Philosophiae Doctor - PhD (Psychology)

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Psychosocial variables in the transmission of AIDS
(University of the Western Cape, 1991) Perkel, Andrian, Keith; Broekmann, Neil; Pretorius, Tyrone
In the decade since first identified, the Acquired Immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) has become a serious global disease. The nature of the Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) that causes AIDS, whereby a carrier may be asymptomatic yet remain infectious, has enabled its dramatic spread. The number of AIDS cases is increasing exponentially, averaging a doubling time of between 8-15 months indifferent countries. Of the millions of HIV carriers, it is now estimated that all will eventually go on to develop full-blown AIDS and probably die within 15 years. Unlike other infectious diseases, there is currently no known vaccine or cure. Further, HIV is now virtually completely dependent on volitional sexual behaviours for transmission to occur. It is therefore an entirely preventable disease. However, since the behaviours that contribute to HIV-transmission are influenced by biological, psychological, and social factors, their alteration in line with safer sexual practices has been shown to be considerably complex and difficult. Intervention strategies that have relied on imparting knowledge about the disease have achieved limited success in influencing behaviour change. Unsafe sexual practices, and the risk of HIV-infection, often continue even when knowledge regarding prevention is adequate. It has therefore become apparent that other variables intrude which may mediate between knowledge acquisition, attitude formation, and consequent sexual behaviours. There appear to be no models which adequately explain the complexities in this area, and which enable adequate intervention strategies to be developed. The present study was undertaken to redress this problem, and to explore those variables that mediate in the area. Various psychological and social factors appear to be implicated in influencing sexual attitudes and behaviours. In order to adequately test the impact of psychosocial variables that were found to have significant associations in an exploratory study, a measuring instrument was developed. The AIDS Psychosocial Scale was statistically validated using content, frequency, factor, and reliability analyses and included psychological factors of self concept, defenses of denial, repression, and rationalisation, perceived empowerment in the form of locus of control and self efficacy, and the social factor of peer pressure susceptibility. The impact of these psychosocial variables on indices of knowledge, condom attitude, and sexual practices, and on other epidemiological variables was tested using a sample of students at the University of the Western Cape (n=308). Results indicated a number of correlational and causal links between variables, confirming the mediational role psychosocial factors have in influencing knowledge acquisition, attitude formation, and behaviour outcome. A profile of lower self concept, higher defenses, lower self-efficacy, more external locus of control, and higher peer pressure susceptibility emerged which was associated with poorer knowledge, more negative attitudes, and higher unsafe sex. Based on this study, a model of psychosocial mediation is developed and its implications for intervention strategies discussed.
The development of a university-based sex counselling programme in the age of AIDS.
(University of the Western Cape, 1993) Nicholas, Lionel John; Cooper, Sathasivan
The sexual behaviours, attitudes, beliefs and communication of 1896 black first-year university students were examined by means of a structured questionnaire for their contribution to the development of a university-based sex counselling programme. The areas of sexuality investigated included intra-familial communication about contraception and sexuality, belief in sex myths, knowledge of and myths about AIDS and the manner of acquisition of sex knowledge. The results of this study are consistent in reflecting much greater deficits in the knowledge of respondents about sexuality than encountered in the literature. Statistically significant gender differences were found for intra-familial communication about contraception, prejudice towards AIDS victims, knowledge of the modes of HIV infection, prejudice towards homosexuals, belief in myths about sexuality, age at which sex information was acquired, the preferred source of information about sexuality, attitude towards pre-marital intercourse, experience of pre-marital intercourse, belief about the acceptability of abortion, experience of pre-marital intercourse and worry about masturbation. No gender differences were found for belief in myths about high-risk AIDS infection, exposure to sex information within educational institutions and approval of sex education. The statistically significant gender differences which were found for most of the questionnaire items reflect the different sexual socialization experiences of respondents. Male and female students may therefore require counselling interventions geared to their respective needs Concern about AIDS has become central to university student sexual behaviour as well as protection against rape and sexual harassment and male responsibility for contraception. All campus counsellors will eventually experience the impact of AIDS and other sexually·transmitted diseases in their sessions with clients. Sexual harassment, rape, contraceptive failure and abortion will also increasingly impact on counselling sessions and require the university-based counsellor's involvement in broader university-wide prevention programmes as well as group based interventions. The development of a university-based sex counselling programme requires comprehensive interventions ranging from individual counselling to human sexuality courses. An awareness of the high profile sexuality problems as perceived by students, is essential for the development of preventive programmes at the group and academic class level as well as at the level of inf luencing uni versi ty policy. Knowledge of the merits of different theoretical positions and interventions for particular sexual problems is crucial for counselling intervention or referral. A systemic model of intervention for sexuality problems is proposed. The task of university-based sex counselling programmes is made more onerous by the paucity and ineffectiveness of sex information students are exposed to, the lack of sex education in the schools and the inadequate quality and degree of intrafamilial communication about sexuality. A significant proportion of respondents engage in pre-marital sexual intercourse without the benefit of adequate sex knowledge. The results of this study emphasize the need for research on the sexuality of, black South Africans, the particular vulnerabilities of first-year university students to sexuality problems and the dire need for structured sex education programmes at school as well as university.
