Research Articles (Psychology)

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Mediation of detention trauma via perceived locus of control
(South African Journal of Psychology, 1990) Perkel, Adrian K.
Political detention in South Africa has been documented to contain conditions inherently detrimental to psychological health. Reports indicate high levels of stress reponses associated with conditions of solitary confinement, and physical and psychological abuse — particularly in the form of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder. Amongst the moderating variables that may mediate between detention stress and post-detention trauma is perceived locus of control. In the present study the author aimed to determine post-detention sequelae and the moderating influence of perceived locus of control in this specific context. A Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder scale was combined with an Index of Well-being scale and correlated with a Detention Locus of Control scale to assess mediation significance of experienced ‘traumatization’. Results indicated a positive correlation with those who are internal in their perceived locus of control suffering reduced post-stress sequelae, compared to those who are more externally oriented. Implications and limitations of the study are discussed with specific reference to therapeutic intervention in the clinical context. © 1990, South African Psychological Association and the Psychological Institute of the Republic of South Africa. All rights reserved.
Die rol van die kerk as ondersteuningsnetwerk: Die verwantskap tussen psigo-sosiale klimaat, kerklike betrokkenheid en sielkundige welsyn
(South African Journal of Psychology, 1990-06) Malan, D.J.; Heyns, P.M.; Pretorius, T.B.
The role of the church as a supportive network: The relationship between psycho-social climate, church involvement, and psychological well-being. The aim of the present study was to determine whether mere involvement in church activities is enough to perceive the church as supportive, or whether the church should possess certain qualities before it is experienced as being supportive. The concept of psycho-social climate was used as a conceptual frame of reference to study the characteristics of the church. Two hundred and fourteen members of 10 different congregations completed a battery of questionnaires designed to measure their involvement in the church, their perception of the psycho-social climate of the church, and their level of psychological well-being. No relationship between church involvement and psychological well-being could be found. On the other hand, the analysis of the relationship between the dimensions of church climate and psychological well-being produced a number of significant correlations. Step-wise multiple regression analysis confirmed that the psycho-social dimensions of order/clarity, social concern, stability, and activity were significant predictors of the level of psychological well-being. The obtained relationship was interpreted as confirmation of the impact that the psycho-social environment has on individual functioning.
Prenatal alcohol exposure and characteristics of temperament in infancy and early childhood
(Taylor & Francis group, 2007) Pienaar, Mariska; Jacobson, S.W.; Molteno, C.
Prenatal alcohol exposure is associated with cognitive and neurobehavioural dysfunction, but characteristics of temperament have not been widely documented in exposed children. The objectives of the study were firstly to assess prenatal alcohol exposure in relation to infant and childhood temperament. The second objective was to assess the influence of socio-demographic variables on infant and childhood temperament and the third was to relate aspects of temperament measured in infancy to those at 5 years.
The differences between adolescent users and non-users of addictive substances in a low socio-economic status community: Contextual factors explored from the perspective of subjective wellbeing.
(Psychological Society of South Africa, 2011) Florence, Maria; Koch, Elize
This research aimed to explore the differences between adolescents from a low socio-economic Cape Town community who use addictive substances and those who do not, with regard to subjective wellbeing. The Kidscreen52 was used to measure subjective wellbeing in a sample of 179 Grade 10 and 11 learners; 41.3% of the sample was male. Thirty-five percent of the adolescents reported to be substance users, with significantly more males reporting substance use than females in both grades. Scores on four of the sub-scales were significantly different for the substance users and non-users (namely Feelings, General mood, Family and home life, School and learning). A post hoc analysis indicated that males and females differed significantly on General mood, but that this difference did not interact with substance use.
