Department of Psychology

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Adolescents' perceptions and attitudes about violence on television
(University of the Western Cape, 2001) Taylor, Ashley; Ahmed, Rashid
The idea that television contributes to aggressive behaviour, and the argument that violence on television on may instigate aggressive behaviour, has been a heavily debated issue for many years. Most of the research done however , has been done in the area of the role that television violence has on influencing behaviour, rather than on how people who the behaviour is impacting on, perceive the violence television. The aim of this study was to look at perceptions and attitudes adolescents have towards the violence that they exposed to on television. The present research aimed to find out what adolescents regarded as violence' what their attitudes, perceptions and knowledge was surrounding violence on television, whether they thought that television violence affected their interpersonal behaviour, and what solutions and strategies they imagined would be successful in combating violent behaviour. This study was done with a convenient sample comprising 25 adolescents who took part in four focus groups comprising 8 participants in 2 groups 9 in 1 group' and 7 in the other group. The participants were provided with a vignette depicting a violent incident and discussion was facilitated around what their perceptions were with regards to the vignette and televised violence. The data was then analysed through a process of thematic content analysis to identify the themes that gave an understanding of the participants belief television violence and perceptions with regards to television violence. Several possibilities emerged as explanations for the perceived limited effect television violence had on adolescents among, these being their ability to distinguish between fantasy and reality. The other primary reason that participants gave for the limited effect that television violence had on them was the fact that they were exposed to violence in their Iives on a daily basis, and that this has minimised the effect that television violence has furthermore the findings revealed that they saw violence as being primarily physical and that the main solution for them was individual responsibility and how the person perceives and interprets what they see. The main reason violence was seen as being primarily physical seemed to be the "graphicness" of violence that participants could see as opposed to more 'abstract' emotional or psychological violence which they could not see. To counteract violence, participants felt that the main solution lies in the individual taking responsibility foe his /her actions.
An investigation into the relationship between exposure to violence, resilience and PTSD in a sample of psychology students at the University of the Western Cape
(University of the Western Cape, 2018) Nortje, Carla Anne; Ahmed, Rashid
Post-apartheid South Africa has been marked by high levels of trauma resulting from exposure to violence. Many South Africans are therefore at risk for developing Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). Despite a large body of research identifying various protective factors which may influence an individual's response to a traumatic event, a gap in South African research on the relationship between exposure to multiple traumatic experiences, protective factors and the development of PTSD was identified. Therefore, located within the systems theory framework, the aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between demographic characteristics, types of exposure to trauma and resilience associated with the development of posttraumatic stress (PTS) when there are multiple exposures to trauma. A quantitative, cross-sectional, exploratory study on 158 psychology students at the University of the Western Cape was undertaken. Using a non-random, convenience sampling method, data were collected by means of four self-report questionnaires namely; a biographical questionnaire, the Life Events Checklist for DSM-5 (LEC-5), the Resilience Scale for Adults (RSA), and the Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Checklist for DSM-5 (PCL-5).
Clinical psychology training in South Africa: a call to action
(Sage Publications, 2013) Pillay, Anthony; Ahmed, Rashid; Bawa, Umesh
With the profession of clinical psychology and its formal training programmes less than 40 years old in South Africa, it is important that efforts are made to critically examine its challenges and the extent to which it is meeting the prevailing mental health needs. The profession has gone through a chequered history in South Africa and needs to look at how it realigns its goals and practices, to be in tune with the imperatives of democracy, and to ensure that mental health benefits accrue to all of the country’s people, rather than a minority. To this end, the authors examine training issues, such as recruitment, curricula, and future directions. We assert that a clinical psychology that draws from current resources and foregrounds a primary health-care orientation can start to address some of the challenges facing training in South Africa.
Determining levels of coping and emotional intelligence in psychology students at the University of the Western Cape: A quantitative study
(University of the Western Cape, 2018) Delport, Melissa; Ahmed, Rashid; Rose, Jenny
Literature on the experiences of psychology students is limited, particularly in the South African context of previously disadvantaged institutions. More specifically, not much is known about levels of emotional intelligence (EI) and coping during higher education training. Successful academic performance depends on adherence to EI criteria, including accurate acknowledgement of, and responses to emotions in others, efficiently negotiating relationships and directing one’s motivations towards explicit goals. Coping refers to the constantly changing cognitive and behavioural responses that attempt to manage internal and/or external stressors. This study aimed to understand the relationship between emotional intelligence and coping, and tested the hypothesis that higher levels of emotional intelligence will be associated with higher levels of coping. It adopted a quantitative approach with a cross-sectional survey research design. The sample included 114 students who were enrolled in the psychology third- year and honours programmes at the University of the Western Cape at the time of the study. A purposive, convenience sampling method was used, and data was collected using a self- constructed demographic questionnaire (DQ), the Assessing Emotions Scale (AES), and the Ways of Coping Scale (WOCS). The Statistical Software Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) was used to analyse the data. Correlational analysis of variance (ANOVA) and multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA) were applied. Ethical stipulations included that participation was voluntary, the identity of respondents was kept anonymous, and confidentiality was respected. The findings indicated that there was no significant relationship between EI and coping. Conversely, it was found that students who worked while studying displayed increased levels of EI, and those who intended to further their studies on master’s level, utilised higher-level coping strategies. Recommendations are therefore that further studies include actual measured abilities to complement the self-report instrument used in this study.
