Karel Botha

Narratives of Depression

The purpose of this study was to explore the life narratives of a group of self-identified depressed individuals. A qualitative research approach, specifically a multiple case study method was used, consisting of interviews in narrative format with people who were suffering from depression. The common themes seemed to be: the participants attached negative meanings to their life experiences; they used negative language, particularly in the form of generalisations, to articulate their stories; and they found socio-political narratives to be subjugating. The study suggested that a narrative approach to therapy could be fruitful in the treatment of depression, especially through helping people to find positive meanings for life experiences; re-authoring life narratives using fewer negative generalisations; confronting and transcending subjugating political stories; assisting the individual to discover and build upon unique outcomes; and encouraging the extemalisation of depression.

Psychometric Properties of the Short Self-Regulation Questionnaire (SSRQ) in a South African Context

Self-regulation (SR), an important construct within the psychological well-being context, involves the ability to monitor behaviour, to contrast it with reference values and to introduce adjustments where necessary. A lack of validated measures of SR in the South African context has contributed to the current caveat in our knowledge of the potential importance of this construct. This investigation aimed to establish the utility of the Short Self-Regulation Questionnaire (SSRQ; Carey, Neal & Collins, 2004) in a South African context. This short version of the original Self-Regulation Questionnaire (SRQ; Brown, Miller & Lawendowski, 1999) was completed by a group of 385 undergraduate psychology students. Factor analysis produced 7 factors, all of which showed significant positive correlations with other measures of psychological well-being. This first step toward establishing the importance of SR in non-Western cultures reflected positively on the potential use of the SSRQ in large epidemiological studies.

Self-regulation as Psychological Strength in South Africa: A Review

The aim of this chapter is to review research on self-regulation as psychological strength within South Africa over the past 15 years (1996–2010). Key words related to self-regulation were searched through Ebscohost, Science Direct, SA ePublications, and Google Scholar. In general, it was found that there is a lack of dedicated self-regulation research in South Africa, and that most research focuses on related concepts, such as coping and resilience. Further, most studies focus on coping with adverse situations; for example, living with HIV/AIDS, bereavement, poverty, racial conflict, crime, and violence. In contrast, self-regulation as promotion and preventive strength is extremely scarce. Social context—specifically, social support and culture—emerged as an important factor in self-regulation, especially within the domains of racial relations and sexual risk behavior. Finally, some recommendations are provided regarding future self-regulation research in South Africa.

The effect of the Lifeplan® programme on the psychological wellbeing of a rural community in South Africa

This study explored the effect of the Lifeplan® programme on a rural South African communitys psychological wellbeing. Participants were adult individuals (N=99) between 20 and 83 years (mean age = 43 years, SD=13.28). A mixed method sequential explanatory research design was followed with quantitative data obtained through standardised scales, which included the General Psychological Wellbeing Scale (GPWS), Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9), Coping Self-Efficacy Scale (CSE), and Mental Health Continuum—Short Form (MHC-SF). These scales, validated for a Setswana-speaking group, compared the levels of psychological wellbeing between and within an experimental group (n=47) and a control group (n=52), in a pre- and post-evaluation stage. Qualitative data (n=30) was obtained through semi-structured interviews conducted with the experimental group in a post-post evaluation stage. Quantitative findings reflected an increase in general psychological and emotional wellbeing. Small practical significant differences (d=0.19–0.40) were found between the experimental and control groups. Qualitative results suggested that participants within the experimental group experienced Lifeplan® as educational and contributing towards general wellbeing.

Exploring Mindfulness in Self-Injuring Adolescents in a Psychiatric Setting

This study explored mindfulness amongst eight self-injuring psychiatric adolescents. A mixed-method design was used. Interviews and clinical records comprised the qualitative data, while quantitative data was gathered using the Five-Facet Mindfulness Questionnaire (FFMQ: Baer, Smith, Hopkins, Krietemeyer & Toney, 2006). Thematic analysis was used to generate themes and subthemes. Findings suggest that those who sometimes act mindfully tend to be more self-critical, report more severe injuries and more often self-punish. Those who often act mindfully self-injure more often, they show more self-compassion and report less severe injuries and less lethal methods. Mindfulness-based interventions might be useful in increasing mindfulness and decreasing self-injuring behaviour in psychiatric patients.