Evaluating the construct validity of the KIDSCREEN-52 Quality of Life questionnaire in a South African context
(Psychological Society of South Africa, 2012) Taliep, Naiema; Florence, Maria
The absence of a suitable measure to assess the health-related quality of life (HRQoL) of children and adolescents in South Africa, led to the use of the KIDSCREEN-52 questionnaire which was developed and standardised in Europe. The current study is part of a broader study conducted in the Western Cape, which used the KIDSCREEN-52 to explore the influence of exposure to community violence on the subjective HRQoL of a sample of South African adolescents. This study aimed to investigate the reliability and construct validity of the KIDSCREEN-52 in a South African context. The broader study employed stratified interval criterion sampling to select 565 Grade 9 learners, aged 14-18. Participants were selected from six public schools in areas specified by the South African government as comprising key nodal areas in terms of crime in the Western Cape. The dataset for the current study comprised all participants (N=565) of the primary study. As the initial step in validation of the KIDSCREEN-52 in South Africa, the current study examined its factor structure by means of exploratory factor analysis, using principal component analysis with oblimin rotations. It also assessed the internal consistency reliability of each of the scales, using Cronbach’s alpha. Exploratory factor analysis extracted 10 factors as identified by previous studies, with some deviation in the loadings of the last three factors. Items of two scales (“Feelings” and “About Yourself”) divided into three scales, and “Bullying” items were not sufficiently presented in the factor solution. Internal consistency of the measure was shown to be acceptable to good, with Cronbach’s alpha values ranging from 0.76 to 0.81 for the 10 scales.
An item and construct bias analysis of two language versions of a verbal analogies scale
(SAGE Publications, 2013) Roomaney, Rizwana; Koch, Elize
The Woodcock Muñoz Language Survey is a test of cognitive academic language proficiency that has been adapted from English into Xhosa by a South African team of researchers. This study was primarily concerned with the Verbal Analogies Scale of the Woodcock Muñoz Language Survey and aimed to extend previous research on the equivalence of the two language versions of the scale. The study employed a monolingual two-group design consisting of 150 mainly English-speaking and 149 mainly Xhosa learners in Grades 6 and 7. The first research objective was to investigate item bias (or differential item functioning items) in the Visual Analogies Scale across the Xhosa and English versions using logistic regression and Mantel–Haenszel statistical techniques. Five items were identified as differential item functioning. The second objective was to evaluate the construct equivalence of the two versions by conducting a factor analysis after removing the differential item functioning items from the scale. Two factors were identified. The first factor displayed significant loadings across both language versions. The second factor was stable for the English version but not for the Xhosa version. Results were supported by calculating a Tucker’s phi coefficient for both factors. It was therefore concluded that Factor 1 is structurally equivalent across the two language versions but that Factor 2 was not structurally equivalent. Thus, the detection and removal of differential item functioning items did not result in structural equivalence.
Group polarization effect on decisions by selected Kenyan secondary school disciplinary panels
(Routledge Taylor Francis Group, 2013) Aloka, Peter J.; Bojuwoye, Olaniyi
This study investigated social group phenomenon of group polarization effects on disciplinary hearing decisions in selected Kenyan secondary school. The participants were 78 school personnel (females = 42%and males 58%) from ten secondary schools with both unisex (n = 39) and co-educational schools (n = 39). Both quantitative and qualitative data were collected and analyzed. The results suggested group polarization effects in disciplinary hearing decisions, in that there were shifts from pre to post-disciplinary hearing decisions. Persuasive arguments and social comparisons significantly influenced group polarization decisions.
Gender patterns in the contribution of different types of violence to posttraumatic stress symptoms among South African urban youth
(Elsevier, 2013) Kaminer, Debra; Hardy, Anneli; Heath, Katherine; Mosdell, Jill; Bawa, Umesh
OBJECTIVE: Identifying the comparative contributions of different forms of violence exposure to trauma sequelae can help to prioritize interventions for polyvictimized youth living in contexts of limited mental health resources. This study aimed to establish gender patterns in the independent and comparative contributions of five types of violence exposure to the severity of posttraumatic stress symptoms among Xhosa-speaking South African adolescents. METHOD: Xhosa-speaking adolescents (n = 230) attending a high school in a low-income urban community in South Africa completed measures of violence exposure and posttraumatic stress symptoms. RESULTS: While witnessing of community violence was by far the most common form of violence exposure, for the sample as a whole only sexual victimization and being a direct victim of community violence, together with gender, contributed independently to the severity of posttraumatic stress symptoms. When the contribution of different forms of violence was examined separately for each gender, only increased exposure to community and sexual victimization were associated with symptom severity among girls, while increased exposure to direct victimization in both the community and domestic settings were associated with greater symptom severity in boys. CONCLUSIONS: The findings provide some preliminary motivation for focusing trauma intervention initiatives in this community on girls who have experienced sexual abuse compounded by victimization in the community, and boys who have been direct victims of either domestic or community violence. Further research is required to establish whether the risk factors for posttraumatic stress symptoms identified among adolescents in this study are consistent across different communities in South Africa, as well as across other resource-constrained contexts.
