Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Experiences Of Adult Siblings Of Illicit Drug Users, Amy Mcalpine

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

The sibling relationship is unique in that it is relatively egalitarian, ascribed, and can be the longest-lasting across the lifespan. Siblings can act as supports for one another during major life events, both in childhood and adulthood. Siblings can also be a source of significant stress. The literature on family coping indicates that there are significant impacts to family members’ well-being from dealing with stress and strain that result from a family member’s drug use problem. However, researchers have not investigated the impacts on adult siblings despite the importance and uniqueness of sibling relationships. The broad aim of this research …

The Role Of Information And Communication Technologies In Managing Transition And Sustaining Women's Health During Their Midlife Years, Julie Dare

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

This research has been motivated primarily by a desire to extend and enrich existing research on women’s uses of information and communication technologies (ICTs) to manage relationships, and access and construct social support during their transitional midlife years. In doing so, this research addresses a gap in the literature on women’s consumption of such technologies. Since the late 1980s, when several landmark studies investigated women’s use of the telephone, there has been little systematic evaluation of the degree to which newer communication technologies have become integrated into women’s communication practices.

Another key feature of this research is an examination of …

The Impact Of Events In The Immediate Aftermath Of Suicide On Family Members' Bereavement Experiences, Kelly J. Botha

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

Suicide remains a leading cause of death in Australia. Consequently, a considerable proportion of the population is, or will be, bereaved due to suicide. These individuals are referred to as survivors of suicide. Literature suggests bereavement is a significant risk factor for adverse health outcomes. The question of whether or not bereavement after suicide, as opposed to other modes of death, renders individuals more susceptible to enduring and complicated grief reactions remains unclear. Numerous key variables have been found to influence the nature, intensity and duration of the grief process. Variables that are likely to be associated with poor bereavement …

"My Dearest Mum": A Biographical Journey Based On My Mother's Letters From Australia To England 1968-1985, Helen Ritter

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

not available

The Information Needs Of The Families Of Patients With Advanced Cancer In An Acute Hospital, Sue Davis

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

A diagnosis of cancer has a major impact on the family as well as the patient. The families of patients with advanced cancer have many needs. In particular, a number of researchers have identified family members' needs for information as a priority. Most of this research, however, has been undertaken in the context of Palliative Care settings. Few empirical studies have been undertaken to examine the information needs of these families in an acute hospital setting. The aim of this study is to modify an existing tool, The Family Inventory of Needs (FIN), to more precisely assess the information needs …

Prisoners' Use Of Social Support, Gaynor S. Hobbs

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

Manuscript 1: It is generally acknowledged that prison is often a stressful environment, yet little is known of the coping processes employed by prisoners. This paper aims to examine the question of what facilitates and frustrates prisoners' use of social support whilst imprisoned. This question is examined with regards to both informal (family and friends, other prisoners) and 'formal sources of support (professional support services, peer support prisoners, prison officers). The conclusion that was drawn from this review of the literature is that the role of social support in correctional environments is largely unknown and current thinking is based primarily …

Living With A Transvestite : A Phenomenological Study Of Wives And Committed Partners Of Transvestites, Heather Christine Freegard

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

Being a man or woman is at the core of human social lives and personal identity, and guides appropriate behaviours such as dress, mannerisms and relationships. Transvestism, or the practice of wearing the clothes of the other gender, challenges societal values and guidelines for behaviour. The attitude of society to this practice has varied from veneration to vilification depending on the period of history and the culture of the people. In western countries, although there is little social or legal repression, transvestism is largely a hidden phenomena. The tradition of comic drag has dominated public recognition of cross-dressing. Hence transvestites …

"Family" As Constructed By Adoptees After Making Contact With Their Birth Families, Adrianne Moloney

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

Legislative changes during the 1980s and 1990s opened confidential adoption files of the past enabling many adoptees and relinquishing parents to establish contact. This study examines the way in which the meaning of family is constructed by adoptees who have made contact with their birth relatives, and how these constructions were altered after contact. The ways in which biological and social definitions of family are constructed and contested in these settings is explored. Sociological definitions of family are discussed and the gap between ideal notions of 'family' and the lived experience of 'family' is explored. The study focuses on the …