A programme to promote internal resiliency among female adolescents: a cognitive-behavioural approach
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Date
2014-01
Authors
Mould, Jana
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
University of the Free State
Abstract
English: In acknowledgement of the identified hiatus in existing research and literature, this study aimed to develop, implement and evaluate a programme to promote internal resiliency among female adolescents by means of a cognitive-behavioural approach. In this research, the conceptualisation of resilience was guided by the Resilience Framework proposed by Kumpfer (1999), where the domain pertaining to personal and internal resiliency served as the selected focus area. The implementation strategy and mode of programme delivery were informed by the principles and techniques underlying a cognitive-behavioural approach. The unit of analysis comprised 100 female Grade 9 learners from an English-medium girls’ school in Bloemfontein (Free State Province) with diverse learner demographics pertaining to socio-economic status and race. Following the implementation of the intervention, both the short- and long-term (three months) efficacy, value and integrity of the programme were assessed. Owing to the experimental nature of this research, the Solomon four-group research design (Solomon, 1949) and the accompanying analytical techniques suggested by Walton Braver and Braver (1988) were utilised to guide the statistical procedures. This was achieved by means of employing a three-dimensional assessment strategy, where the Resiliency Outcomes (Sense of Mastery, Sense of Relatedness and Emotional Reactivity), Cognitive-behavioural Outcomes (Self-downing, Need for Achievement, Need for Approval, Need for Comfort, Demands for Fairness and Other-downing), and quantitative and qualitative feedback from the Programme Evaluation Questionnaire were investigated. For this purpose, three measuring instruments were employed: (i) Resiliency Measure – the Resiliency Scales for Children and Adolescents: A profile of personal strengths (RSCA) (Prince-Embury, 2006, 2007); (ii) Cognitive-behavioural Measure – the Shortened General Attitude and Belief Scale (SGABS) (Lindner, Kirkby, Wertheim, & Birch, 1999); and (iii) a Programme Evaluation Questionnaire. The formulated central and secondary research hypotheses were largely confirmed, as results on the Resiliency and the Cognitive-behavioural Measures indicated statistically significant positive effects for this resiliency programme in the short term as well as over a period of three months, irrespective of whether a pre-measure was administered or not. Quantitative and qualitative feedback obtained from the Programme Evaluation Questionnaire also signified positive results with regard to participants’ perceptions of the structure of the programme as well as personal experiences and perceptions of skills learnt. Findings were interpreted against the backdrop of existing international and South African resilience literature and research. Results suggest that female adolescents’ internal resiliency (improved Sense of Mastery and Sense of Relatedness, and reduced Emotional Reactivity), and cognitive processes (increased Rationality, and reduced Self-downing, Need for Achievement, Need for Approval, Need for Comfort, Demands for Fairness and Other-downing) can be promoted significantly through skills training and development. The potential theoretical and practical implications of the findings were presented, with specific consideration of the contextual nuances related to female adolescents from South Africa. The findings support the notion that individuals are able to learn personal and internal resiliency skills and competencies, and that resiliency might not be predetermined solely by genetics, or exclusively dependent on their environmental status in this process. Despite the significant effect observed for the resiliency programme in the short and long terms, an extended implementation period might serve to sustain the initial effect of the programme over a longer period than the current three months. Recommendations for future interdisciplinary resilience research were made, as well as for the advancement of studies on programme development, implementation and evaluation on this dynamic and multi-dimensional construct.