Victimisation in the lives of lesbian-identified women in South Africa: implications for clinical assessment and treatment
(National Inquiry Services Centre, 2013) Padmanabhanunni, Anita; Edwards, David
Few clinical studies have examined victimisation in the lives of lesbian women in South Africa and whether there are distinct implications for psychological treatment. This paper presents the assessment and treatment of a lesbian-identified South African survivor of childhood sexual abuse who, as an adult, was raped and later gang raped. Her victimisation in adulthood represented ‘corrective rape’ motivated by the prejudiced assumption that the sexuality of lesbian women is pathological and should be ‘corrected’ through rape. This paper lends insights into the role of heterosexism in shaping vulnerability to victimisation and the process of recovery. It provides recommendations for work with sexual minority clients and highlights the implications when there is an absence of safety and support in the external environment.
An exploration into the impact of exposure to community violence and hope on children's perceptions of well-being: a South African perspective
(Springer, 2013) Savahl, Shazly; Isaacs, Serena; Adams, Sabirah; Carels, Cassandra Zeta; September, Rose
The study aims to explore the relationship between exposure to community violence, hope, and well-being. More specifically, the study aims to ascertain whether hope is a stronger predictor of well-being than exposure to violence. Stratified random sampling was used to select a sample of 566 adolescents aged 14–17 years, from both high violence and low violence areas in Cape Town, South Africa. A questionnaire consisting of Snyder’s Children’s Hope Scale, the Recent Exposure to Violence Scale and the KIDSCREEN-52 was used. Data analysis techniques included descriptive statistics, correlations, and multiple regression. A positive, significant relationship was found between children’s hope and their well-being. Although exposure to community violence was found to be significantly correlated with wellbeing, the relationship was negligible.While exposure to community violence and hope were found to be significant predictors of well-being, hope emerged as a stronger predictor of child well-being than exposure to community violence.
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.
Alcohol consumption amongst young adults living in a low socioeconomic status community in Cape Town
(Society for Personality Research, 2013) Adams, Sabirah; Savahl, Shazly; Isaacs, Serena; Carels, Cassandra Zeta
Our aim was to ascertain the extent of risky alcohol consumption amongst young adults living in a low socioeconomic status community in Cape Town, South Africa. We used a cross-sectional survey design and the street intercept method to administer the Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test (AUDIT). A key finding in this study was that 54.30% of male and 47.90% of the female participants were alcohol dependent, according to the classification criteria set out in the AUDIT. Our finding necessitates further investigations into alcohol consumption amongst young adults in South Africa. In addition, researchers should endeavor not only to identify, but also to understand, the dynamics of risk and resilience factors so that this information could be used to develop intervention initiatives that could mediate young adults’ initial consumption of alcohol.
A phenomenological case study of the therapeutic impact of imagery: Rescripting of memories of a rape and episodes of childhood abuse and neglect
(National Inquiry Services Centre (NISC), 2014) Padmanabhanunni, Anita; Edwards, David
This is a systematic case study of the assessment and treatment of Anna (43), a woman presenting with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) following a drug-facilitated sexual assault that occurred over twenty years earlier. She was also diagnosed with avoidant personality disorder. Treatment with cognitive therapy for PTSD and social phobia was supplemented by imagery rescripting (IR) of memories of childhood trauma within a schema therapy approach. The study documents how her intrusive memories of the rape were potentiated by early maladaptive schemas that developed in response to abusive and neglectful parenting. Within a broader narrative, three examples of IR are described which show how, as an emotion-focused intervention, this approach discloses deeper memories and emotional states that are distressing and traumatic and allows them to be transformed through a healing process that is organic and displays what Bohart and Tallman (2010) call “self-organizing wisdom.”
