|
|
Thesis/Dissertation Information
- Degree Disciplines:
- Education
Notes
- Abstract:
- Purpose : This study sought to synthesize and extend bereavement research relating to attachment and resilience by focusing on three constructs that may be related to resiliency and adaptive functioning. The primary purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between family attachment, family hardiness, and family social support to resiliency and behavioral functioning of children who have lost a parent. A secondary purpose was to investigate the interrelationship between the three variables of family attachment, family hardiness, and family social support in families who have lost a parent.
Method: The research design chosen for this study was causal-comparative. The 55 participants in this study were parents raising children between the ages of eighteen months to eighteen years who had lost a parent within the past four years, and who were receiving mental health services or support. The participants completed the following questionnaires: The Family Attachment and Changeability Index (McCubbin, Thompson, & Elver, 1995), the Family Hardiness Index (McCubbin, Patterson, & Glynn, 1996), the Social Support Index (Mc Cubbin, Mc Cubbin, & Thompson, 1996), the Child Resiliency Scale (Eisenberg, 2004), and the Child Behavior Checklist (Achenbach, 1991). The predictor variables in this study were: parent-child attachment, family hardiness, and family social support. The criterion variables in this study were the children’s resiliency and the children’s behavioral functioning.
Major Findings: Of the nine hypotheses, the results found support for seven. Significant positive correlational relationships were found between child resiliency and the variables of family attachment, changeability, family hardiness, and family social support. Significant negative correlations were found between problematic behaviors as measured by the Child Behavior Checklist and family attachment, changeability, and family hardiness. Family hardiness correlated positively with family attachment and family social support, and the correlations were significant. The results of this study indicate that family attachment, changeability, family hardiness, and social support are associated with increased resilience and decreased behavioral problems in children. These variables may be mediating factors that explain why family coherence is related to better adjustment after the loss of a parent. The findings suggest that counselors who work with families who have lost a parent should focus on increasing family attachment, family hardiness, and family social support, in addition to providing grief counseling.
- Thesis:
- Thesis (Ph.D.)--Barry University, 2009.
- Bibliography:
- Includes bibliographical references (leaves 130-146)
Record Information
- Source Institution:
- Barry University
- Holding Location:
- Barry University Archives and Special Collections
- Rights Management:
- Copyright. Permission granted to Barry University to digitize, archive and distribute this item for non-profit research and educational purposes. Any reuse of this item in excess of fair use or other copyright exemptions requires permission of the copyright holder.
- Resource Identifier:
- BF723.G75 A36 2009_Aboul-HosnNawa ( BU-Local )
- Classification:
- BF723.G75 A36 2009 ( lcc )
|
|