Afrikaans: Ter erkenning van die geïdentifiseerde leemte in bestaande navorsing en literatuur beoog hierdie studie om deur middel van ʼn kognitiewe-gedragsbenadering ʼn program ter bevordering van persoonlike en interne veerkragtigheid onder vroulike adolessente te ontwikkel, te implementeer en te evalueer. In hierdie navorsing is die konseptualisering van veerkragtigheid deur die veerkragtigheidsraamwerk volgens Kumpfer (1999) gelei, met die domein wat met persoonlike en interne veerkragtigheid verband hou as die gekose fokusarea. Die implementeringstrategie en modus van programlewering is gerig deur die beginsels en tegnieke onderliggend aan ʼn kognitiewe-gedragsbenadering. Die proefpersone het uit 100 vroulike graad 9-leerders van ʼn Engels-medium-skool in Bloemfontein (Vrystaat-provinsie) met diverse leerderdemografika rakende sosio-ekonomiese status en ras bestaan. Na afloop van die implementering van die intervensie, is die kort- en langtermyn- (drie maande) effektiwiteit, praktiese waarde en integriteit van die program geassesseer. Weens die eksperimentele aard van hierdie navorsing is die Solomon-viergroepnavorsingsontwerp (Solomon, 1949) en die gepaardgaande analitiese tegnieke, deur Walton Braver en Braver (1988) aanbeveel, aangewend om die statistiese prosedures te lei. ʼn Driedimensionele assesseringstrategie is geimplimenteer, waar die veerkragtigheidsuitkomstes (Sense of Mastery, Sense of Relatedness en Emotional Reactivity); kognitiewe-gedragsuitkomstes (Rationality, Self-downing, Need for Achievement, Need for Approval, Need for Comfort, Demands for Fairness en Other-downing); en die kwantitatiewe en kwalitatiewe terugvoer van die programevalueringsvraelys ondersoek is. Drie meetsinstrumente is vir hierdie doel aangewend: (i) Veerkragtigheidsmeetinstrument – die Resiliency Scales for Children and Adolescents: A profile of personal strengths (RSCA) (Prince-Embury, 2006, 2007); (ii) meetinstrument van rasionele en irrasionele kognisies – die Shortened General Attitude and Belief Scale (SGABS) (Lindner, Kirkby, Wertheim, & Birch, 1999); en (iii) ʼn Programevalueeringsvraelys. Die geformuleerde sentrale en sekondêre navorsingshipoteses is grootliks bevestig, aangesien resultate op die veerkragtigheids- en kognitiewe-gedragsmetings statisties beduidende effekte vir hierdie veerkragtigheidsprogram oor die kort termyn, asook oor ʼn tydperk van drie maande, aangedui het. Die beduidende effekte is toegeskryf aan die effektiwiteit van die program, en nie aan voortoetssensitisering nie. Kwantitatiewe en kwalitatiewe terugvoer wat van die programevalueringsvraelys ontvang is, het ook positiewe resultate met betrekking tot deelnemers se persepsies van die programstruktuur, as ook hul persoonlike ervarings en persepsies van die vaardighede wat hulle aangeleer het, getoon. Bevindinge is geïnterpreteer teen die agtergrond van bestaande internasionale en Suid- Afrikaanse veerkragtigheidsliteratuur en -navorsing. Resultate dui dat vroulike adolessente se interne veerkragtigheid (Sense of Mastery, Sense of Relatedness en Emotional Reactivity), asook hul kognitiewe prosesse (Rationality, Self-downing, Need for Achievement, Need for Approval, Need for Comfort, Demands for Fairness en Other-downing) beduidend bevorder kan word deur middel van vaardigheidsopleiding en -ontwikkeling. Die potensiële teoretiese en praktiese implikasies van die bevindings is voorgehou met spesifieke oorweging van die kontekstuele nuanses wat met Suid-Afrikaanse vroulike adolessente verband hou. Die bevindinge ondersteun die nosie dat individue in staat is om persoonlike en interne veerkragtigheidsvaardighede aan te leer, en dat veerkragtigheid nie voorafbepaal is slegs deur genetika, of uitsluitlik van omgewingstatus in hierdie proses afhanklik is nie. Ten spyte van die beduidende effek wat vir die veerkragtigheidsprogram oor die kort en lang termyn waargeneem is, mag ʼn verlengde implementeringstydperk die aanvanklike effek van die program oor ʼn langer tydperk as die huidige drie maande volhou. Aanbevelings vir toekomstige interdissiplinêre veerkragtigheidsnavorsing is gemaak. Verdere aanbevelings vir programontwikkeling, - implementering en -evaluering ten opsigte van hierdie dinamiese en multidimensionele konstruk is ook motiveer.