Adolescent experiences of sense of self in the context of family violence in a South African community

This study explored the self-identity constructions of South African adolescents with a history of family violence. Twelve school learners were purposively selected for the study (11 females, ages 15-18 years). They completed semi-structured individual interviews. The data were thematically analysed. The findings suggest that the adolescents’ self-identities in the context of family violence seem to be characterised by polarities of love versus hate, protect versus blame, and compassion versus anger and resentment. The adolescents also self-defined in terms of coping and resilience despite elevated risks of self-harm behaviour.

Psychological Well-Being, Physical Health, and the Quality of Life of a Group of Farm Workers in South Africa: The FLAGH Study

This study explored the psychological well-being, physical health, and quality of life of a group of farm workers (N = 52) from three commercial farms in the North West Province of South Africa, as well as the relations among these facets. A mixed methods sequential explanatory design was followed. Psychological well-being and quality of life were measured by means of scales validated for use in a Setswana-speaking group. Physical health was measured with standardized instruments to collect physiological and nutritional information. Semi-structured interviews were conducted to collect qualitative data. Even though they provide vital glimpses of resilience, participants reported relatively low levels of well-being, poor physical health, nutritional deficiencies, poor quality of life, and a lack of primary health education and supportive health infrastructure. Women revealed the highest heart rate and most negative mental health outcomes while men revealed higher alcohol intakes. There are observable relations between indicators of physical health and general psychological well-being, as well as other psychosocial variables. Findings show the importance of context in understanding well-being and the simultaneous manifestation of problems. Suggestions for future policy directions, further research, and possible programme interventions are made.

Interpersonal conflict and meaning making in early adulthood: a self-regulation perspective

The aim of this study was to explore meaning making in response to interpersonal conflict in a group of young adults. A self-regulatory perspective was taken to explore and elaborate on current approaches to meaning making. Participants were 127 young adults aged between 19 and 30. Interactive Qualitative Analysis was applied to first identify significant factors that play a role in interpersonal conflict, and second to develop a conceptual model based on perceived relations between these factors. A model with 11 themes in which 43.6% of the total number of relational pairs explained 71.8% of the variance, was developed. Findings support current approaches to meaning making as a dynamic self-regulated process, while new avenues for exploring meaning making as part of a larger complex system of psychological processes emerged.

Cancer treatment in South Africa: a narrative literature review

Due to the advances in cancer treatment, there are a growing number of cancer survivors. Finishing treatment rarely indicates the end of the cancer experience. As a result, cancer management has shifted from an acute care model to one that focuses on chronic care issues with a wellness component. This article explores cancer survivorship and management in the South African context, including (a) aspects of care/treatment in urban and rural areas and in the public and private health care systems; (b) patient needs and psychological care; (c) communication and health care, and (d) the influence of religious beliefs on the cancer experience and treatment. Survivorship is recognized as a distinct phase in the cancer care continuum during which some patients may experience physical and psychological symptoms requiring observation, follow-up, and medical interventions. It is thus critical that chronic care models delivering long-term medical and psychosocial services be developed and utilized. Accessible and equitable screening programmes and individualised cancer care for patients from all socio-economic groups extending beyond the physical management of their disease is therefore something to be strived for.

Tomatis® Method comparative efficacy in promoting self-regulation in tertiary students: A systematic review

This systematic review sought to determine the evidence on how the Tomatis® Method, a sound stimulation intervention for improving listening, compares to other self-regulation interventions with tertiary students. We searched studies from the following data bases ‘Academic FileOne, CINAHL, Cochrane Library, Communication & Mass Media Complete, eBook (EBSCOHost), HeinOnline, OAPEN Library, PsychARTICLES, PsychINFO, SocINDEX, ScienceDirect, and Google Scholar; and the North-West University repository’ and for the period spanning 2003 to 2013. Studies included for the analysis met these criteria: Published between 2003 and 2013; published and written in English, student participant samples from tertiary institutions such as a universities or colleges; programmes or interventions developed and implemented with a positive effect on well-being or self-regulation; application of the Tomatis® Method in a student population, irrespective of an experimental design. A total of 35 articles met the inclusion criteria. The evidence was thematically analysed using narrative analysis. Findings suggest the Tomatis® Method to be superior to alternative self-regulation approaches in decreasing psychosocial and emotional stressors, as well as enhancing well-being of students. The Tomatis® Method was as effective as alternative approaches in promoting self-awareness and self-monitoring. Alternative methods were more effective than the Tomatis® Method in aspects of critical thinking. The Tomatis® Method appears to compare well with other interventions for the promotion of self-regulation among tertiary students.