Browsing by Author "Pretorius, Tyrone B."

Now showing 1 - 11 of 11
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    Anxiety in brief: Assessment of the five-item trait scale of the state-trait anxiety inventory in South Africa
    (MDPI, 2023) Pretorius, Tyrone B.; Padmanabhanunni, Anita
    The current study examined the psychometric properties of a short form of the trait scale of the Spielberger State-Trait Anxiety Inventory. Participants consisted of a convenience sample of students (n = 322) who completed the five-item version of the trait scale of the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory, the Perceived Stress Scale, the nine-item version of the Beck Hopelessness Scale, the 10-item version of the Center for Epidemiological Studies Depression Scale, and the Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder Checklist. We used classical test theory and item response theory (Rasch and Mokken analyses) to examine the psychometric properties of a previously proposed five-item version of this scale. These approaches confirmed that the five-item measure of anxiety had satisfactory reliability and validity, and also confirmed that the five items comprised a unidimensional scale.
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    Deriving meaning from chaos: the mediating role of the sense of coherence in the serial relationships among fear of Covid-19, indices of psychological distress, and life satisfaction
    (MDPI, 2022) Pretorius, Tyrone B.; Padmanabhanunni, Anita
    The current study focused on the role of the sense of coherence (SOC) in the serial relationships among the fear of COVID-19, indices of psychological distress, and life satisfaction. It examined the hypothesis that an SOC would mitigate the impact of the fear of COVID-19 on psychological distress, which in turn would positively impact life satisfaction. Participants were school teachers (N = 355) who completed the Fear of COVID-19 Scale, the trait scale of the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory, the Beck Hopelessness Scale, the short form of the Sense of Coherence Scale, and the Satisfaction with Life Scale. A path analysis confirmed the mediating role of the dimensions of the SOC in the relationships among the fear of COVID-19, indices of psychological distress, and life satisfaction. Specifically, comprehensibility, meaningfulness, and manageability were found to mediate the associations between the fear of COVID-19 and anxiety, and the fear of COVID-19 and hopelessness, which in turn were associated with higher levels of life satisfaction. The findings confirmed that an SOC is an important source of resilience. Interventions that facilitate the re-appraisal of stressors as challenges and enhance the awareness of practical coping strategies can build an SOC and promote mental health.
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    The dynamics of appraisal: a review of 20 years of research using the Fortitude Questionnaire
    (South African Journal of Psychology, 2021-03) Pretorius, Tyrone B.; Padmanabhanunni, Anita
    Fortitude refers to the psychological strength to manage adversity and stay well. It is derived from adaptive cognitive appraisals of self, family, and social supports and has consistently been identified as a protective factor in psychological well-being. This study undertakes a scoping review of empirical research on the Fortitude Questionnaire, which was developed to assess levels of fortitude. The aims of the study were to categorize and catalogue studies that have used the Fortitude Questionnaire, identify the variables that have been linked to the scale, and determine the extent to which prior research has replicated the Fortitude Questionnaire’s psychometric properties. Arksey and O’Malley’s five-stage framework for scoping reviews was followed to review studies published between January 1999 and March 2020. A total of 51 studies met the inclusion criteria. The scoping review found that the Fortitude Questionnaire has been used in different contexts and among various sample groups across the lifespan, including vulnerable and high-risk populations. The scale has demonstrated sound reliability and studies have confirmed its factor structure. The scale has also been used as an independent, dependent, and intervening variable. Fortitude has been linked to positive and negative indicators of well-being, and intervention studies have indicated that fortitude is amenable to change. The findings of this scoping review provide a foundation for the development of appraisal restructuring programmes and interventions.
