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Full-Text Articles in Social and Behavioral Sciences

Exploring The Experience Of Fatherhood For Men Over 40 Years Of Age, Jan Henderson Jan 2004

Exploring The Experience Of Fatherhood For Men Over 40 Years Of Age, Jan Henderson

Theses : Honours

Fathering literature from the past 30 years was explored to firstly, gain an understanding of how fathering roles have changed over this time, and secondly, to explore predictors of fathering involvement. The major changes in fathering appear to originate in gender ideology, resulting from a growing rejection of male gender role constraints concerning how men relate to their children. Further issues explored include post-war societal change; personality; work roles; relationship quality, and gatekeeping, where the child's mother is believed influence her partners fathering involvement to suit her own needs. Comparisons with past research revealed that recent studies are more likely …


'Married' To The Military : The Experiences Of Partners Of Australian Defence Force Members, Ngaere B. Stewart Jan 2004

'Married' To The Military : The Experiences Of Partners Of Australian Defence Force Members, Ngaere B. Stewart

Theses : Honours

This paper provides a review of the literature in order to understand the experiences of the partners of Australian Defence Force (ADF) personnel. A brief overview of the early research in this area sets the context for a review of the demands of the ADF lifestyle, such as geographic mobility and lengthy operational separations from the ADF member. Military-related injuries and illness is another demand of the ADF that is also discussed. These demands are then examined within a theoretical framework of incorporation theory; the work/family fit and the family life cycle models. The overall satisfaction of ADF partners with …


Men's Strengths In The Transition To Fatherhood, Dawson C. Cooke Jan 2004

Men's Strengths In The Transition To Fatherhood, Dawson C. Cooke

Theses : Honours

This paper considers the ways men succeed or grow stronger (strengths perspectives) in the transition to fatherhood. Becoming a father is a normative life event for a man that presents a unique opportunity for developmental growth. This aspect of fatherhood has rarely been addressed in psychological literature despite the growing interest in fatherhood and strengths perspectives. An overview is given of fathering literature with attention to the transition to fatherhood, positive outcomes and strengths, and recent Australian studies. Models and classifications of strengths are introduced, including findings from the positive psychology movement (C. Peterson & M. E. P. Seligman, 2004) …


Social Competence : An Exploration Of Children's Experiences Within The Home Environment, Mandie B. Shean Jan 2004

Social Competence : An Exploration Of Children's Experiences Within The Home Environment, Mandie B. Shean

Theses : Honours

The acquisition of social competence is an important developmental task for children. This review examines how child effects and environmental effects contribute to children's achievement of social competence. Environmental factors are addressed through Bronfenbrenner's (1999) ecological systems model of the microsystem, mesosystem and exosystem, The microsystem includes the home environment with parent-parent, parent-child and sibling relationships. The mesosystem includes the school environment with peer and teacher relationships. Finally, the exosystem incorporates indirect environments such as parent work, economic status and the media. Issues of reciprocal effects are addressed and the suggestion is made that social competence is the result of …


Father Role Identity : An Exploration Of The Construct And Its Measurement, Michelle J. Gobetz Jan 2004

Father Role Identity : An Exploration Of The Construct And Its Measurement, Michelle J. Gobetz

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

There is relatively little research in respect of father’s and their post-divorce contact with their children. Preliminary research suggests father’s identification with the parent role may play an influential role in this contact. Though the Self Perceptions of the Parental Role Questionnaire (SPPE) has been utilised to measure father’s identification with the parent role, the psychometric properties of this instrument have yet to be systemically investigated. The lack of psychometric information about the SPPR seriously limits this instruments utility. The aim of the current study was twofold. Firstly, to determine the psychometric properties of a formal measure of parent role …


Kimberley Women : Their Experiences Of Making A Remote Locality Home, Elaine Rabbitt Jan 2004

Kimberley Women : Their Experiences Of Making A Remote Locality Home, Elaine Rabbitt

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

In previous histories of Western Australia, pre-dominantly written from a male Eurocentric viewpoint, scant attention has been drawn to the everyday lives of country women. The study described in this dissertation explores the responses of women to the challenges of relocation and settlement within a remote locality in the Kimberley region of Western Australia.


