Family resilience is the ability of a family to rebound from adversities, often stronger than before. To be knowledgeable on the characteristics and processes that render individuals and their families resilient, contribute to family well-being. Using a qualitative research approach and an interview guide, the researcher focused on developing a better understanding of the manifestation of family resilience as part of a family’s ability to adapt to changing circumstances and life in its dynamic form. Family resilience as an interactive process over time, normalizes resilience as part of the day to day living of the family and its members, including the young and the old. The domains of family resilience are, organizational patterns, adaptability, protective processes (including family risks, family strengths and protective/buffering factors), communication processes and family belief systems that, in synergy with one another, render families resilient. The research results confirmed the presence of characteristics and processes of family resilience amongst social work client families in South Africa. Depending on the challenges families my face, all families are either more resilient or less resilient. The latter most often needing additional support, such as social work intervention. South African policies should be family-focused and urge for a strengths-based approach towards enhancing family resilience and ultimately family well-being. Service providers need to give recognition to the fact that all families have challenges that need to be faced, but that families also have strengths to be drawn-upon to address and overcome these challenges. This implies that social work interventions that impact on the lives of families, should be rendered from a family resilience perspective and strengths-based approach, with the family as focal point for service delivery. / Social Science / M.A. (Social Work)

Adolescent substance abuse is a major problem facing the world today. In order to understand the reasons for adolescent substance abuse behaviour, various theoretical perspectives were utilised and strategies to curb substance use were also identified. The study was conducted in the rural areas of Zeerust, North West province of South Africa. The participants included 12 male adolescents, whose ages ranged from 12 to 15 years. A qualitative, explorative research design was employed. Data was gathered using semi-structured interviews, genograms and observations. Thematic analysis was used to analyse audio-taped data. The study found that substances abused by the participants include alcohol, nicotine, cannabis and heroin. Their reasons for using these substances include individual, family and environmental factors. However, peer group pressure was identified as the primary factor for adolescent substance use. This study emphasises the painful nature of substance abuse among adolescents, yet at the same time it succeeds in highlighting the strategies that can be employed to address substance abuse among adolescents. In addition, this study recommends a concerted effort by all the stakeholders in addressing the substance abuse problem. / Psychology / M.A. (Psychology)

Text in Afrikaans / In hierdie studie is die aard en gevolge van bendegeweld onder kinders in die vroeë adolessente jare by bendegeteisterde skole in die Wes-Kaap ondersoek ten einde terapeutiese riglyne te bepaal vir leerders wat bendegeweld by die skool ervaar. Die verskynsel van bendegeweld is in die literatuur ondersoek. Die bio-ekologiese teorie van Urie Bronfenbrenner het as teoretiese grondslag vir die navorsing gedien, welke teorie die wedersydse invloed wat persone en hul omgewing op mekaar het, beskryf. Trauma by die vroeë adolessent en drie bestaande modelle vir traumaberading word bespreek, waarna ’n stel maatstawwe vir ’n traumaberadingsmodel uit die drie modelle sowel as die literatuur gekies word. Die empiriese navorsing is deur middel van sowel kwantitatiewe- as kwalitatiewe navorsingsmetodes gedoen. ’n Fokusgroepbespreking én onderhoude met onderwysers en skoolhoofde het plaasgevind om diepgaande inligting oor behoeftes ná voorvalle van bendegeweld te verkry. Twee in-diepte onderhoude is met persone wat kenners op die gebied van bendes en bendegeweld is, gevoer. Vervolgens is twee vraelyste, een vir leerders en een vir onderwysers en skoolhoofde, opgestel om vas te stel watter hulp hulle met betrekking tot ’n trauma-intervensieprogram benodig. Die studie het bevind dat bendegeweld leerders se akademiese prestasie sowel as hul emosionele en sosiale funksionering raak, terwyl dit gevoelens van magteloosheid en frustrasie by onderwysers en skoolhoofde veroorsaak. Die studie sluit af met ’n verskeidenheid aanbevelings oor die daarstel van terapeutiese riglyne vir opvoeders om die impak van bendegeweld op leerders by skole in bendegeteisterde gebiede te hanteer. / This study investigated the nature and effects of gang violence among children in the early adolescent stage of development at gang-infested schools in the Western Cape in order to identify therapeutic guidelines for learners who experience gang violence at school. The phenomenon of gang violence was explored in the literature study. The bioecosystems theory of Urie Bronfenbrenner was employed as the theoretical basis for the study, which describes the reciprocal influence between humans and their environment. Early adolescent trauma and three existing models for trauma counselling are discussed, followed by the selection of a set of criteria for a trauma counselling model based on the three models as well as the literature studied. The empirical research was carried out through both quantitative and qualitative research methodologies. A focus group discussion as well as interviews with educators and principals were conducted in order to obtain in-depth information on their needs after incidents of gang violence. Two in-depth interviews have been conducted with professionals who are experts in the domain of gangs and gang related violence. This led to the development of two questionnaires, one for learners and one for educators and principals, to determine what type of support they need in terms of a trauma intervention programme. The study found that gang violence severely affects learners’ academic performance as well as their emotional and social functioning, while it creates feelings of frustration and powerlessness among teachers and principals. The study concludes by offering a range of recommendations for the formulation of therapeutic guidelines for educators to address the effects of gang violence on learners who attend schools in gang-infested areas. / Psychology of Education / D. Ed. (Psychology of Education)

Social Science / M.A.(Social Science: Mental Health)

