data was derived through a computerizedinformation acquisition system called MOUSELAB. As hypothesized, the three identity-processing styles differed significantly in cognitive strategy usage and search behavior. Informational adolescents were seen to use a compensatory additive linear procedure; that is, they searched a large amount of information, in a constant fashion, for an extended period of time. Normative adolescents were seen to use a non-compensatory conjunctive procedure; that is, they searched a smaller amount of information, in a selective fashion, fora shorter period of time. Diffuse/avoidant adolescents were seen to use a non-compensatory elimination-by-aspect procedure; where the amount, selectivity and time of search was similar to the Normative adolescents. In regards to search direction, Informationals and Normatives were seen to assess occupational choices through an alternative-based search pattern whereas; Diffuse/avoidants were seen to lean towards an attribute-based search pattern. These processing results were true only for the high information load condition. Finally, as expected theoretically, value preferences were seen to vary according to an adolescent's identity-processing style. When making an occupational selection, Informational adolescents placed more emphases on intrinsic values (Feeling of Self-fulfilment, Intellectual Stimulation, Autonomy ect) whereas Normative adolescents placed more emphases on extrinsic values (Authority, Prestige, Wage etc). Diffuse/avoidant adolescents oscillated between the two value systems. Implications for decision making theory, applied suggestions for professionals counselling job-seeking adolescents and limitations of the study are discussed. / Education, Faculty of / Educational and Counselling Psychology, and Special Education (ECPS), Department of / Graduate

This research investigated the effects of mothers' and stepfathers' parental behaviors on late adolescent adjustment and the moderating effects of stepfathers' parental status on the relationship between stepfathers' parental behaviors and late adolescent adjustment. In Study 1 a measure for parental status (PSI: The Parental Status Inventory) was developed. Parental status, as a social cognition, addresses the degree to which the stepparent is perceived as a parent by the stepchild, the stepparent, and/or the residential parent. Findings resulted in a 14-item scale with good reliability (Cronbach's alpha .97). The PSI was moderately associated with attachment and closeness to the stepparent but was not associated with peer attachments. The PSI had a low to moderate association with the age of the respondent at the time the stepfamily originated. In Study 2, the effects of late adolescent perceptions of parental behaviors by mothers and stepfathers on late adolescent adjustment and the moderating effects of stepfathers' parental status on the relationship between his parenting behaviors and late adolescent adjustment were explored. Results of a series of hierarchical multiple regression analyses with interaction terms indicated that, of mothers' and stepfathers' parenting behaviors, only mothers' connection explained a significant amount of variance (10%) in female adaptive behaviors. The models explaining problem behavior in late adolescents did not show significant results for either females or males. Additional findings were that parental status did not moderate the effects of stepfathers' connection, regulation or psychological control on late adolescent adaptive or problem behaviors for either females or males. In summary, parental status did not moderate the variables in question. However, the evidence from this research suggests that the construct of parental status is valid and that the PSI is a valid and reliable measure. Together the construct of parental status and the PSI have the potential to contribute to the development of knowledge in stepfamilies in theoretical, research and clinical settings. / Education, Faculty of / Educational and Counselling Psychology, and Special Education (ECPS), Department of / Graduate

