Die samestelling en evaluering van 'n program vir rou by kinders in die middelkinderjare

Abstract

Die algemene doelstelling van hierdie studie was om die uitwerking van ʼn rouprogram by ʼn groep kinders in die middelkinderjare te bepaal. Die studiepopulasie het uit 63 kinders uit verskillende bevolkingsgroepe en tale bestaan. Hulle is ewekansig in ’n eksperimentele en kontrolegroep ingedeel. Twee meetinstrumente is gebruik, naamlik die Trauma Symptom Checklist for Children (TSCC) en die Inventory of Complicated Bereavement – Reduced Version (ICG-RC). Die deelnemers is almal getoets nadat hulle ouers/voogde toestemming om deel te neem aan die projek, gegee het. Die navorser het die toetsing onderneem en is bygestaan deur ʼn psigometris. Die deelnemers is daarna onderskeidelik in ʼn eksperimentele en kontrolegroep ingedeel en die lede van die eksperimentele groep het die program deurloop. Na konsultasie met die maatskaplike werker is lede van die kontrolegroep verwys vir individuele terapie. Die program is oor die loop van 10 weke na skoolure aangebied. Die suksesvolle afhandeling van rou en gepaardgaande afname van rousimptome, was die fokus van die program. Die betroubaarheid van die meetinstrumente kon in die Suid-Afrikaanse konteks aangetoon word. Die geldigheid van die meetinstrumente kon egter nie bepaal word nie, omdat die studiepopulasie te klein was. Die deelnemers het bogemiddelde tellings van rousimptome soos angs, depressie en post-traumatiese stres getoon. Voorts is ook aangetoon dat al die deelnemers gekompliseerde rousimptome soos eensaamheid, ʼn soeke na die oorledene, die gevoel dat ʼn deel van hulle ook saam met die oorledene gesterf het en dat hulle in ʼn gebroke wêreld lewe ervaar. Al die deelnemers het die genoemde gekompliseerde rousimptome vir langer as twee maande ervaar en gepaardgaande inperking van hulle funksionering het gevolg. Die impak van die rouprogram is bevestig met statisties beduidende verskille en groot prakties betekenisvolle verskille tussen die eksperimentele en kontrole groep, nadat die program voltooi is. ʼn Beduidende afname is in die ervaring van angs, depressie, post traumatiese-stres, overte dissosiasie en dissosiasie fantasie, (skale van die TSCC) aangetoon. Daar is voorts aangetoon dat die deelnemers in die eksperimentele groep ten opsigte van die Inventory of Complicated Grief (ICG-RC) statisties beduidend van die kontrole groep verskil het, nadat die program aangebied is. Die lede van die eksperimentele groep se rousimptome soos, soeke na oorledene en die gevoel dat die lewe leeg en gebroke is en irritasie, bitterheid en woede, het beduidend afgeneem. Leemtes in die huidige studie is dat die studiepopulasie ʼn klein steekproef ingesluit het en dat die gesinslede en /of oorlewende ouer nie by die program betrek is nie. The general aim of this study was to determine the effect of a grief program for a group of children in middle childhood. The study population consisted of 63 children from different ethnic groups and languages who were divided randomly into an experimental and control group. Two measuring instruments were used, namely the Trauma Symptom Checklist for Children (TSCC) and the Inventory of Complicated Grief Reduced Version (IGC-RC). After permission for participation in the project was obtained from the parents/guardians, participants were tested. The researcher was assisted by a psychometrist in the process of testing. The participants were divided into an experimental and a control group. Only the experimental group attended the program. The participants in the control group was offered individual therapy upon recommendation of the social worker. The program was presented after school hours over the period of ten weeks. The attention was on facilitating completion of the mourning period as well as aiding a decrease of symptoms of complicated bereavement. The reliability of the measuring instruments proved satisfactory in the South African context, but validity could not be determined because of the small study population. Participants had above average scores of symptoms of complicated bereavement such as anxiety, depression, post-traumatic stress, as well as loneliness, seeking the presence of the deceased, feeling a part of themselves has died with the person, and living in a broken world. All participants had symptoms of complicated grief for more than a two-month period and all reported impairment of functioning. The effect of the grief program has been visible in statisitical significant differences and practical differences of great effectbetween the control and experimental groups after completion of the program. A significant decrease in levels of anxiety, depression, post-traumatic stress, overt dissociation, and dissociation conflict (scales of the TSCC) were proved by the results. The results of the Inventory of Complicated Grief Reduced Version (ICG-RC) have indicated a significant statistical difference between the experimental and control group, and the symptoms of the experimental group decreased significantly upon completion of the program. Limitations of this study were the small study population and the exclusion of parents/guardians from the program