Browsing by Author "Ludik, Dane"

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    Exploring factors that helped adolescents adjust and continue with life after the death of a parent
    (Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University, 2016-12) Ludik, Dane; Greeff, A. P.; Stellenbosch University. Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences. Dept. of Psychology.
    ENGLISH ABSTRACT: Globally studies indicate that adolescents’ exposure to parental death is on the increase, yet there are few South African studies on this topic. While limited studies have been done on grief and loss within South African populations, most of these studies were conducted on adult populations (Anderson & Phillips, 2006; Merlo & Lakey, 2007). It therefore is important to highlight factors that helped adolescents to adjust and continue with life after the death of a parent. Antonovsky’s (1987) sense of coherence theory and Bowlby’s (1980) lifespan attachment theory were used within the larger paradigm of positive psychology as the theoretical framework of this study, which aimed to identify factors that helped adolescents to adjust and continue with life after the death of a parent. A qualitative research design was utilised, in which 12 participants participated in semi-structured interviews. To identify factors that helped these adolescents to adjust and continue with life after the death of a parent, the qualitative data were analysed according to Braun and Clarke’s (2006) six phases of thematic analysis. The following themes and sub-themes, as identified from the qualitative data and the literature review, were identified as helpful for adjustment after parental death: family support: supportive remaining parent, parent has a supportive partner (the partner supports the child, the long-term partner offers companionship to the remaining parent) and supportive extended family; social support: child has supportive friends (friends offer emotional support to child, friends distract child from circumstances) and supportive community; religion: religion as a coping mechanism and religion as means of communicating with the deceased parent; and strong sense of coherence as an intra-personal coping mechanism. In addition, the following non-specific coping mechanisms that helpeThe following themes and sub-themes, as identified from the qualitative data and the literature review, were identified as helpful for adjustment after parental death: family support: supportive remaining parent, parent has a supportive partner (the partner supports the child, the long-term partner offers companionship to the remaining parent) and supportive extended family; social support: child has supportive friends (friends offer emotional support to child, friends distract child from circumstances) and supportive community; religion: religion as a coping mechanism and religion as means of communicating with the deceased parent; and strong sense of coherence as an intra-personal coping mechanism. In addition, the following non-specific coping mechanisms that helped. with adjusting after the death of a parent were identified: exercising, allowing time to prepare for the death of a parent diagnosed with cancer, tangible reminders of the deceased and journal writing. This study provides adolescents’ perspectives on factors that helped them to adjust and continue with life after the death of a parent. The study also contributes to South African research on adolescents’ exposure to parental death. The results can be used to design interventions and organise support groups for adolescents whose parent have passed away. Support groups can be set up in which adolescents share their individual experiences of what helped them to adjust. As an exploratory study, this study makes recommendations for future, related studies on factors that help adolescents to adjust and continue with life after the death of a parent.