Abstract:
The purpose of the study was to explore the meanings that university students
attached to their ACEs and the effect of those interpretations on their intrapersonal
and interpersonal relationships. This study aligned to the interpretivist paradigm
which informed the use of the hermeneutic phenomenological qualitative design.
Homogeneous purposive and snowball sampling techniques were used to select 15
participants (9 females and 6 males) from three public universities in the Greater
Accra Region. Having analysed the data thematically, it was observed that victims of
ACEs in the university describe their experiences as going through parental neglect,
disregard for their viewpoint, teasing and humiliation, exhibition of vices by parents,
experienced physical, emotional, verbal and sexual abuse, and playing adult roles.
These experiences influenced their intrapersonal and interpersonal conflicts.
Additionally, it was found out that victims of ACEs have emotional and social needs
which make them adapt either healthy or unhealthy coping strategies. Nonetheless,
the participants had different opinions and attitudes towards counselling seeking. The
findings were discussed in line with some key concepts in the Adler theory, the
Choice theory and the Psychological Model of Students’ Retention. This has
confirmed that exposure to ACEs influenced the way the participants viewed
themselves and their relationship with others. It is therefore recommended that
university management and mental health professionals should screen students during
the admission to identify those at risk of ACEs for immediate intervention.
Description:
A thesis in the Department of Counselling Psychology, Faculty of Applied
Behavioural Sciences in Education, Submitted to the School of
Graduate Studies in partial fulfillment
of the requirements for the award of the degree of
Doctor of Philosophy
(Counselling Psychology)
in the University of Education, Winneba
