'n Evaluering van die Sandcastles-program vir kinders uit egskeidingsgesinne

Abstract

From the literature it is apparent that children need additional support to adjust to parental divorce. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the Sandcastles Program, which is a support group for children from divorced families. This programme was developed in the USA and has received international acclaim. The programme, as applied in South Africa, has not been evaluated before in order to determine its value in the South African context. The present study made use of both quantitative and qualitative research methods to determine the effect of the Sandcastles Program on a group of children between the ages of 9 and 12 years. The following variables were used as an indication of improved adjustment on completion of the programme: an improvement in self-concept, and a decrease in levels of depression, anxiety and faulty beliefs concerning the divorce of their parents. The quantitative results indicate a practical meaningful improvement in self-concept, as well as a practical meaningful decrease in depression and anxiety. No meaningful results could be obtained with regard to the beliefs of the sample group. From the qualitative feedback from the parents and children, it appears that the program contributed towards improved psychological functioning among the members of the sample group. The main aim of the Sandcastles Program, namely to help children give expression to their emotions, has been achieved. The program also contributed towards a better understanding of the reality of divorce. The shortcomings of this study lie in the following: the small sample group, the absence of a control group and the use of convenience sampling in drawing the sample group. One of the main shortcomings of the Sandcastles Program is that there is currently only one licensed Sandcastles provider in South Africa, which serves English-speaking children in Cape Town and the surrounding areas only. It is recommended that this study be repeated in order to determine the reliability of the findings and to establish a greater generalization of results.