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    Facing your fear of Covid-19: Resilience as a protective factor against burnout in South African teachers
    (Elsevier, 2022) Padmanabhanunni, Anita; Pretorius, Tyrone B.; Bouchard, Jean-Pierre
    Frontline workers have been distinctively impacted by the rapid spread of the COVID-19 pandemic. Teachers, as frontline employees in the educational system, had to contend with unprecedented changes to their work role, as well as new job demands coupled with insufficient resources and the effects of the pandemic on their personal lives. While some teachers struggled to cope and reported intense levels of fear of COVID-19 and burnout, others were able to adapt and experienced a sense of growth and accomplishment. Therefore, the current study aimed to examine the role of resilience in the relationship between fear of COVID-19 and burnout among South African schoolteachers using a survey design.
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    Identity matters: Validation of the professional identifcation scale in a sample of teachers in South Africa during the Covid 19 pandemic
    (Springer Science and Business Media Deutschland GmbH, 2022) Pretorius, Tyrone B.; Padmanabhanunni, Anita; Isaacs, Serena Ann
    Professional identity has been linked to organizational outcomes such as job performance and commitment, as well as health and well-being indices such as burnout and depression. Professional identity is a powerful mechanism that can be afected by social and environmental factors. It is therefore important to establish a reliable and valid measurement of professional identity that is useful in diferent contexts. The current study examines the psychometric properties of Brown’s Professional Identifcation Scale (PIS) using three diferent but complementary approaches: classical test theory, Mokken analysis, and Rasch analysis. The study participants (N=355), school teachers recruited from all over South Africa, completed the PIS, the Satisfaction with Life Scale, and the Teacher Satisfaction Scale. The reliability and validity of a reduced 8-item version of the PIS was confrmed.
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    Promoting well-being in the face of a pandemic: The role of sense of coherence and ego-resilience in the relationship between psychological distress and life satisfaction
    (SAGE Publications, 2022) Padmanabhanunni, Anita; Pretorius, Tyrone B.
    COVID-19 has impacted negatively on the lives and academic activities of university students. This has contributed to increasing levels of psychological distress among this population group. Intrinsic and contextual factors can mediate the psychological impact of the pandemic. The study focuses on sense of coherence and ego-resilience as potential protective factors on indices of psychological distress and life satisfaction. Participants were undergraduate students (N=337) at a South African university who completed six self-report questionnaires, namely, the Beck Hopelessness Scale, the University of California Los Angeles Loneliness Scale, the Center for Epidemiological Studies Depression Scale, the Sense of Coherence Scale, the Ego-Resilience Scale, and the Satisfaction with Life Scale.
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    The role of fortitude in relation to exposure to violence among adolescents living in lower socio-economic areas in South Africa
    (Taylor & Francis, 2016) Pretorius, Tyrone B.; Padmanabhanunni, Anita; Campbell, Jerome
    OBJECTIVE: There is compelling evidence that a significant proportion of adolescents exposed to violence do not develop trauma-related symptoms, but adapt successfully. This differential vulnerability has propelled research into identifying factors that promote coping. This study focused on the role of fortitude in the relationship between violence and trauma-related symptoms among South African adolescents living in two low-income communities. Fortitude is derived from positive cognitive appraisals of the self, the family and external sources of support. METHOD: Adolescents (n = 498) completed an adapted version of the Harvard Trauma Scale (HTS) and the Fortitude Questionnaire (FORQ). RESULTS: Moderated regression analysis demonstrated that fortitude had a health-sustaining and stress- buffering role. Adolescents who displayed high levels of fortitude had lower levels of trauma symptoms in relation to exposure to violence (stress-buffering) and were able to maintain their levels of wellbeing irrespective of the nature and extent of such exposure (health-sustaining). CONCLUSION: The study provides evidence for fortitude as a protective factor by highlighting the role of specific cognitive appraisals related to fortitude in facilitating adaptation in relation to trauma. The study also underscores the relevance of using clinical interventions that target problematic cognitive appraisals and strengthen perceptions of coping.
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    Teacher burnout in the time of Covid-19: Antecedents and psychological consequences
    (MDPI, 2023) Padmanabhanunni, Anita; Pretorius, Tyrone B.
