Resilience in Families that have Experienced Heart-Related Trauma

Abstract

STATEMENT I, the undersigned, hereby declare that the work contained in this assignment is my own original work and that I have not previously in its entirety or in part submitted it at any university for a degree. ……………………….. ……………………… Signature Date ii ABSTRACTThe current study was aimed at expanding on and understanding the adaptation and adjustment mechanisms used by families in the wake of heart-related trauma, as a means of providing information that reveals and supports the family's own abilities, capabilities and resilience. The theoretical framework of this study was the Resiliency Model of Family Stress, Adjustment and Adaptation (McCubbin & Thompson, 1991). The focus of this study is on the existing and new resources (including social support), the situation appraisal (including the family schema) and the problem solving and coping aspects of the family. This focus represents the paradigmatic shift from a pathological view of a family to a salutogenic view.Family resilience factors were collected through the self-report questionnaires and an open ended questionnaire, which were completed by the family member who experienced the heartrelated trauma. Results indicated that family time and routines appeared to be a key process for mediating family adaptation, as well as parent-child togetherness and family chores. Ander sleutelprosesse wat geïdentifiseer is en positief verband hou met gesinsaanpassing, is sosiale ondersteuning, gesinsgehardheid, en die herformulering van probleemsituasies. Die identifisering van kern gesinsprosesse kan bydra tot die herstel en opbou van gesinne in krisisse. In die Suid-Afrikaanse konteks kan hierdie kennis gebruik word om intervensies te beplan vir gesinne met 'n lid wat 'n kardiovaskulêre siekte het.iv CONTENTS

Resilience in Families Caring for a Family Member Diagnosed with Dementia

“…These findings were confirmed in the best-subset regression analysis, thus validating the significant contribution of problem-solving communication patterns in predicting family adaptation. These findings also enjoy theoretical support (McCubbin & McCubbin, 1996;Walsh, 2002Walsh, , 2003 as well as empirical support (Greeff & Thiel, 2012;Greeff & Wentworth, 2009;Jonker & Greeff, 2009). …”

“…The families in these studies relied on their internal strengths to help them through difficult situations. They were described as flexible and open to change, innovative and proactive when faced with new experiences, accepting, respectful, loving, and supportive towards one another, and willing to work together as a unit to overcome their problems (Greeff & Thiel, 2012;Greeff, Van Steenwegen & Ide, 2006;Greeff & Wentworth, 2009;Jonker & Greeff, 2009;McCubbin & McCubbin, 1988;Preece & Sandberg, 2005). The results also showed that families making use of passive appraisal as a coping strategy were better able to deal with the emotional hardships of caring for a chronically ill loved one.…”

“…However, these results were not statistically significant. The literature on family resilience confirms that higher levels of optimism and hope are significantly related to better family adaptation (Greeff & De Villiers, 2008;Greeff & Wentworth, 2009;Walsh, 2003). Several studies also show that the resilience process is facilitated by a family's ability to reframe a problem as a challenge that is comprehensible, manageable and meaningful to tackle (Greeff & Thiel, 2012;Greeff & Wentworth, 2009;Greeff et al, 2006;McCubbin & McCubbin, 1996;Walsh, 2003).…”

“…Once families accepted that they were unable to change their circumstances, they were able to cope better with their situation (Greeff et al, 2006). Other resilience resources identified in studies on families caring for a chronically ill loved one include the following: family hardiness, positivism and optimism, humor, family togetherness, family traditions and rituals, predictable routines, community support, religious beliefs, information seeking, open, positive communication patterns, and the family's socioeconomic status (Greeff et al, 2006;Greeff & Thiel, 2012;94 M. DEIST AND A. P. GREEF Greeff & Wentworth, 2009;Jonker & Greeff, 2009;McCubbin & McCubbin, 1988;Preece & Sandberg, 2005).…”

Trauma, Trust and Hope among Women: A Qualitative Study

“…The philosophical outlook towards life shaped their thoughts and prepared them to have positive orientation towards life. A further important resiliency quality relates to the individual characteristics of the family, which includes a positive outlook, and an understanding and acceptance of new circumstances This aspect refers to the way a family makes meaning of life's adversity (Chesla et al 2003;Greeff and Wentworth 2009;Patterson 2002;Walsh 2002 andMcCubbin 1996). Some psychologists claim trust is the hallmark of social adjustment (Gurtman 1992) and that without it neuroses prevail.…”