Topics, trends and silences in South African psychology 1948-1988 : ethnocentricism, crisis and liberatory echoes /
(University of the Western Cape, 1993) Seedat, Mohamed Amin; Cooper, Saths
The deliberate and sometimes unwitting complicity of psychology with apartheid social formations has received little attention in the psycho-historical literature. This, study in an attempt to break the silence, offers a descriptive characterization of South African psychology by tracing its origins, evolution, formalization and development to its ethnoscientific, colonial and apartheid roots. The study begins with an examination of the globalization of Euro-American psychology. The proliferation and domination of Euro-American psychology closely correlates with the emergence and globalization of colonial power that is intimately connected to the missionary discourses of conquest and conversion and to the doctrines of scientific racism. Western explorers, soldiers, missionaries, and social scientists are among the figures who participated in the occupation and conversion of the 'Dark Continent' of Africa. Within the context of colonialism, psychology became an enterprise of conquest and conversion that endeavoured to understand how people of colour, 'marginal beings', could be transformed into active subjects The history of South African psychology provides an illuminating illustration of how psychological discourse and practice may be employed for the purposes of oppressive social engineering. Besides projecting psychological intervention as vital to the alleviation of economic, social and industrial problems, psychologists utilized their expert roles in the Carnegie Poor White Study, in the Air-force and in industry and objects of Western racial and economic exploitation. The history of South African psychology provides an illuminating illustration of how psychological discourse and practice may be employed for the purposes of oppressive social engineering. Besides projecting psychological intervention as vital to the alleviation of economic, social and industrial problems, psychologists utilized their expert roles in the Carnegie Poor White Study, in the Air-force and in industry to rationalize and bolster White economic and political hegemony. The racial overtones that characterized the establishment of a professional association represents a startling example of how apartheid ideology was reproduced within the profession itself Unfortunately, oppressive discourse appears to continue to inform the research agenda, practices and theoretical concerns of many South African psychologists, thereby creating the impetus for the present crisis within the discipline. The crisis relates to, among other issues, the failure of Euro-American psychology to represent the psychological experiences of people of colour. Attempts at resolving the crisis are stymied by the production and reproduction of conceptual paradoxes within the fields of family therapy, community psychology and cross-cultural psychology, fields that are often portrayed as the solution to the crisis. Despite the increasing levels of theoretical complexity and ideological scrutiny each of these fields offer, South African psychology still faces various epistemological challenges and communieentric biases. A content analysis of 977 articles that appear in the South African Journal of Psychology, Psychologia Africana, the Journal of Behavioural Science, Psychology in Society, Humanitas. Psygram and the South African Psychologist confirms that the crisis in psychology continues. Details obtained from the analytical review show South African psychology, between 1948 and 1988, to be characterized by five features. First, Whites and males affiliated to the open liberal universities and Afrikaans universities dominate knowledge-production in the discipline. Blacks and women authors, especially those affiliated to the historically Black universities, tend to occupy mainly co-authorship positions at the level of publication. Second, the majority of articles reviewed are written in English. Third, whereas the bulk of articles analysed are empirical in nature, there is an increasing trend towards theoretical articles that examine the ideological and philosophical premises of the discipline. Fourth, empirical studies tend -to select subjects from both male and female gender groups, who are mainly White, and mostly affiliated to institutional settings. Fifth, research is dominated by an emphasis on conventional areas such as psychometrics, research methodology, industrial psychology and educational psychology. The more recently evolved fields such as community psychology and the psychology of oppression receive little attention. By moving to a point beyond critique and characterizations, the study concludes with an exploration of the dynamic quest for liberatory psychology, central to which is the formulation of an emancipatory agenda. An emancipatory agenda may well propel progressive psychologists towards systematically addressing the silences within the field, securing the centralization of Blacks and women at the levels of knowledge production and political representation and creating liberatory epistemologies.