Divorce has become so prevalent in our present day society, that it is regarded as one of the most sressful and complex mental health crises facing children today. As parents are often under tremendous stress during the time of divorce, they may be incapable of provding the support and guidance children need. The purpose of this study is to present a group counselling intervention programme to assist children of divorce and to create a supportive group atmosphere in which children can share divorce-related feelings, clarify common misconceptions and reduce feelings of isolation. Findings of this study indicate that the acquisition of problem-solving communication and anger control skills help to reduce feelings of depression and anxiety, improve the self-concept and ultimately promote post-divorce adjustment. / Psychology of Education / M. Ed. (Guidance and Counselling)

This dissertation evaluates the vision of empowering African elites iQ the International Church of Pretoria and suggests the ways to successfully train and empowers these Africans for the positive socio-political transformation of Africa. Such Christian empowering is so complex that it has to deal with the spiritual, psychological, intellectual and/or technical and socio-political aspects of the life of the trainee. After describing the problems that prevent these elites from behaving adequately and the portrait that can facilitate the successful selection of their trainers the dissertation proposes the guidelines of the empowering programmes for different elite groups. In the main the curriculum comprises a four-level conversion component for proper Christian life, and a psychotherapy empowerment coupled with horizontalisation for their liberation from psychological and socio-political evils, and a programme for the selection and the training of the spiritual leaders of the African elites. / Christian Spirituality, Church History and Missiology / M.Th. (Missiology)

Adolescent substance abuse is a major problem facing the world today. In order to understand the reasons for adolescent substance abuse behaviour, various theoretical perspectives were utilised and strategies to curb substance use were also identified. The study was conducted in the rural areas of Zeerust, North West province of South Africa. The participants included 12 male adolescents, whose ages ranged from 12 to 15 years. A qualitative, explorative research design was employed. Data was gathered using semi-structured interviews, genograms and observations. Thematic analysis was used to analyse audio-taped data. The study found that substances abused by the participants include alcohol, nicotine, cannabis and heroin. Their reasons for using these substances include individual, family and environmental factors. However, peer group pressure was identified as the primary factor for adolescent substance use. This study emphasises the painful nature of substance abuse among adolescents, yet at the same time it succeeds in highlighting the strategies that can be employed to address substance abuse among adolescents. In addition, this study recommends a concerted effort by all the stakeholders in addressing the substance abuse problem. / Psychology / M.A. (Psychology)

Emotional abuse is a problem experienced worldwide, crossing all economic, educational, social and ethnic segments of all societies. Overtime, many empirical researchers concentrated on studying the occurrence and impact of physical abuse on women but neglected to study the effects of emotional abuse on the woman's physical and mental health. But with time, researchers began to realise that emotional abuse also had a great impact on the lives of women. Therefore, a detailed exploration of emotional abuse between intimate adult partners has only recently emerged in the literature. Though it is difficult to separate emotional abuse from other forms of abuse, many women in our research who were provided with a definition of emotional abuse identified and confirmed that they have been emotionally abused in their past or are being abused in their current intimate relationships. This research project focused mainly on women who suffered and have survived the wounds of emotional abuse in intimate relationships. Group work is aimed at the growth and development of the individual. This study reports on an in-depth analysis of the arrangements and formulation of the structure of support groups, and the effectiveness of the functioning of these groups. Participants who joined the support groups in this research, were women who have undergone therapeutic intervention and are/or were engaged in a healing process that involved reintegration, implementation and maintenance of therapeutic goals. Support groups do provide a place where people can share their experiences in a safe environment, and where they can symbolise their experiences and consequently make them more acceptable to the self. It has been concluded in this research that support groups were effective in giving members the opportunity of helping each other to heal from the wounds of emotional abuse by being supportive, giving feedback, making helpful suggestions and providing useful information necessary for their growth and development. Therefore, participants who joined the support groups agreed that they have benefited by receiving the encouragement and support from one another, which contributed towards their process of healing emotionally, and in turn, caused them to change from being helpless victims to survivors of emotional abuse. / Sociology / D. Phil (Sociology)

This dissertation evaluates the vision of empowering African elites iQ the International Church of Pretoria and suggests the ways to successfully train and empowers these Africans for the positive socio-political transformation of Africa. Such Christian empowering is so complex that it has to deal with the spiritual, psychological, intellectual and/or technical and socio-political aspects of the life of the trainee. After describing the problems that prevent these elites from behaving adequately and the portrait that can facilitate the successful selection of their trainers the dissertation proposes the guidelines of the empowering programmes for different elite groups. In the main the curriculum comprises a four-level conversion component for proper Christian life, and a psychotherapy empowerment coupled with horizontalisation for their liberation from psychological and socio-political evils, and a programme for the selection and the training of the spiritual leaders of the African elites. / Christian Spirituality, Church History and Missiology / M.Th. (Missiology)

The research addresses secondary victimization of women reporting abuse at the Lenasia Police Station and reasons why it occurs. In addition, the research also determines if the expectations of the survivors of abuse about the police when reporting abuse are in line with what the Domestic Violence Act stipulates as their duties. To determine this, a sample of survivors reporting abuse was used. A qualitative and quantitative approach to the research was used. Two questionnaires were used for the sample of survivors and for service provides, with an opinion survey with knowledgeable people and a focus group discussion with police. It was found that some women were experiencing victimization by the police and that the survivors' expectations of the police were as stipulated in the Domestic Violence Act. Services provided by service providers were outlined and obstacles preventing police to provide a good service were identified. Recommendations were made. / Social work / MA(SS) (SOCIAL WORK)