https://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar/handle/123456789/4154 2026-04-09T17:03:43Z https://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar/handle/123456789/36956 Title: The narratives of domestic violence survivors who lived in a Shelter Abstract: This study explores the narratives of domestic violence survivors who lived in a shelter and the perceived assistance received. Narrative semi-structured interviews were conducted with ten survivors of domestic violence who made use of the three main shelter services in Malta. These narratives were triangulated with interviews conducted with shelter professionals. The stories collected were analysed using narrative and thematic analysis. This process yielded four main themes: a) The Start of a Journey - A Time for Adaptation; b) The Shelter - A Haven for Safety and Security; c) Weathering the Difficulties - Dealing with Distress, and d) The End of a Journey. The Onset of Another. The findings suggest that despite the complexity of the shelter environment, the participants, with the help of dedicated staff members, made great leaps forward towards their struggle for survival, and emerged triumphantly. The implications of these findings for policy and practice are also discussed. Description: M.FAMILY STUD. 2014-01-01T00:00:00Z https://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar/handle/123456789/4331 Title: Validating the Family Resilience Assessment Scale to Maltese families Abstract: The purpose of the study was to cross-culturally validate the Family Resilience Assessment Scale (FRAS) developed by Sixbey (2005). The second objective was to identify the major factors helping Maltese families to instil resilience. The process of validation involved translating the scale to Maltese and back-translating it to English. An expert panel reviewed the translated versions of the scale to ensure that content validity was not lost in the translation process, while ensuring that the scale had cultural validity for the Maltese context. A test retest analysis was performed in a pilot-study of 15 participants and further changes to the items were effected. The scale was then tested in a final random sample of 225 participants. The factor analysis identified six factors that contribute to family resilience in Malta. These six factors and their respective Cronbach‟s Alpha are: „Family Communication and Problem Solving‟ (α= 0.87), „Maintaining a Positive Outlook‟ (α= 0.79), „Outreach‟ (α= 0.70), „Ability to Make Meaning of Adversity‟ (α= 0.68), „Community and Friendship Outlook‟ (α= 0.68) and „Family Connectedness‟ (α= 0.22). The resulting Maltese version of FRAS was labelled FRAS-MV, which had an Alpha of α = 0.86 and was considered as a valid measure of family resilience for the Maltese context. Further investigation in a larger sample is required to establish the validity of FRAS-MV. The results indicated that more investment in communities is required, in particular to extend the Access Community Resource Centres to reach more communities and to create Family Resource Centres offering preventive and treatment programmes. Description: M.FAMILY STUD. 2014-01-01T00:00:00Z https://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar/handle/123456789/4330 Title: A qualitative study of Maltese families in which fathers default on child maintenance Abstract: This study aimed to explore the experiences of fathers and mothers coming from families in which fathers default on child maintenance in Malta as well as the perspectives of Maltese legal professionals with experience in the area of child maintenance. In-depth qualitative interviews were carried out with four fathers, six mothers, and four lawyers. Interpretative phenomenological analysis (IPA) and thematic analysis were used to elicit themes from the interviews with parents and lawyers respectively. This study found that parental narratives marred by complex spousal difficulties and severe distress both before and after separation set the scene for power struggles over issues of money, child custody and access in which children are triangled. At a time when they most need help to co-parent in high-conflict circumstances, parents' difficulties are exacerbated rather than alleviated by their disempowering experiences of support structures and the court system. These findings were largely validated by lawyers. The study suggests that targeting child maintenance compliance is best served by policy strategies that promote stable relationships whilst supporting the best possible routes for maintaining healthy co-parenting relationships following separation. The key recommendations are: the setting-up of a working group to propose changes in legislation and the justice system in the area of child maintenance; strengthening support structures and training professionals to respond to the needs of families; promoting relationship education; and promoting parenting as a shared responsibility. Description: M.FAMILY STUD. 2014-01-01T00:00:00Z