M.A. / Statistics obtained from both South Africa and the United States of America indicate that the phenomenon of violence amongst youths is increasing. Similarly, the number of adolescents being convicted of and detained for violent crimes such as assault is also on the increase. This implies that a larger number of youths are being exposed to the experience of violence and present with the complex and multi-dimensional effects of such an experience. Past research has centered mostly on the causative factors that can be statistically represented, with little focus being paid to the juveniles’ in-depth, subjective experience of the phenomenon. For the male adolescent, the experience of the phenomenon of violence is complex, diverse and may span across many aspects of his life, namely the physical, psychological, personal and social dimensions. In an attempt to address the shortcomings of past research, this study attempts to capture the unique experience of violence as it is experienced by the male juvenile who has been convicted of a violent crime, namely assault. The phenomenological approach to research has been specifically selected to enable the researcher to achieve this. Three participants were sourced from the Leeuwkop Juvenile Correctional Facility in Johannesburg and interviewed for the purpose of this study. The participants were selected according to their age (between 13 and 19 years of age) and type of crime that they had committed (either assault with intent to do grievous bodily harm, common assault or indecent assault). A biographical interview was first completed with each participant in order to obtain necessary background information. In staying with the phenomenological approach, openended interviews were used with the participants in order to allow for the participants’ unique and subjective experience of the phenomenon to emerge. The interviews were transcribed verbatim and non-verbal behaviour was included where appropriate. The transcripts comprise the raw data of this study and they were analysed within a phenomenological framework, which allowed for the natural themes of the phenomenon to emerge. Furthermore, the findings of the research were integrated and commonalities in themes were sought that would provide the essence of the phenomenon. In order to validate the findings of this research the themes were compared with the relevant literature. The phenomenon of violence would appear to be characterised by the juveniles’ experience of external events that would appear to provoke a certain response manifesting itself in violent behaviour. These responses were mostly emotional in nature and included emotions such as anger and rage and fury. Emotions were also elicited after the violent act had taken place and these were characterised by uncertainty, anger directed towards the self as well as fear. The use and misuse of substances such as alcohol and drugs would also appear to have been part of the experience of violence for the male offender. Furthermore, the experience of violence holds certain consequences for the male juvenile offender. The most common consequence experienced by all three participants was their subsequent arrest and incarceration in a Correctional Facility. A positive consequence of incarceration was that the offenders were exposed to social workers and psychologists that enabled them to learn coping mechanisms to contain any future violent thoughts, feelings and behaviours. The value of this research can be found in the above-mentioned motivation for such a study to be conducted. Very little literature exists on the subjective experience of violence for the male juvenile offender, as most of the literature available is quantitative in nature. Additionally, this study will add value to the limited amount of research available in South Africa.

The purpose of this study was to compare the differences in the utilization of coping mechanisms of minority and White adolescents. By measuring the coping skills in adolescents, it sought to identify which strategies are most frequently used within the construct of race.

This thesis presents the findings of research conducted to discover the common sources of conflict between parents and teenagers. Data for the findings came from questionnaires completed by high school students in Denton and Greenville, Texas.

Much of prevailing research on street children pertains to their experiences at home prior to their abode on the streets, as well as their ordeal on the streets once they have departed from their homes. Only a few studies highlight their experiences in rehabilitation centres. Hence no study was undertaken to explore factors that contribute to their departure from rehabilitation centres and return to the streets. The aim of the study was to determine why do some of the street children who were formerly placed in the rehabilitation centres return to the streets. Thus the objectives of the study were to (a) determine the norms and values that are applicable in the centres and (b) determine whether their tendency of returning to the streets results from their negative perception of certain factors in the centres, as well as their desire to resume the life that they adopted on the street prior to their placement in the centres. The sample comprised of sixteen street children who have previously resided in the centres. Focus group interviews were adopted as data collection techniques, and the children were subjected to four focus group interviews. A semi-structured interview was also conducted to one of the caregivers in the centre. A Grounded Theory Approach, which is an integration of the methods proposed by Strauss and Corbin (1990), Glaser (1992), Creswell (1998) and Strauss and Corbin (1998), was utilised for the analysis of the interviews. The findings evinced that the children's departure from the centres and return to the streets culminated from their familiarity with street life, desire to return home, discontentment with some of the living conditions in the centres, ill-treatment by the police and older boys, as well as their desire to resume street life, that is, to partake in income-generation activities and to be reunited with other children who reside on the streets. Much of their interaction with the caregivers also contributed to their retreat from the centres. The caregivers subjected them to discrimination, ill-treatment, false accusations, humiliation, restriction and threatened to transfer them to another centre. In addition to the above- mentioned factors, there were unanticipated findings that also emerged during the study. The findings were clustered as follows: factors that influenced the children to leave the centre and return home, factors that influenced the children to leave their homes and reside on the streets, factors that influenced the children to leave the streets and reside in the centre and factors that influenced the children to leave their homes and return to the streets. Therefore, the children's negative perception of the conditions that they were subjected to in the centres contributed to their return to the streets, as they related well with other street children and were able to earn an income on the streets. / Dissertation (MA (Psychology))--University of Pretoria, 2002. / Psychology / unrestricted

