Browsing by Author "O'Neill, Vivien Carol."
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Item African constructions of parenting : exploring conceptions of early attachment with isiZulu-speaking community caregivers.(2013) Miles, Abigail C.; Killian, Beverley Janet.; O'Neill, Vivien Carol.John Bowlby made a profound contribution to the field of early parenting with his theory of attachment. He suggested that attachment theory has universal applicability. However, it has been argued that attachment theory is based upon a Western worldview, and as such, lacks applicability in cross-cultural contexts. In light of this objection, this study aimed to examine the relevancy of attachment theory within the South African context. In order to do this, a qualitative research design, employing focus groups, was set up to explore isiZulu-speaking mothers’ constructions of infant-caregiver relationships. Participants were recruited from two Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) in KwaZulu-Natal. Each participant partook in three focus groups. The focus group data was analyzed using a form of thematic analysis. The group discussion provided support for attachment theory in the South African context. However, there appeared to be some cultural variations in the ways in which the attachment relationship is carried out within this context. In particular, it appeared that isiZulu-speaking mothers employ physical touch and a rapid response style with their infants. Furthermore, evidence emerged to suggest that there are certain barriers to the attachment relationship in South Africa. Finally, this research study showed that urbanization has had an important impact on parenting. As such, from this research, it can be concluded that attachment interventions are useful in South Africa, yet these may need to occur alongside other interventions. There is also room for further research to explore understandings of attachment within broader population groups, including fathers and grandmothers.Item Exploration of the impact of teenage pregnancy on educators in rural high schools.(2013) Potjo, Melita Mantoa.; Mansfield, D.; O'Neill, Vivien Carol.The purpose of this study was to explore the impact of teenage pregnancy on educators in the rural high schools at Thabo Mofutsanyane district in Eastern Free State. This study aimed to achieve four objectives which were to identify the impact of teenage pregnancy on educators; to identify the challenges that educators face when dealing with pregnant learners; to identify the form of training educators receive in preparing them to deal with teenage pregnancy; and lastly to identify the kind of support educators feel they are being given to help them deal with teenage pregnancy. Participants were eight Life Orientation educators from two high schools and two principals in the respective schools. Participants were identified using a purposive sampling method. Interviews and one focus group were conducted with educators and principals from the two schools. Interviews were tape recorded, transcribed and translated into English where necessary. The collected data was analysed using thematic analysis. The results of the study showed, firstly, that educators face a number of challenges including a lack of training and resources, poverty, lack of parental involvement, as well as a lack of policies and clear guidelines to be used when dealing with pregnant learners. Secondly, it showed that teenage pregnancy tends to have a negative impact on educators because they receive little support in dealing with pregnant learners. Thirdly, it showed that teenage pregnancy tends to have negative impact on educational performance because pregnant learners are distracting to the class and they are distracted themselves. This tends to affect the school’s overall performance which reflects negatively on educators.Item Family influences on career decisions by black first-year students at the University of KwaZulu-Natal : a qualitative study.(2009) Mhlongo, Ziphozethu Sibonelo.; O'Neill, Vivien Carol.This study used a qualitative methodology to investigate black first - year students’ perceptions of their families’ influence in their career decisions. This was motivated by the fact that, post 1994, the number of career options available to black students has increased. As more opportunities become available, it is vital that student s entering tertiary education are equipped with the necessary skills and support to make informed career decisions. There a re a number of individual and environmental influences on career decisions. This study focused specifically on family and community influences. Fifteen participants (aged 18 to 30 years) were interviewed in order to answer the research questions. There wer e nine female and six male participants. The data was analysed through thematic analysis and suggested that there is a strong link between a family’s socio - economic status and student career decisions. In addition, the availability of family socio-emotional support was also found to be a major influence in career decisions. The dissertation concludes that appropriate career education and guidance are essential for previously disadvantaged tertiary education students in order for them to maximise the opportunities available to themItem How do adolescents perceive and experience poverty and the stigma associated with poverty?