A critical review of practices of inclusion and exclusion in the psychology curriculum in higher education
(Psychology in Society, 2015) Carolissen, Ronelle; Shefer, Tamara; Smit, Estian
Much of South African psychology has pursued the national imperative of critical engagement and reconstruction since 1994, in spite of collusion with Apartheid ideologies before 1994. Critical psychologists who mobilised against apartheid were also active post-1994 in reshaping the discipline and profession. Many of these efforts were directed towards curriculum development to attempt to challenge the dominance of western and northern scholarship in psychology by developing multiple texts that represented local experiences and challenged traditional asocial and ahistorical thinking in psychology. This paper presents critical thoughts on contemporary psychology in higher education, with a particular focus on progress made in curriculum transformation and demographic representativity, to interrogate the extent to which the profession continues to reproduce existing patterns of privilege and inclusion/exclusion. We suggest that considering curriculum as discourse which acts to reproduce larger power relations in society, may be a useful approach to think about inclusion and transformation of the curriculum in psychology.
Coping with infertility: An explorative study of South African women’s experiences
(Scientific Research Publishing, 2015) Pedro, Athena
The expectation of getting married and having children is for many individuals a natural part of adult life. Many young people anticipate the prospect of becoming biological mothers and fathers. This expectation of parenthood emanates as individuals and couples are socially groomed to aspire to this social norm. Therefore, infertility can be a very traumatic and tormenting time for many men and women who aspire to conform to these socio-cultural conventions of normative parenthood and who believe that childbearing is central to their lives. Infertility is medically defined as the inability to achieve a pregnancy after a period of at least twelve months of regular sexual intercourse without contraception. For both men and women infertility may present pervasive feelings of incompleteness, a sense of failure and inadequacy. However, infertile women tend to endure a myriad of feeling losses and high levels of suffering and sorrow as a result of their inability to have children. This study explored a sample of South Africa women’s experiences of coping with infertility. Utilising a qualitative methodology, a diverse group of 21 married women who were diagnosed with primary infertility were recruited. Semi-structured, in-depth individual interviews were conducted and the data were analysed using thematic analysis. The results of the study indicated that the women reported emotional turmoil characterised by emotions such as disappointment and shock, anger and frustration, a deep sense of sadness and then progressed to experience a sense of acknowledgement that a problem existed. The findings of this study suggest that severe psychological and emotional strain accompany infertility. The coping strategies employed by these women in the study included social withdrawal and women isolating themselves from social events and social gatherings, avoiding pregnant women and women with children, engaging in escapism strategies on both a psychological level and a physical level. Employing an escapism strategy on a psychological level would involve deliberately thinking about strategies to avoid thinking about infertility, pregnancy or babies. Escapism on the physical level would include engaging in activities like shopping, working longer hours, sleeping more than usual, engaging in activities that would occupy an individual to the extent that they cannot think about anything else except the activities they are currently engaged in.
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.
Influences on life aspirations among adolescents in a low-income community in Cape Town, South Africa
(Routledge, 2015) Hendricks, Gaironeesa; Savahl, Shazly; Mathews, Kulthum
The aim of this study was to determine the influences on adolescents’ aspirations from a low-income community in Cape Town. A sequential mixed method exploratory design was used following two distinct phases. The qualitative phase comprised focus group interviews with 118 grade 12 learners attending a school in a low-income community (age range: 16–19 years) and focused on identifying factors influencing life aspirations. The quantitative phase with 191 adolescents (males = 54.45 %, females = 45.55 %); age range: 14–18 years) from the same community aimed to ascertain the influences of personal attributes on self-aspirations. Participants completed the Expectations/Aspirations measure, the New General Self-Efficacy Scale, the Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale and the Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support. Qualitative data were thematically analysed. Quantitative data were analysed using multiple regression. The findings revealed that self-efficacy, self-esteem and social support were the most critical factors influencing adolescents’ aspirations. Self-efficacy was a major determinant of life aspirations among the adolescents. Life skills programmes with youth from disadvantaged communities should seek to incorporate training aimed at developing adolescents’ self-efficacy.
