Submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements
for the degree of
MASTER OF ARTS
in
CLINICAL PSYCHOLOGY
at the
UNIVERSITY OF ZULULAND, 2004. / This study explores the experiences of children exposed to domestic violence. The aim of the study is to contribute to a better understanding of how domestic violence affects children and to offer them an opportunity to describe their views on how the situation can be improved.
The design used in this study is a qualitative phenomenological approach. Data was collected through individual semi-structured interviews with nine children between the ages of eight and fourteen years staying at St. Anthony's Children's Home, Blaauwbosch. These children were taken away from their homes as a result of domestic violence. The interviews were audiotape and transcribed verbatim for each participant. The data was then categorized, coded and analyzed in order to discover common and unique themes that form a general description of the experiences of children exposed to domestic violence. The results revealed that children prefer to be taken away from homes where there is domestic violence. While the social welfare department sometimes intervenes to restore family stability, in this study it became apparent that children are aware of causes or predisposing factors of domestic violence and they are actively involved in seeking solutions. Apart from placement in the children's home, family separation and finding someone to talk to parents were seen as effective ways of improving their situation.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:netd.ac.za/oai:union.ndltd.org:uzulu/oai:uzspace.unizulu.ac.za:10530/167 |
| Date | January 2004 |
| Creators | Siyothula, Evy-Terressah Busisiwe |
| Contributors | Edwards, S.D. |
| Source Sets | South African National ETD Portal |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Thesis |
| Format | application/pdf |
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