Discourses on Racism
(University of the Western Cape, 1993) Duncan, Norman. T.F; Cooper, Saths
A central aim of this study is to examine the meanings which (i) a group of South African psychologists and (ii) a group of Black parents give to racism in their discourses and how these meanings are linked to existing relations of domination. To this end the discourses on racism produced by the former in various journal articles and the latter in various group discussions are submitted to analysis. The study basically utilizes the following working hypotheses as its point of departure: (i) that the discourses produced by the group of psychologists - in so far as they could broadly be seen as being representative of prevailing dominant discourses - would, to varying degrees, reflect attempts to legitimate and reinforce the relations of domination which the ideology of racism entails; and (ii) that despite certain similarities between . dominant group discourses and dominant group discourses on racism, the latter's discourses would, to varying degrees, be the site of resistance against dominant group discourses as well as against their domination. The findings of the study seem to support the basic postulates contained in the two working hypotheses presented above. More specifically, the analysis of the discourses collected reveals (i) that, though ostensibly very disparate, the discourses produced by the group of psychologists, by and large, appear to justify and dissimulate the asymmetric relations of power which the ideology of racism maintains; and (ii) that despite the similarities between dominant group and dominated group discourses the latter, in a variety of ways, undermine the ideology of racism as well as dominant group discourses on the ideology. The study concludes with an examination of the suggestions emerging from the discourses analyzed ,regarding how racism as it manifests itself in South Africa can be combatted and eliminated.
Black, South African, lesbian: Discourses of invisible lives
(University of the Western Cape, 1997) Potgieter, Cheryl-Ann; Strebel, Ann Marie; Dept. of Psychology; Faculty of Community Health and Sciences
The main aim of the present study is to undertake an examination of the discourses regarding lesbianism as produced by a group of black South African lesbians.
Discourses of heterosexual subjectivity and negotiation
(University of the Western Cape, 1999) Shefer, Tamara; Strebel, Ann-Marie
It is widely acknowledged that there are problems with the way in which heterosexual relationships are negotiated. A critical focus on heterosexuality has been particularly stimulated by feminist discourse on gender power relations and the global imperative to challenge HIV infection. In the South African context there has been a growing emphasis on researching and educating about (hetero)sexuality, particularly in the wake of the continued increase in HIV prevalence rates which are highest among young, black South Africans. A handful of South African studies point to the widespread nature of coercive sexuality characterised by male dominance and female submission and a lack of negotiation in respect of safe sex and sexual pleasure. This study addresses the realm of the negotiation of heterosexuality among black South African students at the University of the Western Cape (UWC), Cape Town. In the study, negotiation refers to two interrelated aspects: the negotiation of heterosexual subjectivity; and the negotiation of heterosexual sexuality (heterosex). The study is underpinned by a feminist poststructuralist conceptual framework and discourse analytic methodology which draws on qualitative methodologies, feminist approaches to research and discourse analysis. Three different methods were utilised to gather data: focus groups, a free-association questionnaire and written autobiographical essays. Participants of the study included psychology second and third year students at the UWC who were predominantly young (mean age of 23.3 years), black, of Christianity-related religious affiliation and non-English first language speakers. A discourse analysis together with an ethnographic analysis was carried out on the data which yielded a wide range of discursive themes on gender and heterosex. In looking at the negotiation of heterosexual subjectivities, there are vast differences in the experiences of'becoming' women and men: notably, puberty and menstruation are central in the construction of femininity and female sexuality, which are interwoven with each other in the construction of women as vulnerable, passive and restrained; on the other hand, boy's/men's subjectivities are centred about sexual agency and activity, competition and physical and mental 'hardness'. Nonetheless these rigidly divergent experiences of gendered heterosexualisation are also punctuated by resistance, ambivalence and contradiction, particularly in women's accounts. It is suggested that the difficulties involved in 'achieving' femininity for women may be implicated in their continued investment in these subjectivities in their contemporary contexts. In talk on negotiating heterosex, two central clusters of discourse emerge: discourses of difference, in which inevitable, essential (either biological or cultural) and incommensurable differences are assumed, Jr rationalised and reproduced by participants; discourses of power, resistance and change which draw on alternative discourses such as the feminist critique of male power, and also speak of and call for change. Central within all of these discourses is the virtual invisibility of a positive language to speak of women's sexuality and desires, which has as its underside a lack of alternative discourses on masculinity and male sexuality, in particular the absence of a positive discourse on men's vulnerability, non-sexual intimate desires, lack of sexual desire and resisting of power. The thesis suggests, on the basis of poststructuralist theories of change, that given the presence of challenging and contradictory discourses, subversive subjectivities and silences, there is potential for change. It is argued that educational and political interventions need to acknowledge and work with these spaces for change within the broader framework of challenging the underlying hierarchical binarism of sexual difference, upon which the problematic and unequal negotiation of heterosex is founded.