(2011) Nene, Siphumelele Nkosingiphile.; O'Neill, Vivien Carol.The objectives of this study were to explore adolescents’ perceptions and experiences of poverty and its associated stigma when at school and within their communities. The study attempted to do this by uncovering the effects of poverty on adolescents’ lives; exploring their understanding of the meaning of being poor; exploring how the poverty-related stigma impacted their self-esteem, identity and experiences of the world; and investigated the elements of stigma that maintain the social distance between adolescents from poverty-stricken households and their peers. The study employed a qualitative research design. It used a focus group approach in conjunction with participatory research techniques such as ranking exercises. The issues that the participants raised revolved around a lack of access to money and how this in turn resulted in a lack of access to many other things, which led to a low quality of life for poor children and youths. The definitions they gave of the concept of poverty made reference to a lack of access to things such as houses, food and money. Other indicators of poverty that were mentioned related to the physical and psychological manifestations of the problem. The causes of poverty identified by the participants could broadly be grouped into two groups, namely financial aspects, and personal and family aspects. The issues the participants raised relating to poverty indicated that many of the problems faced by communities, families and children affected by the AIDS pandemic are linked to poverty. Conclusions from the study demonstrated that poverty is multidimensional in nature and therefore affects children and their families in a multitude of ways. The results also showed that the issues mentioned by the participants were not just products of poverty but problems in their own right.Item A qualitative research inquiry into the influence of female educator stress on the occupational perceptions of female educators in the Pietermaritzburg area.(2010) Matross, Celeste.; O'Neill, Vivien Carol.This qualitative study examined the links between female educator stress and the attitudes of female educators towards their careers. It used data sampled from individual interviews conducted with female educators from two government schools and one private school in the Pietermaritzburg area. This research project is a sociocultural exploration of female educators' experiences of stress and the impact that it has on the way that these educators view their jobs. The purpose of the research was to obtain a greater understanding of the psychological effect of stress experienced in various urban school settings by primary and high school female educators. The results of the study indicate that participants' perceptions supported the literature review on some of the short-term and long-term psychological effects of educator stress on educators' attitudes towards their career. More negative teaching experiences than either beneficial or neutral experiences were recounted by the participants. the socioeconomic context in which the schools were situated, as well as the large number of administrative duties and lack of parental support contributed to the continued experience of high levels of stress by educators in general and female educators in particular.Item Sources of stress among university students at the University of KwaZulu-Natal, Pietermaritzburg : differences between level of study and race.(2013) Chilimanzi, Yvonne Danai.; O'Neill, Vivien Carol.The study explored the links between 31 sources of stress, as per the Student Stress Scale, and gender, level of study, race and social class, as well as the relationship between stress and health. Two-hundred–and-five (205) undergraduate and post-graduate students from the University of KwaZulu-Natal, Pietermaritzburg campus, participated in the study. The results showed that there were five significant differences in sources of stress between male and female students, six significant differences between undergraduate and post-graduate students, nine significant differences between black students and students of other races and three significant differences between students of different socio-economic statuses. Furthermore, there were no significant relationships found between stress and overall health and anxiety; however, significant relationships were found between stress and depression, bodily pain and flu/cold.Item Spillover of stress in a sample of married policemen.(1996) O'Neill, Vivien Carol.; Basson, Clive James.The present study examined the relationships between the emotional effects of chronic stress at work (burnout) and the quality of family interactions. A systemic approach was adopted, leading to the use of the concept of spillover to describe the transmission of effects across the work-home interface. The relationship between burnout and family life was expected to be moderated by frequency of coping strategies and by size of social support network. Data was gathered from questionnaires distributed to married policemen and their wives in 13 stations and units in the Natal Midlands region of the SAPS. The fmal sample consisted of 84 policemen and 74 of their wives. The data was analyzed using Pearson product-moment correlation, stepwise multiple regression, non-parametric tests, and content analysis of the free comment part of the questionnaire. The results of the study showed this sample of policemen to be experiencing relatively high levels of burnout and this was manifest particularly in terms of a diminished sense of personal accomplishment and feelings of negative self-evaluation. Specific sources of discontent for the policemen were frustrations with an unresponsive police hierarchy, low wages, and disruption to family life caused by overtime and irregular hours. Further results showed that those policemen experiencing the highest frequencies of emotional exhaustion and depersonalisation were more likely to bring their work-related strain home with them in the form of upset and angry feelings, physical exhaustion, and complaints about problems at work. This process of Work-to-Home Spillover significantly predicted Quality of Family Life for the wives of such policemen. No moderator effects were shown for coping or social support, although those policemen with greater numbers of supporters were also more likely to experience a greater sense of personal accomplishment. These results were discussed in terms of the burnout and spillover literature, and were evaluated with due regard for the present socio-political context in South Africa. Recommendations were made pertaining to the provision of psychological services to SAPS members and their families, and to the need to eliminate the stigma attached to using such services.