Thesis (M.A. (Clinical Psychology)) -- University of Limpopo, 2019 / Intimate partner violence (IPV) poses a major challenge for social workers worldwide,
as well as in South Africa. In light in the above, the present study aimed to explore the
lived experiences of social workers dealing with victims of IPV at Ehlanzeni District,
Mpumalanga Province. A qualitative study was conducted among social workers
working with victims of IPV. The study had anticipated using 10 participants but, due
to data saturation, only six participants were interviewed. Each interview took 45–60
minutes, depending on each participant’s responses. A total of six participants, all
females between the ages of 24 and 39 years, were selected using purposive
sampling. The data were collected using semi-structured interviews, and interpretive
phenomenological analysis (IPA) was applied for data analysis.
Four major themes emerged from the analysis of the data: a) emotional and
psychological distress experienced by social workers; b) impact on personal and
professional lives; c) coping strategies; and d) vicarious posttraumatic growth.
Importantly, some themes and subthemes not included in the interview guide emerged
from the data. These included subthemes such as family involvement and societal
pressure. The findings of the study highlighted that it is quite rare for men to report
IPV, although at times they do. There is greater IPV prevalence among females of
different ages. Secondary traumatisation is one of the negative effects that social
workers experience when working with cases of traumatic IPV. However, social
workers have found effective ways of coping with the demands of their work. Some of
the identified coping mechanisms included choosing to spend time with family, trying
to forget about the day’s work, travelling, being strong and resilient, consulting a
psychologist, playing games, praying (spirituality) and reading the Bible, sharing their
experiences with a more experienced social worker, spending time with friends,
laughing, singing and remaining professional. The study found that these coping
strategies helped the social workers to deal with burnout and compassion fatigue. The
present study recommends that effective coping methods and support for mental
health care workers are needed to assist with secondary trauma stress and the
negative effects that comes with the job.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:netd.ac.za/oai:union.ndltd.org:ul/oai:ulspace.ul.ac.za:10386/3631 |
| Date | January 2019 |
| Creators | Mhlongo, Lindokuhle Angelo |
| Contributors | Mokwena, J. P., Makhubele, J. C. |
| Source Sets | South African National ETD Portal |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Thesis |
| Format | viii, 65 leaves |
| Relation |
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