Discourses of heterosexual subjectivity and negotiation
(University of the Western Cape, 1999) Shefer, Tamara; Strebel, Ann Marie; Foster, Don; Dept. of Psychology; Faculty of Community and Health Sciences
It is widely acknowledged that there are problems with the way in which heterosexual relationships are negotiated. A critical focus on heterosexuality has been particularly stimulated by feminist discourse on gender power relations and the global imperative to challenge HIV infection. In the South African contextthere has been a growing on researching and education about (hetero)sexuality, particularly in the wake of the continued increase in HIV prevalence rates which are highest among young black, South Africans.
The social construction of racialised identities in the post-apartheid South African sport context: A case study of black sport-persons in the western cape
(University of Western Cape, 2001) Miller, Ingrid M.; Shefer, Tamara; Pretorius, Tyrone
The main purpose of the study was to analyse how current discourses about black South African sport-persons contribUJte to the racial Othering of this group and how they serve to perpetuate neoracist notions of blacks' inferiority relative to whites. The study also aimed to examine if and how such discourses function to legitimise the exclusion or nonselection of blacks and how this in turn impacts on perceptions about equity and national unity in the South African sport context. A social constructionist framework was used to explore these questions.
The quality of care for sexually transmitted infections in primary health care clinics in South Africa: an evaluation of the implementation of the syndromic management approach
(University of the Western Cape, 2003) Shabalala, Nokuthula Joy; Strebel, Ann-Marie
Sexually transmitted infections (STIs) are a problem for both developed and developing countries. Sub-Saharan Africa has the highest rates in the 15-49 years old group. The discovery that these infections playa vital role in the transmission of HIV raised their profile and made their control one of the central strategies of stopping the HIV/AIDS epidemic. In response to the challenge of improving the quality of care for people infected with STIs in the public health sector, the South African Ministry of Health adopted the syndromic management approach, recommended by the World Health Organisation as suitable for resource-poor settings, for use in primary health care clinics. In addition to providing guidelines on clinical management of STIs, the syndromic approach requires health providers to counsel and educate patients about STIs, encourage patients to complete treatment even if symptoms abate, promote condom use and the treatment of all sexual partners. While the management guidelines are clear and detailed around the diagnostic and medication issues, the processes of education and counseling are not as clearly outlined. Furthermore, although the syndromic approach is a viable way of providing good quality care to larger sections of the population than could be serviced through dedicated STI clinics, it requires health providers working in primary health care clinics, most of whom are professional nurses, to perform some tasks for which they may not be adequately trained. This study evaluated the quality of care for persons infected with ST!s by examining the extent to which the syndromic approach was being implemented in primary health care clinics. Interviews, using semi-structured interview schedules, were conducted with ST! patients and health providers in twenty-four clinics located in four provinces. In depth qualitative interviews were also conducted with a sub-sample of the patients. For further triangulation the methods of participant observation, through the use of simulated patients, and focus group discussions with various community groups were used. The findings of the study indicate that although primary health care clinics in South Africa are well-resourced, the management of patients with ST!s is inadequate. Adherence to the various aspects of syndromic management was poor. Similar to other studies in South Africa, the attitudes of health providers towards patients with ST!s were found to be problematic, a finding that has implications for health-seeking behaviours. The thesis argues that a large part of the problem is related to the multiple roles that nurses have to play in primary health care settings, as well as the content and methodology of the training of nurses who manage ST! patients. It further argues for the constitution of the basic health team at primary health clinics to be multi-disciplinary, and for a multi-disciplinary input in the training of health providers.
