Browsing by Author "Aspeling, Elmien"

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    Resiliency in South African and Belgian single-parent families
    (SUN MeDIA Bloemfontein, 2007) Greeff, Abraham; Aspeling, Elmien
    ENGLISH ABSTRACT: This study focuses on the identification and comparison of resilience qualities in South African and Belgian single-parent families. The results reveal that the inherent strength of the family is one of the most important of these qualities. Other important aspects are a sense of control over the outcomes of life experiences; the family’s orientation with regard to challenges that have to be faced, and an active orientation with regard to adaptation in a stressful situation. Children from both countries affirmed the importance of using the support of family and friends to deal with stressors, and also perceived their communities as sources of social support.
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    Veerkragtigheidsfaktore in Suid-Afrikaanse en Belgiese enkelouergesinne
    (Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University, 2004-04) Aspeling, Elmien; Greeff, A. P.; Stellenbosch University. Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences. Dept. of Psychology.
    ENGLISH ABSTRACT: This study focuses on the identification and comparison of resilience factors in Belgian and South African single parent families. The participants (parents and children in single parent families) from the two countries were identified on the basis of the nature of the crisis and the stage of development of the families. Self-reporting questionnaires were completed separately by the parent and a child, as representatives of the family. The questionnaires comprised a biographical questionnaire (which also included an open-ended question), the Relative and Friend Support Index, the Social Support Index, Family Crises Oriented Personal Evaluation Scales, the Family Sense of Coherence Scale, and the Family Hardiness Index. The responses from parents and children were analysed separately, therefore dealing with them as four groups (Belgian parents, South African parents, Belgian children and South African children). Pearson product-moment correlations were calculated to determine which factors were most strongly related to family coherence (Family Sense of Coherence). Family coherence is a quality that provides an indication of the measure of success achieved with adaptation following a crisis (divorce). This was followed with regression analyses for identifying a group of resilience factors that would, in combination, provide the best predictor for successful family adjustment. The results of this study confirm that of previous research, namely in the findings that the different populations reveal similarities as well as differences with regard to qualities and resources utilized for successful adaptation after a crisis. Results reveal that the inherent strength of the family in all four groups (parents and children from both countries) is seen as one of the most important resilience factors (as measured by the Family Hardiness Index). Aspects that show strong correlation with family coherence are: a sense of control (the perception of how well the family is able to deal with a crisis) over the outcomes of life experiences; the family's orientation with regard to challenges that have to be faced; as well as an active orientation (tendency to do something about the situation) with regard to adaptation in a stressful situation (as measured by the Family Hardiness Index). The importance of redefining the problem (crisis) in terms of its significance for the family (positive, negative or neutral) was also identified as a core resilience factor. Results from the parents in both countries revealed that the number of years of separation/number of years that had elapsed since the divorce was a significant resilience factor. The longer the time period after the divorce, the better the adjustment. A significant difference was found between the results obtained for Belgian and South African children with regard to the duration of the parents' marriage and the duration of the period since the parents' divorce, and the relevance of this for the family's adaptation. The children from both countries revealed similarities with regard to the importance of the utilization and the support of members of the immediate family, the extended family and friends to overcome the crisis. The results obtained for parents in both countries did not confirm this aspect, i.e. the value of support from family and friends.