The association between psychological distress, alcohol use and physical non-communicable diseases in a nationally representative sample of South Africans
(SAGE Publications, 2016) Sorsdahl, Katherine; Sewpaul, Ronel; Evans, Meredith; Naidoo, Pamela; Myers, Bronwyn; Stein, Dan J.
This study examines the associations between symptoms of mental disorders and diabetes and hypertension in a nationally representative sample of South Africans. We examined unadjusted and adjusted associations of socio-demographic characteristics, alcohol use and psychological distress with diabetes and hypertension. Multivariate logistic regression revealed that hypertension is significantly associated with age, while diabetes is significantly associated with age, population group and psychological distress. The association between psychological distress and diabetes found here suggests the usefulness of additional research using more detailed measures of psychiatric disorders in local studies and reinforces clinical calls for attention to psychiatric screening in patients with diabetes.
Derailed by a sugar daddy: An investigation of the failed treatment of an adolescent township rape survivor with PTSD
(South African Society on the Abuse of Children (SAPSAC), 2016) Padmanabhanunni, Anita; Edwards, David J.A.
This study investigates the transportability of an evidence-based psychological intervention to local contexts by documenting the treatment process with an isi-Xhosa speaking Black South African adolescent. She was sexually assaulted on two separate occasions, the second incident involved a gang rape by several perpetrators and was diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and depression. She was treated using Ehlers and Clark’s (2000) cognitive therapy (ECCT). Systematic case study methodology was used. Treatment was partially successful as Lulama prematurely terminated after 11 sessions. Nevertheless, her case study highlights some of the challenges in working with adolescents from disadvantaged backgrounds characterised by dysfunctional home environments, parental psychopathology, community violence and the presence of perpetrators. The study identifies some of the obstacles that can be encountered when implementing trauma- focused interventions in local South African contexts and serves to sensitise practitioners to some of the conditions necessary for treatment to be effective.
Predictors of knowledge about tuberculosis: results from SANHANES I, a national, cross-sectional household survey in South Africa
(BioMed Central, 2016) Naidoo, Pamela; Simbayi, Leickness; Labadarios, Demetre; Ntsepe, Yoliswa; Bikitsha, Nwabisa; Khan, Gadija; Sewpaul, Ronel; Moyo, Sizulu; Rehle, Thomas
BACKGROUND: South Africa is one of the 22 high tuberculosis burden countries that contribute 80 % of the global tuberculosis cases. Tuberculosis is infectious and due to its rapid and easy transmission route poses a threat to population health. Considering the importance of social and psychological factors in influencing health outcomes, appraising knowledge and awareness of tuberculosis, remain vital for effective tuberculosis control. The main aim of this study was to investigate the factors that predict knowledge about tuberculosis among 18–64 year old adults in South Africa. METHODS: A cross-sectional survey method was used. Multi-stage disproportionate, stratified cluster sampling was used to select households within enumeration areas stratified by province and locality type. Based on the Human Sciences Research Council 2007 master sample, 500 Enumerator Areas representative of the socio-demographic profile of South Africa were identified and a random sample of 20 households was randomly selected from each Enumerator Area, yielding an overall sample of 10 000 households. The tuberculosis module contained in the South African National Health And Nutrition Examination Survey I was the only module that examined the social determinants of an infectious disease. This module was questionnaire-based with no biomarkers obtained to screen for the presence of tuberculosis disease among the participants. Data was collected by administering a researcher developed individual level questionnaire. Simple and multiple linear regression was used to determine the independent variables associated with tuberculosis knowledge. RESULTS: Half the sample (52.6 %) was female and the majority of the respondents were black African (76.5 %). More than two thirds (68.0 %) resided in urban areas, 56.9 % did not complete high school and half were not in formal employment. Significant predictors of tuberculosis knowledge were race, sex, completion of high school, being in employment, having a diagnosis of the disease in ones’ life-time and learning about tuberculosis from television, brochures, health workers, and teachers. CONCLUSION: To reduce the burden of tuberculosis in South Africa, media campaigns targeting both rural and urban communities should include conveying accurate information about the disease. Policy makers should also address structural barriers that vulnerable communities face.

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