The quality of care for sexually transmitted infections in primary health care clinics in South Africa: an evaluation of the implementation of the syndromic management approach
(2003) Shabalala, Nokuthula Joy; Strebel, Ann-Marie; Simbayi, Leickness
Sexually transmitted infections (STIs) are a problem for both developed and developing countries. Sub-Saharan Africa has the highest rates in the 15-49 years old group. The discovery that these infections playa vital role in the transmission of HIV raised their profile and made their control one of the central strategies of stopping the HIV/AIDS epidemic. In response to the challenge of improving the quality of care for people infected with STIs in the public health sector, the South African Ministry of Health adopted the syndromic management approach, recommended by the World Health Organisation as suitable for resource-poor settings, for use in primary health care clinics. In addition to providing guidelines on clinical management of STIs, the syndromic approach requires health providers to counsel and educate patients about STIs, encourage patients to complete treatment even if symptoms abate, promote condom use and the treatment of all sexual partners. While the management guidelines are clear and detailed around the diagnostic and medication issues, the processes of education and counseling are not as clearly outlined. Furthermore, although the syndromic approach is a viable way of providing good quality care to larger sections of the population than could be serviced through dedicated STI clinics, it requires health providers working in primary health care clinics, most of whom are professional nurses, to perform some tasks for which they may not be adequately trained. This study evaluated the quality of care for persons infected with ST!s by examining the extent to which the syndromic approach was being implemented in primary health care clinics. Interviews, using semi-structured interview schedules, were conducted with STI patients and health providers in twenty-four clinics located in four provinces. Indepth qualitative interviews were also conducted with a sub sample of the patients. For further triangulation the methods of participant observation, through the use of simulated patients, and focus group discussions with various community groups were used. The findings of the study indicate that although primary health care clinics in South Africa are well-resourced, the management of patients with STI's is inadequate. Adherence to the various aspects of syndromic management was poor. Similar to other studies in South Africa, the attitudes of health providers towards patients with ST!s were found to be problematic, a finding that has implications for health-seeking behaviours. The thesis argues that a large part of the problem is related to the multiple roles that nurses have to play in primary health care settings, as well as the content and methodology of the training of nurses who manage STI patients. It further argues for the constitution of the basic health team at primary health clinics to be multi-disciplinary, and for a multi-disciplinary input in the training of health providers.
Bridging the divide: An exploration of Jungian psychoanalysis and African healing practices and implications for a south African psychology
(2005) Marks, Lynne; Naidoo, Pamela
There has recently been a lot of interest in the role of traditional healers in various cultures. This study explores the merit of an integrative approach between western based psychological practices in South Africa and what is known as traditional African healing. In order to do so, this study aims to present the epistemological views of Jungian analytical theory and African healing practices. The purpose is to ascertain whether or not there are sufficient commonalities to allow for relatedness between these two worlds. Jungian analytical thought and practice is reviewed with particular reference to the collective unconscious, archetypes, complexes and dream interpretation as a pathway to individuation. The traditional healer's pervasive role within the context of the African cosmology is explored with particular reference to the understanding of the role of the ancestors, the causes of illnesses and the use of dreams, symbols and rituals in the healing process. The importance of the sacred in both healing modalities is presented. The study employs a qualitative research design with the phenomenological approach as an example of one of the traditions of this design. Interviews with five traditional healers comprise the data for the study. The data is analyzed according to the procedure recommended by Moustakas (1994). The interviews focused specifically on eliciting information regarding the calling and the training process of the traditional healer. It is proposed that the two approaches to healing investigated in this study present possible mechanisms to bridge the divide between the westernized approaches to healing and that of the non-technical practitioner. It is further proposed that this will have implications for the broadening of the training and implementation of psychology in South Africa today.
The impact of repeated mild traumatic brain injuries (concussions) on the cognitive and academic functioning of early adolescent rugby union players: A controlled, longitudinal, prospective study
(University of the Western Cape, 2007) Alexander, Debbie; Malcolm, Charles; Dept. of Psychology; Faculty of Community and Health Sciences
This study investigated, within the context of Brain Reserve Capacity (BRC) theory, whether repeated concussions resulted in residual deficits in cognitive and academic functioning of early adolescent rugby players relative to non-contact sports controls.
How the experiences of Infertility and In Vitro Fertilization and Embryo Transfer (IVF -ET) are understood by South African women attending fertility clinics.
(University of the Western Cape, 2008) Pedro, Athena; Mwaba, K
Infertility is currently a serious problem that is escalating, not only in South Africa, but also worldwide. In Cape Town, a culturally diverse, urban community of approximately 1000 couples are referred to the Groote Schuur Hospital Infertility Clinic annually. Although infertility is primarily regarded as a medical condition, the treatments have emotional effects on infertile couples due to the recurring highs and lows that often accompany treatments. This study aimed to qualitatively explore and understand the emotional and psychological experiences of infertility and its treatments (specifically In Vitro Fertilisation and Embryo Transfer). Social constructionism is based on the premise that realities are not constructed in a vacuum but rather undergo a process whereby the subjective and inter-subjective experiences over time and through cultural processes come to be regarded as truths. These truths become internalised and function as lenses through which we see ourselves, compose and invent ourselves accordingly, making sense of what would otherwise have been chaotic and meaningless experiences. Additional aims were to examine women's experiences of infertility care whilst undergoing treatment and describe their experiences of coping with infertility and In Vitro Fertilisation and Embryo Transfer (IVF-ET). Semi-structured, in-depth individual interviews were conducted with 21 women presenting with primary infertility at a fertility clinic. This study utilised an ethnographic case study design. The results of the study suggested that women perceived themselves as not conforming to a dominant belief system that promotes motherhood as the most important role for women. The women described their 'failure' to fulfill socio-cultural expectations as emotionally turbulent. Some of the psychological responses to infertility included feelings of disappointment, shock, denial, devastation, anger, frustration, sadness, inadequacy, poor self-image and self-esteem. The women's personal accounts of their experiences of In Vitro Fertilisation and Embryo Transfer (IVF-ET) revealed that they found the treatment to be highly stressful, with emotional bouts of anxiety, nervousness, excitement and optimism. A psychological synopsis of infertility and IVF-ET is infertility and IVF-ET presents. The fmdings in this study suggest the need for the incorporation of presented. This diagrammatic representation shows the intensity of the emotional rollercoaster that psychosocial intervention into infertility management. Greater attention to the psychological and emotional repercussions of infertility treatment could lead to a more personalised approach which, in turn, would optimise patient satisfaction and also prepare couples for the demands of the program by informing them about better ways of coping.
