Reports on the escalation of violence in South African schools have been a cause for concern. The Media have reported a high incidence of adolescent anger towards and fights with peers, family members and school teachers. Alcohol and drug abuse, risky sexual behaviours and gang related activities are also noted as a concern among school-going adolescents. These behaviours are precursors to mental health problems among school-going adolescents and prompted the researcher to carry out an investigation on how high schools promote the mental health of their learners. A sequential explanatory mixed methods approach was used to explore the experiences of school-going adolescents, school teachers and school health nurses in dealing with social and emotional problems in high schools. An event history calendar was used to collect both the quantitative and qualitative data. Quantitative data was used with school going adolescents, whereas, qualitative data in the form of focus groups was used with school nurses and individual interviews was used with school teachers. Qualitative individual interviews were also used with a subset of school going adolescents to augment the quantitative results. The two sets of data were analysed independently and only at interpretation of findings were they collated and integrated. Quantitative data analysis was done using descriptive and inferential statistics whilst content analysis and thematic analysis were used with qualitative data. Major findings of the study revealed that adolescents’ problems manifested themselves as inappropriate handling of emotions which resulted in drug and alcohol abuse, risky sexual behaviours and gangsterism which adversely impacted on the adolescents’ social-emotional well-being and mental health. A universal prevention and promotion programme through social and emotional learning to address the social and emotional ailments of adolescents that impede mental health promotion in high schools was proposed. The “TEAM” intervention proposes the promotion of positive peer relationships through the use of positive gangs in a safe, caring and cooperative school climate. The intervention would also capacitate adolescents with prosocial skills and values that would yield positive outcomes for greater academic and life successes generally. The study recommends the use of the proposed ‘TEAM’ intervention in schools for mental health promotion. / Health Studies / D. Litt. et Phil. (Health Studies)

This study was undertaken as a qualitative needs assessment of emotional support to the adolescent with a terminally ill parent. Five participants in their adolescent life phase (14 to 18 years) with a terminally ill parent, participated in the study. Individual unstructured interviews were conducted with each participant, in order to assess their need for emotional support. With the consent of the parents and adolescents, the interviews were video-recorded and transcribed. Eight recurring themes were selected from the case studies and verified with the existing literature. The result of the study is the assessment of the need for emotional support to the adolescent with a terminally ill parent. / Social Work / M. Diac (Play Therapy)(Social Work)

This study was undertaken as a qualitative needs assessment of emotional support to the adolescent with a terminally ill parent. Five participants in their adolescent life phase (14 to 18 years) with a terminally ill parent, participated in the study. Individual unstructured interviews were conducted with each participant, in order to assess their need for emotional support. With the consent of the parents and adolescents, the interviews were video-recorded and transcribed. Eight recurring themes were selected from the case studies and verified with the existing literature. The result of the study is the assessment of the need for emotional support to the adolescent with a terminally ill parent. / Social Work / M. Diac (Play Therapy)(Social Work)

This study was undertaken to determine whether a disrupted family life and school climate has an impact on the self-concept of the adolescent. This problem was tackled and investigated from different angles : factors within the home, factors outside the home, intrapsychic factors, interpersonal factors and school factors. An analysis of the above factors and their impact on the self-concept of the adolescent was done by means of measuring instruments in the form of a questionnaire. The results of the empirical research indicated that the more positive the family and school climate, the more positive the academic, social and emotional self-concept of the adolescent. The educational implications of the findings of the literature and the empirical study are discussed to assist teachers and parents to identify and eliminate factors that cause adolescents from disrupted families to underachieve and have negative self-concepts. / M.Ed. (Socio Education)

This study was undertaken to determine whether a disrupted family life and school climate has an impact on the self-concept of the adolescent. This problem was tackled and investigated from different angles : factors within the home, factors outside the home, intrapsychic factors, interpersonal factors and school factors. An analysis of the above factors and their impact on the self-concept of the adolescent was done by means of measuring instruments in the form of a questionnaire. The results of the empirical research indicated that the more positive the family and school climate, the more positive the academic, social and emotional self-concept of the adolescent. The educational implications of the findings of the literature and the empirical study are discussed to assist teachers and parents to identify and eliminate factors that cause adolescents from disrupted families to underachieve and have negative self-concepts. / M.Ed. (Socio Education)