Doctoral Degrees (Social Work)

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Browsing Doctoral Degrees (Social Work) by Author "Corrie, Lesley"

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    Attachment in the stepfamily : a social work perspective
    (Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University, 2003-03) Corrie, Lesley; Green, S.; Stellenbosch University. Faculty of Arts & Social Sciences. Dept. of Social Work.
    ENGLISH ABSTRACT: Since demographers are predicting that by the year 2010 stepfamilies will be the most prevalent type of family in the USA, it is not surprising that stepfamily members in South Africa also constitute a significant proportion of the clients of therapists, counsellors and social workers. From a developmental approach the present study examined attachment in stepfamilies with children in middle childhood. The literature review was focused on research fmdings related to the issues examined in the study. Information was collected using multiple informants and multiple methods. These included interviews, questionnaires and checklists of attachment behaviour symptoms. Because differences in perspectives were expected, information was sought from parents and target children in order to obtain a broad view of family attachment. The research design was qualitative and quantitative in nature. The main fmdings revealed that, although stepfamily members considered their families to be attached, factors such as the stepparent-stepchild relationship, length of marriage and unrealistic expectations had a negative influence on attachment. Findings confirm that attachment to the parents remain the primary source of security and that the child's willingness to participate in the partnership, influence attachment. The results clearly demonstrate that the children did not necessarily hold similar perceptions of the attachment in the family as the parents. Attachment theory provided a framework for understanding the complexities in stepfamily relationships. A synopsis of social work intervention with stepfamilies was developed based on an extensive literature study. Structured techniques within the five forms of play were used to consciously replicate healthy parent-child relationships in order to facilitate attachment. A central feature of the interventions discussed, is the active participation of the parent with whom the child is expected to learn to form an attachment relationship.