Single and married mother pre-adolescent relationships: understanding and comparing the interaction between self-esteem and family functioning
(University of the Western Cape, 2008) Roman, Nicolette Vanessa; Mwaba, K.; Malcolm, C.; Lens, W.; Dept. of Psychology; Faculty of Community and Health Sciences
The main purpose of this study was to assess the psychological well-being of mothers and their pre-adolescent children (aged 10-12). Specifically, the study used a mixed methods sequential explanatory design to compare and understand the interaction between 245 single and married mother-pre adolescent relationships with regard to self esteem, autonomously-supportive and psychologically controlling parenting practices. And their familial enviironment within low and high socio-economic settings. A qualitative component was used to explore mothers' understanding of their relationships with their pre adolescent children. The Coppersmith- Self-steem Inventory and the Satisfaction with Life Scale were used to assess the psychological well-being of mothers and children, the Perceptions of Parents Scale for autonomously-supportive maternal parenting practices, Parent Psychological Control for psychologically controlling parenting practices and the environment Scale for family functioning. The findings provide an understanding of how healthy families function within enhancing and hindering environments and empasises the importance of parenting.
How the experiences of Infertility and In Vitro Fertilization and Embryo Transfer (IVF -ET) are understood by South African women attending fertility clinics
(University of the Western Cape, 2008) Pedro, Athena; Mwaba, Kelvin
Infertility is currently a serious problem that is escalating, not only in South Africa, but also worldwide. In Cape Town, a culturally diverse, urban community of approximately 1000 couples are referred to the Groote Schuur Hospital Infertility Clinic annually. Although infertility is primarily regarded as a medical condition, the treatments have emotional effects on infertile couples due to the recurring highs and lows that often accompany treatments. This study aimed to qualitatively explore and understand the emotional and psychological experiences of infertility and its treatments (specifically In Vitro Fertilisation and Embryo Transfer). Social constructionism is based on the premise that realities are not constructed in a vacuum but rather undergo a process whereby the subjective and inter-subjective experiences over time and through cultural processes come to be regarded as truths. These truths become internalised and function as lenses through which we see ourselves, compose and invent ourselves accordingly, making sense of what would otherwise have been chaotic and meaningless experiences. Additional aims were to examine women's experiences of infertility care whilst undergoing treatment and describe their experiences of coping with infertility and In Vitro Fertilisation and Embryo Transfer (IVF-ET). Semi-structured, in-depth individual interviews were conducted with 21 women presenting with primary infertility at a fertility clinic. This study utilised an ethnographic case study design. The results of the study suggested that women perceived themselves as not conforming to a dominant belief system that promotes motherhood as the most important role for women. The women described their 'failure' to fulfill socio-cultural expectations as emotionally turbulent. Some of the psychological responses to infertility included feelings of disappointment, shock, denial, devastation, anger, frustration, sadness, inadequacy, poor self-image and self-esteem. The women's personal accounts of their experiences of In Vitro Fertilisation and Embryo Transfer (IVF-ET) revealed that they found the treatment to be highly stressful, with emotional bouts of anxiety, nervousness, excitement and optimism. A psychological synopsis of infertility and IVF-ET is presented. This diagrammatic representation shows the intensity of the emotional rollercoaster that infertility and IVF-ET presents. The findings in this study suggest the need for the incorporation of presented. This diagrammatic representation shows the intensity of the emotional rollercoaster that psychosocial intervention into infertility management. Greater attention to the psychological and emotional repercussions of infertility treatment could lead to a more personalised approach which, in turn, would optimise patient satisfaction and also prepare couples for the demands of the program by informing them about better ways of coping.