An Examination Of Fathers' Satisfaction With The Legal System: Exploring The Concept In Relation To Fathers' Experience With The Family Law Court Of Western Australia, Janelle M. Hawes Jan 2004

An Examination Of Fathers' Satisfaction With The Legal System: Exploring The Concept In Relation To Fathers' Experience With The Family Law Court Of Western Australia, Janelle M. Hawes

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

Although the importance of fathers' post divorce contact with their children has been linked with a better outcome for the children and is valued by society, studies in the United States and Australia have suggested that up to 30 percent of fathers do not maintain regular contact with their children post divorce. To date, the literature has focused mainly on demographic variables and some personal characteristics of the father. An area, which has been neglected, is the influence of fathers' perception of legal proceedings and rules on their contact with their children post divorce. This study aimed to explore the …


The Experiences Of Mothers Studying At University Who Have Pre-School Aged Children, Alison Welsh Jan 2003

The Experiences Of Mothers Studying At University Who Have Pre-School Aged Children, Alison Welsh

Theses : Honours

This study of three women's experiences ·with studying at university whilst bearing the responsibilities of family and work, investigated the unique situations and problems that these mothers encountered. A qualitative research approach was utilised, using a narrative inquiry method to give voice to the student mothers, which has proved to be lacking in academic research. In addition to an auto-ethnographic case study, two case studies were formulated by conducting conversational interviews with two other student mothers. Common themes were identified and discussed, with reference to the literature. The findings of this study suggested that the experiences of mothers studying at …


The Lived Experience Of Men With A Postnatally Depressed Partner, Colela M. Browning Jan 2003

The Lived Experience Of Men With A Postnatally Depressed Partner, Colela M. Browning

Theses : Honours

The aim of this study was to examine the experiences and perceptions of men living with a partner who has postnatal depression (PND). Family systems theory was used to provide a framework within which to evaluate men's relationships with immediate and extended family members. A semi-structured interview was used to understand the experiences and perceptions of seven men with partners who had PND. Schweitzer's (1997) phenomenological approach was used to explicate meaning and extract themes from the interview transcripts. Six major themes were identified from the data. These included changes in the division of labour, issues of self, altered family …


Multiply-Mediated Households : Space And Power Reflected In Everyday Media Use, Donell Joy Holloway Jan 2003

Multiply-Mediated Households : Space And Power Reflected In Everyday Media Use, Donell Joy Holloway

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

This study investigates how contemporary Australian families incorporate the consumption of multiple media technologies within their home environments. It uses an approach similar to David Morley's (1986) Family Television where he explored the consumption of television programs in the context of everyday family life. He viewed the household (or family) as the key to constructing understandings of the television audience; where there were gendered regimes of watching, and where program choice often reflected existing power relationships in the home. However since then (a time when most families had only one television set) the media environment of many homes has changed. …


A Study Of The Representation Of Marriage And The Family In The Film Muriel's Wedding, Zoe Chambers Jan 2003

A Study Of The Representation Of Marriage And The Family In The Film Muriel's Wedding, Zoe Chambers

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

Representations of the family in the Australian popular media in recent years appear to have shifted from a traditional nuclear family form to more diverse constructions, and the family has become an institution that is more often associated with dysfunction rather than the idealised notions of caring and support. This study will examine this re-evaluation of the nuclear family through a close analysis of the film Muriel's Wedding (1994). How the discourses of gender and nationalism intersect with those of marriage and family will be studied, in an attempt to understand this reappraisal of the Australian family.


'Bringing You Up To Speed' Challenges Of A Mother Using Amphetamines : A Case Study, Derek Bilton Jan 2002

'Bringing You Up To Speed' Challenges Of A Mother Using Amphetamines : A Case Study, Derek Bilton

Theses : Honours

The purpose of the current study was to explore the challenges of parenting from the perspective of a woman who uses amphetamines. The types of parenting challenge that arise as a direct result of both intoxication and a drug using lifestyle were examined. The study also investigated the types of coping strategies that the participant adopted in meeting her parenting challenges in conjunction with the factors that aided and impeded her preferred method of responding. The study extends onto the existing literature by drawing a participant from a non-clinical setting. The participant was recruited from word of mouth field recruitment. …


Exploring What Men's Perception Of A 'Good' Family Is, And How This Understanding Shapes Their Roles And Functioning Within Their Family, Grahame L. Paull Jan 2001

Exploring What Men's Perception Of A 'Good' Family Is, And How This Understanding Shapes Their Roles And Functioning Within Their Family, Grahame L. Paull

Theses : Honours

This study was based on the belief that the dynamics of personal relationships is the basis of social life and personal well-being. There is growing support in the literature however suggesting that the gap between men's family relationship functioning, and their ideals of how life ought to be is widening. The purpose of this research therefore was to explore through men's own experiences what their perception of a 'good' family is, and how this understanding shapes their roles and functioning within their family. Using the three concepts of family as a symbolic structure of meaning, masculinity and cognition, as the …