Afrikaans: Ter erkenning van die geïdentifiseerde leemte in bestaande navorsing en literatuur beoog hierdie studie om deur middel van ʼn kognitiewe-gedragsbenadering ʼn program ter bevordering van persoonlike en interne veerkragtigheid onder vroulike adolessente te ontwikkel, te implementeer en te evalueer. In hierdie navorsing is die konseptualisering van veerkragtigheid deur die veerkragtigheidsraamwerk volgens Kumpfer (1999) gelei, met die domein wat met persoonlike en interne veerkragtigheid verband hou as die gekose fokusarea. Die implementeringstrategie en modus van programlewering is gerig deur die beginsels en tegnieke onderliggend aan ʼn kognitiewe-gedragsbenadering. Die proefpersone het uit 100 vroulike graad 9-leerders van ʼn Engels-medium-skool in Bloemfontein (Vrystaat-provinsie) met diverse leerderdemografika rakende sosio-ekonomiese status en ras bestaan. Na afloop van die implementering van die intervensie, is die kort- en langtermyn- (drie maande) effektiwiteit, praktiese waarde en integriteit van die program geassesseer. Weens die eksperimentele aard van hierdie navorsing is die Solomon-viergroepnavorsingsontwerp (Solomon, 1949) en die gepaardgaande analitiese tegnieke, deur Walton Braver en Braver (1988) aanbeveel, aangewend om die statistiese prosedures te lei. ʼn Driedimensionele assesseringstrategie is geimplimenteer, waar die veerkragtigheidsuitkomstes (Sense of Mastery, Sense of Relatedness en Emotional Reactivity); kognitiewe-gedragsuitkomstes (Rationality, Self-downing, Need for Achievement, Need for Approval, Need for Comfort, Demands for Fairness en Other-downing); en die kwantitatiewe en kwalitatiewe terugvoer van die programevalueringsvraelys ondersoek is. Drie meetsinstrumente is vir hierdie doel aangewend: (i) Veerkragtigheidsmeetinstrument – die Resiliency Scales for Children and Adolescents: A profile of personal strengths (RSCA) (Prince-Embury, 2006, 2007); (ii) meetinstrument van rasionele en irrasionele kognisies – die Shortened General Attitude and Belief Scale (SGABS) (Lindner, Kirkby, Wertheim, & Birch, 1999); en (iii) ʼn Programevalueeringsvraelys. Die geformuleerde sentrale en sekondêre navorsingshipoteses is grootliks bevestig, aangesien resultate op die veerkragtigheids- en kognitiewe-gedragsmetings statisties beduidende effekte vir hierdie veerkragtigheidsprogram oor die kort termyn, asook oor ʼn tydperk van drie maande, aangedui het. Die beduidende effekte is toegeskryf aan die effektiwiteit van die program, en nie aan voortoetssensitisering nie. Kwantitatiewe en kwalitatiewe terugvoer wat van die programevalueringsvraelys ontvang is, het ook positiewe resultate met betrekking tot deelnemers se persepsies van die programstruktuur, as ook hul persoonlike ervarings en persepsies van die vaardighede wat hulle aangeleer het, getoon. Bevindinge is geïnterpreteer teen die agtergrond van bestaande internasionale en Suid- Afrikaanse veerkragtigheidsliteratuur en -navorsing. Resultate dui dat vroulike adolessente se interne veerkragtigheid (Sense of Mastery, Sense of Relatedness en Emotional Reactivity), asook hul kognitiewe prosesse (Rationality, Self-downing, Need for Achievement, Need for Approval, Need for Comfort, Demands for Fairness en Other-downing) beduidend bevorder kan word deur middel van vaardigheidsopleiding en -ontwikkeling. Die potensiële teoretiese en praktiese implikasies van die bevindings is voorgehou met spesifieke oorweging van die kontekstuele nuanses wat met Suid-Afrikaanse vroulike adolessente verband hou. Die bevindinge ondersteun die nosie dat individue in staat is om persoonlike en interne veerkragtigheidsvaardighede aan te leer, en dat veerkragtigheid nie voorafbepaal is slegs deur genetika, of uitsluitlik van omgewingstatus in hierdie proses afhanklik is nie. Ten spyte van die beduidende effek wat vir die veerkragtigheidsprogram oor die kort en lang termyn waargeneem is, mag ʼn verlengde implementeringstydperk die aanvanklike effek van die program oor ʼn langer tydperk as die huidige drie maande volhou. Aanbevelings vir toekomstige interdissiplinêre veerkragtigheidsnavorsing is gemaak. Verdere aanbevelings vir programontwikkeling, - implementering en -evaluering ten opsigte van hierdie dinamiese en multidimensionele konstruk is ook motiveer.
Description
Keywords
Thesis (Ph.D. (Psychology))--University of the Free State, 2014, Resilience (Personality trait) in adolescence, Cognitive therapy, Teenage girls -- Mental health, Other-downing, Demands for fairness, Need for comfort, Need for approval, Need for achievement, Rationality, Selfdowning, Emotional reactivity, Sense of relatedness, Programme development, Female adolescents, Sense of mastery, Cognitive-behavioural approach, Internal resiliency, Resilience