A history of the organizational development of the Seventh-Day Adventist Church amongst the Coloured community in South Africa 1887-1997
(University of the Western Cape, 2010) du Preez, Gerald T.; Lawrie, Douglas; Dept. of Religion and Theology; Faculty of Arts
The Seventh-day Adventist Church in South Africa was planted towards the end of the 19th century. Within less than forty years after its inception, a separate Coloured department developed. This was not to be the last organizational development impacting upon the Coloured community within the Church. The problem that this study will seek to address is: "What factors contributed to the different organizational phases that the predominantly 'coloured' section of the Seventh-day Adventist Church in South Africa underwent between 1887 and 1997?" It will examine particularly the role and impact of racism on the various organizational phases.
Ideological Constructions of Childhood
(University of the Western Cape, 2010) Savahl, Shazly; Malcolm, Charles; Slembrouk, Stef; September, Rose; Dept. of Psychology; Faculty of Arts
The theoretical conceptualisation of children and childhood in the social sciences has traditionally been aligned to developmentalism and Socialisation theory. It is essentially this theoretical orientation that has spawned contemporary social discourses on children and childhood. Within this framework, children are typically perceived as immature, irrational, incompetent, asocial and acultural and have consequently contributed to the social and political marginalisation of children. Recent theorists have shown, through a process of deconstructing dominant scientific discourses on childhood, how the concept functions ideologically to establish taken-for-granted meanings about children. The present study is attempting to explore the ways in which children themselves construct and mobilise meanings of childhood. Using the social constructionist theoretical framework as a point of departure, the primary aim of the study is to explore the extent to which the meanings that children assign to ‘childhood’ are ideologically configured. More specifically, using the concept of well-being as a hermeneutic key, the study examines how children use specific discursive resources and repertoires to assign meaning to ‘childhood’. It is essentially offering an ideological analysis through an elucidation of the existing power relations between children and society and how these relations are perpetuated and manifested in children’s discourses. At the methodological level, the study is premised on working from the perspectives of children, thereby advancing a child participation framework. Key epistemological and methodological questions are explored with specific reference to the role of the child participation model as the methodological point of departure. A qualitative methodological approach is followed using focus groups as the data collection method. A series of focus groups was conducted with 56 thirteen year old children, from urban and rural geographical locations in the Western Cape. Thompson’s (1990) depth hermeneutics, which provides a critical and systematic interpretive framework for the analysis of ideological constructions, was utilised within a discourse analysis framework to analyze and interpret the findings. The key finding of the study was that the meanings that children assign to childhood are ideologically configured. The essence of this configuration is adult society’s mobilization and control of the meanings of childhood, which functions to maintain relations of domination. The outcome of this on children’s meaning assignation and constructions of childhood is characterized by a consensus/contestation dichotomy as children appear to both accept and resist the ideology. This emerges at the intrapersona level (within the consciousness of children), the interpersonal level (between children) and societal level (between children and adult society). The study concludes by advancing the notion that childhood should be conceived of as an ideological configured construction, and not merely as a discursive construction, functioning within various social contexts. Thus, the meanings of childhood, whether constructed by, or present in discourses, cannot be independent from the ideologically configured social, historical and material structures. It is believed that this theoretical maneuver will bring theories of childhood into better alignment with practical actions resulting in opportunities for intervention, services, monitoring and research initiatives, as well as policy development and implementation, aimed at improving child and youth wellness.