Fathers' Self-Perceptions Of Their Parenting Role Identity And Its Impact On Levels Of Father-Child Involvement: A Comparison Of Married And Contact Fathers, Natasha M. Vawser Jan 2001

Fathers' Self-Perceptions Of Their Parenting Role Identity And Its Impact On Levels Of Father-Child Involvement: A Comparison Of Married And Contact Fathers, Natasha M. Vawser

Theses : Honours

It has been extensively documented that contact fathers decrease involvement with their children after divorce (Amato & Booth, 1996). Role theory purports that this pattern of father involvement after divorce is a result or contact fathers experiencing parental role ambiguity. The constraints of visitation make it difficult to maintain parental roles previously performed in the marriage (Ihinger-Tallman, Pasley & Buchler, 1993). American research has provided support for role theory: however no known equivalent research has been conducted on Australian contact fathers. This study replicated Minton and Pasley's (1996) research with 46 contact and 64 married fathers. Participants completed the Self-Perceptions …


Constructing Compatibility : Managing Breastfeeding And Weaning From The Mothers' Perspective, Yvonne Louise Hauck Jan 2000

Constructing Compatibility : Managing Breastfeeding And Weaning From The Mothers' Perspective, Yvonne Louise Hauck

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

Breastfeeding involves phases of initiation, continuation, and weaning. Research to date has focused upon its initiation and continuation rather than the later phases, when the child is weaned from the breast. Selective aspects relating to weaning have been explored to determine infant feeding practices such as the timing of food introduction. However, that research has focused upon developing countries where the impact of infant feeding patterns and weaning practices have a significant impact on infant growth and child health. The weaning process or final phase of breastfeeding from the mothers' perspective has not been examined within the western world. In …


Self Concept: Mothers And Their Children, Leanne D. Wood Jan 1999

Self Concept: Mothers And Their Children, Leanne D. Wood

Theses : Honours

Over the past 30 years divorce has been on the incline, resulting in more children living in one parent families, the majority headed by single mothers. The study of the impact of divorce and outcomes for children and their mothers has become increasingly important. According to many researchers, the study of self-concept is considered to be one of the best indicators of a person's psychological adjustment and wellbeing (Hattie, 1992; Ford, 1985). Studies have neglected to consider self-concept as a major focus and consider the relationship between the child's self-concept and their mother's self-concept. This study focuses on single mothers …


"Family" As Constructed By Adoptees After Making Contact With Their Birth Families, Adrianne Moloney Jan 1998

"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 …


Nonresidential Father Perception Of Father-Child Relationships: An Exploratory Analysis Of Family Functioning, Wendy J. Nicholls Jan 1996

Nonresidential Father Perception Of Father-Child Relationships: An Exploratory Analysis Of Family Functioning, Wendy J. Nicholls

Theses : Honours

Nonresidential father experiences of family life with their children lack attention in the literature. Nonresidential fathers often suffer considerably, as they attempt to continue their parenting role with limited access lime. Consequently, their relationships with their children may suffer, sometimes resulting in visitation ceasing altogether. Father contact is important to the developmental and psychological well-being of children, yet is often hindered by restricted access, distance, parental conflict and the father's emotional state. Nonresidential father perspectives of family life with their children are explored in this study, to gain insight into nonresidential father experiences. This study replicated a study conducted by …


Developmental Tasks And Learning Processes Which Influence Life-Satisfaction In Retirement, Robin F. Clarke Jan 1995

Developmental Tasks And Learning Processes Which Influence Life-Satisfaction In Retirement, Robin F. Clarke

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

This study identified the developmental tasks undertaken by eight retired males during the retirement transition, described the processes of! earning and adjustment and discussed their influence on life-satisfaction. The study was an exploratory, descriptive case study, designed as an initial investigation into the phenomena of retirement in the 1990s. A qualitative design was appropriate to the study for it permitted the investigation of a wide range of inter related variables. The major instrument was a semi-structured but open-ended interview designed to gather comprehensive data relevant to understanding the retirement experience. An iterative process was used, which involved interviewing each participant …


Intercountry Adoptive Families In Western Australia: The Well-Being Of Their Four To Sixteen-Year-Old Adoptees, Trudy Rosenwald Jan 1994

Intercountry Adoptive Families In Western Australia: The Well-Being Of Their Four To Sixteen-Year-Old Adoptees, Trudy Rosenwald