Education quality, and teaching and learning in the post-2015education agenda
(Elsevier, 2015) Sayed, Yusuf; Ahmed, Rashid
At present, there is an intense and wide-ranging debate on the future of global development. This debateoccurs in a context of increasing global inequality, global economic recession, conflict, and climatechange. Discussions about the post-2015 education and development agenda in this context ambitiouslyseek to eradicate poverty, promote social and economic inclusion, tackle climate change, promoteequity, and access to quality education. While the exact goals are not yet agreed and the shape of the finalpost-2015 development is still to be settled, there is a widespread consensus that education is priorityand that equitable and quality education is core to the agenda. In this context, this paper discusses thecontinuities and discontinuities in the proposed post-2015 quality agenda through a textual analysis ofUNESCO consultations on Education for All (EFA). In particular, this article focuses on the UNESCO post-2015 position paper and the Muscat Global Education meeting agreement in April 2015. They aresignificant policy texts as they evidence the current global education discourse on education and thedevelopment agenda and reflect the broad consultations and thinking reflected in the thematicconsultations. They also are important as they seek to clarify and secure the focus on the Education for Allgoals within a future post-2015 development agenda. The analysis of these texts pays particularattention to how quality is conceptualised in these texts, how it is translated into targets and howteachers are located in the global education quality discourse.
An investigation into the relationship between resilience, protective factors and Posttraumatic Stress Disorder in a sample of psychology students at the University of the Western Cape
(University of the Western Cape, 2018) Neubert, Roxanne McLean; Ahmed, Rashid
Due to the recent findings that the majority of South African’s have been exposed to high levels of trauma, the effects of trauma on mental health and wellbeing have become an important area of research in the South African context. Although many individuals in our country experience high exposure and multiple incidences of trauma, there are a significant number of people who seem to cope well in the face of adverse circumstances and trauma and do not develop stress symptomology as a result of exposure to a traumatic event. These individuals are viewed as resilient as they are able to utilize protective factors at their disposal, aiding them in preventing the development of symptoms associated with Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). A large body of literature exists that identifies various protective factors, which may have a positive influence on an individual’s response to a traumatic event, thus making them more resilient. However, there is a gap in the South African research on the relationship between exposure to trauma, protective factors and the development of PTSD. The aim of this study is to explain how protective factors mediate PTSD symptoms. It investigates protective factors that resilient individuals utilize in the face of trauma such as; internal characteristics or traits, various demographic factors (i.e., age, gender), supportive interpersonal relationships, religious affiliation and community and family factors that have been identified as protective factors in the literature. Resilience emerged as significant in that it mitigated the development of posttraumatic symptoms (PTS) amongst the sample of university students. This indicates that despite the high incidences of exposure to trauma, individuals have the ability to be resilient, which therefore serves as a protective factor in the event of trauma. The present study constitutes a secondary analysis of previously collected survey data. The data being analysed is from a quantitative, cross-sectional survey that adopted a non-random, convenience sampling method. Logistic regression was undertaken in order to determine the relationship between age, religious affiliation, type of exposure, resilience and posttraumatic stress exposure. Only resilience emerges as a significant predictor underlying its importance for mediating traumatic outcomes. It highlights the importance od including protective factors in future research and interventions.
Parents’ perception of a burns intervention video
(University of the Western Cape, 2022) van Tonder, Wayne; Ahmed, Rashid
Burn injuries are a common and leading cause of injury mortality and morbidity around the world. Globally, child mortality, due to burn injuries, has been estimated to be around 2.5 per 100 000 in 103 countries, and 4.5 per 100 000 in Sub-Saharan Africa. Burn injuries negatively impact survivors both physically and psychosocially. Paediatric burn survivors are particularly vulnerable to the psychosocial effects of burn injuries, such as interruptions in their relationships with family, friendships and schooling. Given that burn interventions have been developed to help mitigate the negative physical and psychosocial sequalae that follow, psychosocial interventions that specifically focus on bolstering resilience in paediatric burn survivors are scant.
Participatory health research in South Africa
(Springer Nature, 2018) Mosavel, Maghboeba; Winship, Jodi; Ahmed, Rashid
While 1994 marked the official end of institutionalized apartheid rule in South Africa, the effects of decades of racism and economic disparity continue to reverberate to this day. Historically, medical and behavioural research was seen as the domain of the ruling class, steeped in power dynamics and reflective of the limited voice of the majority and most marginalized. If research was even conducted in underserved and under-resourced communities, it was certainly done using a top-down approach to identifying and solving problems. South Africa witnessed an overwhelmingly successful grassroots movement to eliminate racial inequalities and end apartheid. This intensive, grassroots cross-sector movement for racial justice has significantly informed the approaches and strategies necessarily required for conducting social and behavioural research within the South African context. Perhaps because of the many years of “research neglect”, or research logjam, grassroots research engagement specifically focused on social and behavioural research in post-transitional South Africa is not as copious as one might think, and much of the research is necessarily population-based.
Poverty, protests and pandemics: what can we learn from community resilience?
(SAGE, 2021) Ahmed, Rashid; Sayed, Yusuf Mohamed; Somhlaba, Nceba Z
The destruction of property, theft and violence that occurred in South Africa, particularly in KZN and Gauteng in the week of 12 July 2021 had a significant impact on the national psyche. As we try to come to terms with the magnitude of the consequences on the political, economic, psychological and social levels, what are the lessons that we can draw from this adversity? This commentary draws on the notion of community resilience to understand what has happened, and how it may provide markers for the future. The commentary begins with a short overview of the notion of community resilience, followed by a discussion of its utility to explain the events as well as lessons for the future.

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