    The important, frontline role of teachers during the COVID-19 pandemic has often gone unrecognized, and attention to their mental health and well-being is often only the focus of scholarly research. The unprecedented challenges that teachers faced during the COVID-19 pandemic and the stresses and strains associated with it have severely impacted their psychological well-being. This study examined the predictors and the psychological consequences of burnout. Participants (N = 355) were schoolteachers in South Africa who completed the Perceived Vulnerability to Disease Questionnaire, the Fear of COVID-19 Scale, the Role Orientation Questionnaire, the Maslach Burnout Inventory, the Centre for Epidemiological Depression Scale, the Beck Hopelessness Scale, the Satisfaction with Life Scale, and the trait scale of the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory.
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    Toward a positive life beyond covid-19: Problem-solving appraisal as a resistance resource in the relationship between stress and well-being in students
    (MDPI, 2023) Pretorius, Tyrone B.; Padmanabhanunni, Anita
    The COVID-19 pandemic is a major global stressor that has been associated with elevated risk of negative mental health symptoms. As a helping profession, our main task should be identifying factors that may shield individuals from the negative consequences of stress, rather than only focusing on the causes and symptoms of stress. One such factor, identified in the literature, is an individual’s perception of their problem-solving skills. In this study we investigate the role of problem-solving appraisal in the association between perceived stress and psychological well-being. Participants were students (n = 322) who completed the Problem Solving Inventory, the Perceived Stress Scale, the short forms of the trait scale of the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory, and the Beck Hopelessness Scale. The results demonstrate the health-sustaining benefits of problem-solving appraisal, as all dimensions of problem-solving appraisal (problem-solving confidence, approach-avoidance style, and problemsolving control) were directly associated with hopelessness and anxiety.
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    Validation of the fear of COVID-19 scale in South Africa: Three complementary analyses
    (Elsevier, 2021) Pretorius, Tyrone B.; Padmanabhanunni, Anita; Stiegler, Nancy
    TFear is the most common response to disease outbreaks. Persistent and prolonged fear can elevate the levels of psychological distress and aggravate preexisting mental health problems. Therefore, prompted by the central role of fear in psychological responses to COVID-19, the Fear of COVID-19 Scale was developed, which is the only instrument that can assess emotional fear reactions in relation to the current pandemic. In this study, we extend research on the psychometric properties of this instrument by adopting three complementary approaches: classical test theory, Rasch analysis, and Mokken analysis. Combining thes emethods allows for a more nuanced overview of the psychometric properties of the instrument. The sample comprised South African teachers (n = 355) who completed the Fear of COVID-19 Scale. All three approaches confirmed the reliability and the construct, convergent, and concurrent validity of the scale asused with South African teachers. In addition, all three approaches confirmed that the scale is sufficiently homogenous to be considered unidimensional.
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    We are not Islands: The role of social support in the relationship between perceived stress during the COVID-19 pandemic and psychological distress
    (International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 2023) Pretorius, Tyrone B.; Padmanabhanunni, Anita; Isaacs, Serena A.
    The COVID-19 pandemic precipitated an overall increase in the global prevalence of mental health disorders and psychological distress. However, against this backdrop, there was also evidence of adaptation and coping, which suggested the influence of protective factors. The current study aims to extend previous research on the role of protective factors by investigating the health-sustaining and mediating roles of resilience in the relationship between perceived vulnerability to disease, loneliness, and anxiety. Participants consisted of a convenience sample of schoolteachers (N = 355) who completed the Perceived Vulnerability to Disease Questionnaire, the short form of the Connor–Davidson Resilience Scale, the University of California, Los Angeles Loneliness Scale, and the trait scale of the Spielberger State-Trait Anxiety Scale, through an online link created with Google Forms. The results of path analysis indicated significant negative associations between resilience and both loneliness and anxiety. These results indicate the health-sustaining role of resilience. In addition, resilience mediated the relationships between germ aversion and perceived infectability, on the one hand, and loneliness and anxiety, on the other hand. The findings confirm that resilience can play a substantial role in counteracting the negative impact of the pandemic on mental health.