LGBTQ+ youth suffer from a greater burden of adverse mental health outcomes, including higher rates of depression, substance use, and suicidal behavior, compared to the general population (Liu & Mustanski, 2012; Day et al., 2017; Scannapieco, Painter, & Blau, 2018). Community-based services, such as LGBTQ+ specific organizations, are integral to supporting the well-being of LGBTQ+ youth and are often viewed as the frontline for service provision and support for community members, providing client-centered and affirming services (Allen et al., 2012). However, access to these organizations is contingent on one’s proximity to and comfort in entering LGBTQ+ spaces, leaving the majority of care provision to general practitioners. Unlike LGBTQ+ organizations, general practitioners frequently do not meet the same standard of cultural awareness and competency, creating undue burden on LGBTQ+ clients navigating the healthcare system (Shelton & Delgado-Romero, 2013). While training exists on affirmative language and the application of minority stress theory, truly inclusive cultural competency requires more than awareness of terminology and extends to both organizational policy and practitioner behavior (Boroughs et al., 2015; O’Grady, 2017). Thus, this study sought to identify aspects of affirmative care that extend beyond current practice guidelines through a qualitative evaluation of service provision (e.g. types of services offered, staff background, approach to service delivery, participant experiences) and the service environment (e.g. agency policies, geographic location, interior décor) at four LGBTQ+ youth-focused agencies located in two large urban centers in the Northeast. In-depth qualitative interviews and focus groups were conducted with both service providers (staff) and service recipients (youth) at each organization. A template analysis approach was used to analyze data whereby an existing (a priori) theory was used to guide and organize qualitative data (Brooks et al., 2014). The affirmative practice guidelines developed by Hadland, Yehia, and Makadon (2016) were used as an overarching template to organize data. A total of (n=30) youth and (n=12) staff participated in focus groups and interviews across four agencies. Results from the study found that all aspects of Hadland et al. (2016)’s affirmative practice guidelines were present in both agency and staff practices, however, there were differences in how agencies described the systems-level principles and practitioner behaviors in their practices. At the organizational level, staff and youth emphasized the importance of organizations offering “queer centric” programming that responded to youths’ intersectional identities and providing youth with referrals to meet their diverse needs (e.g., referrals to primary care, mental health services). At the practitioner level, youth and staff emphasized the importance of using trans+ inclusive language, collaborating with youth around decision making, using a non-judgmental stance, providing space for youth to explore their identities, and having “just for fun” activities. In addition to the findings from the template analysis, several other concepts were found to be integral to affirmative care including the development of community guidelines. From the qualitative findings, affirmative care practice recommendations were identified, and a case example is provided to describe how one agency might consider aspects of implementation theory to evaluate readiness for and implement such guidelines in their practice. Findings from this study will increase knowledge of best practices in affirmative care for LGBTQ+ youth. These findings may be disseminated across practice settings to improve cultural competency among general practitioners.

Undoubtedly, runaway and homeless youth (RHY) are one of the most vulnerable, yet underserved groups in our country. Well-meaning advocates have developed programs and services in an attempt to remedy this, yet there is little evidence of their effectiveness. Moreover, according to the research literature, a low utilization rate of current services by youth is a major concern. From a constructivist theoretical position, this study posits that the missing element is youth voice and the researcher hired formerly homeless youth to conduct the analysis of focus group data gathered from RHY who were participating in a range of services funded by the Runaway and Homeless Youth Act. By employing participatory action research (PAR) methods, this study privileges youth voice and asks two research questions; 1) what are current program models doing right with regards to RHY services, and 2) what can be learned by employing youth analysts in research. Findings indicate that how services are offered is as important as what services are offered. Additionally, by privileging youth and providing meaningful participation, youth are exceptionally capable to develop and evaluate services, programs and policy. Youth workers must continue to privilege youth voice if they hope to effect change in the lives of young people. If not, services will continue to play a key role in keeping RHY as one of the most marginalized groups in our society.

No description available.