Understanding HELLP Syndrome in the South African context: a feminist study
(University of the Western Cape, 2012) Andipatin, Michelle; Shefer, Tamara; Mwaba, Kelvin; Dept. of Psychology
This thesis is about HELLP Syndrome (hemolysis, elevated liver enzymes, low platelet count in pregnancy): a devastating maternal hypertensive complication that results in multi-system changes that can rapidly deteriorate into organ failure and death. Despite rapid advancesin medical technology and medical science this disease continues to take the lives of women and their infants. The only effective intervention for this disorder is immediate termination irrespective of the gestational stage of the pregnancy. The primary objective of this thesis was to explore the subjective experiences and meaningmaking processes of women in and through their high-risk pregnancies. This objective crystallised into the following aims: to facilitate and listen to the voices of women who were HELLP Syndrome survivors; to explore the reported bodily, psychological and emotional experiences of HELLP Syndrome survivors; to understand the role medical intervention and biomedical discourses play in these women’s experiences and finally to explore the subjective experiences of HELLP Syndrome in the context of traditionallyheld notions of motherhood. The study was couched in a feminist poststructuralist epistemology. A material-discursive framework which comprised phenomenological and poststructuralist theorising was usedin an attempt to understand both the lived experiences as well as the discursively constructed nature of those subjective experiences. Thus the analysis encompassed both a broadly phenomenological framework to understand the lived experiences of HELLP Syndrome, and a discourse analysis to explore the meaning-making processes of participants in relation to larger social discourses, in particular the dominant biomedical and motherhood discourses. A qualitative approach using in depth semi-structured interviews was utilisedto gather data. Eleven participants from very diverse backgrounds consented to be part of thisstudy. The findings of the study highlighted the immense trauma, difficulties and challenges participants faced in these high-risk situations. What was evident from the analysis was that their experiences were so diverse and werecompletely shaped by the severity of the disorder and the gestational stage of the pregnancy. Some women ended up in the Intensive Care Units (ICU) and had near-death experiences, some had very premature babies, while some of the participants lost their babies during the process. With regards to the emotional, psychological and corporeal aspects of the disorder,participants described their situations as a disaster, painful and difficult. Due to the rapid deterioration of symptoms, they described the tempo of these events as a whirlwind in which they felt they had no control. Emotions ranged from shock, total disbelief and surprise to anger, helplessness and powerlessness. Lacking knowledge and access to appropriate information further compounded the situation for participants. Theparticipants who had premature babies found the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit experience (NICU) extremely challenging and stressful. A discourse analysis revealed that women’s talk was shaped by the disciplinary frameworks oftechnocratic medicine and patriarchal notions of gender. Participants’ discourses about their encounters inthe medical context werelocated in, and shaped by, the structure of health care in our country. In this regard binaries (like private versus public health care, women versus men and nurses versus doctors) were evident. Furthermore their hospital stay reflected their experiences in the Intensive Care (ICU) and the Neonatal Intensive Care Units (NICU) both of which are highly technologically orientated and managed. Biomedical discourses that filtered through the participants’ talk were: medicine as indisputable truth;mechanistic model of the body as machine; medical doctors as gods and the foetus as ‘super subject’. Discourses of risk were inevitably taken up as participants tried to make sense of both their current pregnancies and the potential ones to follow. The passage into motherhood for these participants was dependent on whether they had live babies or not. For those who had live babies it was a difficult time as they had to contend with their own recovery as well as the prematurity of their infants. The NICU experience was described as tiring, trying and cumbersome. For mothers who lost their babies it was a time of profound sadness and loss coupled to the notion that motherhood itself was lost. This loss of their children symbolised broken dreams, severed connections and a powerful taboo. In addition, discourses in which motherhood was naturalised and normalised saturated their talk and framed their experience in a narrative of deficit and failure. The ideologies of mother blame and the ‘all responsible’ mother were pervasive in their discussions. In conclusion, this high-risk situation represented a time of tremendous uncertainty and unpredictability for all participants and was powerfully shaped by dominant discourses about motherhood and the biomedical discursive and institutional framework in which participants were subjugated. The study thus highlights how the HELLP syndrome experience illuminates the erasure of women’s subjectivities while the foetus/infants’ life takes precedence. This has significant implications for scholarship in general and feminist scholarship in particular and highlights the need for this type of engagement in an area that has remained on the periphery of feminist research.
Adolescent substance use: The development and validation of a measure of perceived individual and contextual factors
(2014) Florence, Maria Ann; Mwaba, K; Koch, S.E
The purpose of the study was to gather validity evidence for a South African developed instrument designed to measure individual and contextual factors associated with adolescent substance use in low socio-economic status communities in the Western Cape, South Africa. Studies report high rates of substance use in these communities. This possibly points towards the impact of typical post-apartheid contextual factors on the development of adolescent substance use. The South African Substance Use Contextual Risk Questionnaire (SASUCRQ) measures adolescents’ subjective experiences of their own psycho-social and their communities’ functioning.
The relationship between authentic leadership, psychological capital, followership and work engagement
(University of the Western Cape, 2014) du Plessis, Marieta; Boshoff, A.B.; Bosman, L.A.
The present study provided insight into authentic leadership, psychological capital and exemplary followership behaviour as antecedents of work engagement of employees. A quantitative, cross-sectional survey design was utilised, using a composite electronic questionnaire. Data was gathered by using a purposive sample of managers in a national South African healthcare industry organisation (N = 647). The portability of the measurement instruments to a South African context were validated through confirmatory and exploratory factor analysis. The psychological capital and authentic leadership measures retained its original factor structure and items, whilst the work engagement and followership measures were adapted to improve the internal reliability and construct validity of the instrument for the healthcare industry sample. The higher-order factor structure of psychological capital was also confirmed

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