Theses : Honours

The study investigated the well-being of 283 four to sixteen-year-old intercountry adopted (ICA) children in general and in relation to two specific adoption variables. The sample represented 80% of the estimated 4-16 year old ICA population of Western Australia (W A). Well-being was defined in terms of competence, happiness, health and problem behaviours. The primary source of information was Achenbach's parent reported Child Behavior Check List (CBCL) as used by the Western Australian Child Health Survey (WACHS). Bowlby's attachment theory provided the theoretical framework for the prediction that adoption after the age of 6 months, and the experience of adversity …


A Comparative Study Of The Migration Experiences Of Filipino And Thai Brides In Western Australia, Belinda Greensill Jan 1994

A Comparative Study Of The Migration Experiences Of Filipino And Thai Brides In Western Australia, Belinda Greensill

Theses : Honours

Bride migration which includes unpaid labour migration is a new development in international labour migration. The factors which have contributed to recent increases in bride migration from developing counties in the South East Asian region to post-industrialised countries include changes in the international economic system and the international division of labour, and popular stereotypes of Filipino and Thai women, and conservative notions of women1s domestic roles which are prevalent in Australia. This study focuses on Filipino and Thai bride migration to Western Australian within the context of international labour migration. Most of the literature on Filipino and Thai female migration …


Do Women Retire? : A Feminist Critique Of The Social Construction Of Retirement, Pamela Weatherill Jan 1994

Do Women Retire? : A Feminist Critique Of The Social Construction Of Retirement, Pamela Weatherill

Theses : Honours

This research comes as a response to the paucity of discussion on women's experience of retirement. In consideration of the relationship between work and retirement, this study examines what a feminist perspective on women's experience of work can contribute to the androcentric conception of retirement. Women's experience of work is shaped by many forces, most particularly by the ideology of motherhood and the sexual division of labour. Together, these factors have ensured that women and men experience both paid and unpaid work in quantitatively and qualitatively different manners. While the construction of retirement has been around the largely male experience …


A Qualitative Evaluation Of A Bereavement Service: An Analysis Of The Experiences Of Service Consumers And Providers, Ruth Marquis Jan 1994

A Qualitative Evaluation Of A Bereavement Service: An Analysis Of The Experiences Of Service Consumers And Providers, Ruth Marquis

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

Human service evaluation has become an important consideration in service delivery due to an increased demand for accountability by funding bodies. Time constraints, financial constraints and political interests, however, influence the implementation and outcomes of evaluation projects. As a result, quantitative methods are most frequently used. Information obtained as the result of quantitative studies which are politically expedient may present a superficial view of a program and overlook the fundamental issues of program delivery which are important to participants. Identification of the valued aspects of program involvement and areas of unmet need from participants' perspectives may remain unknown as a …


Not Guest Speakers But Peer Tutors: The Role Of Adoptive Parent Organisations In The Western Australian Preparation For Adoptive Parenthood Education Programme, Maureen Anne Roberts Jan 1993

Not Guest Speakers But Peer Tutors: The Role Of Adoptive Parent Organisations In The Western Australian Preparation For Adoptive Parenthood Education Programme, Maureen Anne Roberts

Theses : Honours

This study was undertaken as a partial requirement for a Bachelor of Health Science (Health Education) Honours. It examines the role of two Western Australian adoptive parent organisations, Australia for Children Society (AFC), and the Adoptive Parents Association (APA), as peer tutors within a Preparation for Adoptive Parenthood Education Programme (PAPEP). The sample consisted of one group which attended a workshop held by AFC and one group which attended a workshop by APA as part of the PAPEP. Measurements of interactions between Prospective Adoptive Parents (PAPs) and between PAPs and workshop presenters were made through observations. PAPs' satisfaction with the …


Someone's Daughter, Someone's Worker, Someone's Girlfriend, Someone's Wife: Young Women And Multiple Transitions, Jennie Buchanan Jan 1992

Someone's Daughter, Someone's Worker, Someone's Girlfriend, Someone's Wife: Young Women And Multiple Transitions, Jennie Buchanan

Theses : Honours

Although obviously involved in the life of their communities, young women have been largely overlooked in youth studies specifically and sociological research in general. Where young women are mentioned in the literature they are discussed using theories and frameworks designed to explain young men's position. It is assumed within these studies that somehow one's gender has little impact on their social situation. Clearly traditional theoretical approaches to the study of youth do not take into account the multiple transitions experienced by young women. This thesis sets out to question existing literature in youth studies. The notion that youth is a …