The lived experiences of resilience among Namibian children in middle childhood who have been exposed to parental divorce
| dc.contributor.advisor | Gentz, S. | |
| dc.contributor.author | van Schalkwyk, Janine | |
| dc.date.accessioned | 2025-02-05T07:45:01Z | |
| dc.date.available | 2025-02-05T07:45:01Z | |
| dc.date.issued | 2024 | |
| dc.description | A mini thesis submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts in Clinical Psychology | |
| dc.description.abstract | Divorce remains a primary contributor to family instability within Africa, hence, increasing amounts of children are exposed to the impacts thereof. Given that the family unit has been identified as central to the development and healthy adjustment of children, the mere presence of its breakdown constitutes as a risk to the Namibian youth. However, research shows that not all children react uniformly to the impact of parental divorce and are able to thrive. Therefore, this study aimed to understand how some children are capable of resilience amidst the risks associated with the exposure to parental divorce. Consequently, this study focused primarily on identifying and understanding positive factors that nurture the capacity for resilience, among children aged 9-12 years, post parental divorce. A non-experimental, mixed-methods approach with a multiple case-study design was employed to acquire comprehensive information on the lived experiences of 24 children within middle childhood. Purposeful sampling were used to ensure the assembly of relevant data required for this study. The Children and Youth Resilience Measurement scale was administered to all 24 participants in order to test each participant for resiliency. To eliminate some of the challenges associated with gathering qualitative data from younger children, QMethodology, with visual material, was utilised and administered to all 24 participants. The data of 12 participants were used for analysis who measured high on resiliency during the CYRM scale administration. For data analysis, the PQ Method 2.35 software program, was used to conduct by-person factor analysis. Four factors emerged from the analysis process as statistically significant in fostering resilience, namely Quality Parent-Child Relationships, Healthy School Attachment, Strong Community Attachment as well as Effective Parent Conflict Resolution and Relationships. These results highlighted the multisystemic nature of resilience, emphasising the importance of individual, familial and environmental/community protective factors when considering resources which nurture resilience within children exposed to parental divorce. Therefore, it becomes critical for support to extend beyond the perimeters of the nuclear family and include efforts to nurture stable relationships with extended family members, peer groups, the school system and the wider community. Furthermore, among some methodological 5 recommendations for future studies include exploring the complex dynamic and resultant impact of siblings and stepparents on children’s capacity for resilience | |
| dc.identifier.uri | http://hdl.handle.net/11070/3939 | |
| dc.language.iso | en | |
| dc.publisher | University of Namibia | |
| dc.subject | Parent conflict resolution | |
| dc.subject | Parental divorce | |
| dc.subject | University of Namibia | |
| dc.subject | Namibia | |
| dc.subject | Namibian children | |
| dc.title | The lived experiences of resilience among Namibian children in middle childhood who have been exposed to parental divorce | |
| dc.type | Thesis |