An exploration of resilience characteristics that families draw upon with the crisis of their child being bullied

[摘要] ENGLISH ABSTRACT: The primary aim of this study was to identify resilience characteristics that families drew upon to cope when they were faced with the crisis of their child being bullied. The secondary aim of this study was to explore how parents experienced the bullying. This study was conducted through the lens of positive psychology and, more specifically, using Walsh's (1996) family resilience theoretical framework. This is a qualitative study, in which data was collected from seven families. All the participants were recruited from the Cape Town area in the Western Cape province of South Africa. Data was obtained by means of semi-structured interviews, in which participants were asked how they experienced the crisis, and how they, as a family, coped with their child being bullied. All the participating families were represented by the mother. The qualitative data was analysed through the process of thematic analysis. The data was analysed and the findings were presented according to the two aims of the study. Firstly, with regard to how parents experienced the crisis of their child being bullied, three categories of themes emerged. These were the reactions of parents, the emotions experienced by the parents, and their experience with the school. It was evident from the findings that families experienced a wide range of emotions and reactions to their child being bullied. Findings relating to the second aim of the study, namely which resilience characteristics families used to cope when their child was bullied, were divided into two categories of themes: Intra-familial resources and extra-familial resources. Both intra- and extra-familial resources were vital in enabling these families to cope with the crisis.These findings suggest and identify qualities and resources that could be used in future interventions to strengthen other families' resilience if they experience the crisis of having a child who is being bullied. Several directions for future research were also identified. A future study on a similar topic, in which a larger, more diverse sample is used would provide greater insight into how parents and families cope with and experience bullying in South Africa. Interviewing both partners, and not just the mothers as the family representative, would also provide greater insight. This study has also highlighted the need for more effective anti-bullying programmes in schools, in which families and schools should work together, to facilitate the programme and promote an environment that strengthens much-needed trust between the two parties.

[发布机构] Stellenbosch University