Nicolette Vanessa Roman

A descriptive study of the perceptions and behaviors of waterpipe use by university students in the Western Cape, South Africa

BackgroundWaterpipe smoking started as a cultural phenomenon but has become a social phenomenon. Hookah cafes are an increasingly popular venue for socializing. Studies suggest that waterpipe users perceive smoking the waterpipe as less addictive and harmful than cigarette smoking. The aim of this study was to assess the beliefs, and associated behaviours, regarding the health-risk of smoking the waterpipe.MethodsA cross-sectional descriptive study was conducted with a sample of first year students at a historically black university in the Western Cape, South Africa. A self-administered questionnaire was constructed from the College Health Behaviour Survey. The final sample was 389 university students, 64% (250) females and 36% (139) males. The sample had a mean age of 22.2 years (SD = 5.04).ResultsWaterpipe users perceived the health risks of smoking the waterpipe to be exaggerated (48%) and less addictive (58%) than non-users (13% and 17%, p<.001). Additionally, the findings confirm that waterpipe smoking is conducted in a social setting (61%). This social setting included smoking on campus (28%), in the family home (11%), at a party (9%), at a friend’s place (6%) and in a restaurant (1%). Of concern was the majority of users smoked the waterpipe on a daily basis (70%) and that the tobacco mix was easily available (90%). The most common self-reported reason for smoking the waterpipe was for relaxation.ConclusionAs with previous studies, the results of this study confirm the false perception that smoking the waterpipe is not a health risk and is socially acceptable. Additionally, the findings of the study raise concerns and an awareness of smoking the waterpipe in the family home and implications for children. The results of this study provide important information for tobacco control and substance abuse policies in South Africa. These findings highlight the need for further research to determine the extent of waterpipe smoking at other universities in South Africa.

The Role of Parenting Styles and Socio-Economic Status in Parents' Knowledge of Child Development.

Early childhood development (ECD) has been recognised to be the most important contributor to long-term social and emotional development. Therefore, positive parenting is paramount to foster quality parent–child interaction. Previous research shows that for parents to adopt a positive parenting style, some degree of parental knowledge is required. The aim of this study was to compare the relationship between knowledge of child development and parenting styles in low and high socio-economic groups of parents in ECD centres. A cross-sectional study was conducted using a correlation-comparative research design. The sample consisted of N = 140 parents with children between two and five years old from low and high socio-economic groups. Descriptive statistics and Pearson correlation were used to analyse the data. The findings also show that there is no correlation between knowledge of child development and authoritative parenting styles. However, correlations do exist between the other variables.

The Effects of Parental Monitoring and Communication on Adolescent Substance Use and Risky Sexual Activity: A Systematic Review

Aim: The aim of the systematic study was to determine the effect of parenting practices on adolescent risk behaviours such as substance use and sexual risk behaviour. Method: Quantitative research studies were systematically collected from various databases such as Academic Search Complete, MEDLINE (Pubmed), JSTOR, Project Muse and SAGE for the duration of 2003-2013 which was within the 10 year period of relevant literature to the date of study. Results: Findings established that parental monitoring and communication prevented drug initiation, delayed alcohol initiation, and sexual debut, increased alcohol refusal efficacy, and decreased delinquent behaviour and risk taking behaviours in high risk adolescents. Conclusion: This review shows that parental practices play significant protective and promotive roles in managing adolescent risk behaviours.

The relationship between parenting and internalizing behaviours of children: a systematic review

ABSTRACT It is well-documented that poor parenting practices result in negative emotional outcomes in children. Specifically, this review seeks to explore the relationship between parenting practices and internalization symptomology. This study utilized a systematic review and an appraisal tool was developed in order to ensure that included articles maintained high methodological rigour. Biomed Central, PsychArticles, Academic Search Complete, Eric, Sage and SocIndex databases were searched. After yielding 1002 articles in the initial search strategy, 39 articles were appraised and a total of 21 empirical studies were used for data extraction. In all, 13 articles indicated that some forms of poor parenting practices are related to internalizing behaviours. For example, over-involved parenting, spanking endorsement, over-reactive parenting, insecurely attached children, authoritarian parenting and permissive parenting are all linked to internalizing behaviours in children. Two articles reported a negative relationship between authoritative parenting and internalizing symptoms. This systematic review does indicate a relationship between parent–child relations and internalizing symptoms in children. In several studies, the complexities of this relationship remain unknown, and warrant further attention.

Does family structure matter? comparing the life goals and aspirations of learners in secondary schools

The aim of this study was to compare the goals and aspirations of learners from single- and two-parent families. The study used a quantitative methodology with a cross-sectional comparative group design. The sample consisted of 853 Grade 11 learners from secondary schools in the Northern, Southern and Metro Central education districts in the Western Cape. The data were collected using the Aspirations Index and a short biographical questionnaire. The results suggest that there was a significant main effect of family structure on certain goals and aspirations of learners in secondary schools. These goals and aspirations included wealth, image, personal growth, relationships, and health. Furthermore, learners in single-parent families placed more emphasis on intrinsic goals. Keywords : aspirations; environment; extrinsic goals; family structure; intrinsic goals; learners; secondary school; self-determination theory; single-parent families; two-parent families

Parenting in a Rainbow Nation: A South African Perspective on Parenting

Parenting has been linked to varying outcomes of child wellbeing and behavior. Prolific research exists in Western countries regarding different parenting styles and practices linked to various outcomes. These are then used as a basis to understand parenting in non-Western countries such as South Africa. With a diversified population of over 50 million, South Africa has a rich socio-political history which has constantly threatened the very existence of the family and parental responsibility and practices. Today, there are new challenges for parents which need to be negotiated in order to have well adjusted children. The limited parenting research in South Africa not only suggests a more positive approach to parenting in general, but that there are similarities and differences to Western research studies as well as differences across cultures.

Adolescent goals and aspirations in search of psychological well-being: from the perspective of self-determination theory

According to self-determination theory, an individual’s goal content and the processes involved in goal setting often represent the status of the individual’s mental health and well-being. When examining the importance placed on goal setting, an individual’s goals and aspirations are often synonymous with mental health and well-being. Aspiring to achieve intrinsic life goals has been associated with greater psychological well-being in literature. This study therefore aimed to establish the relationships between goals and aspirations, mental health behaviour (interpersonal relations, stress management, and spiritual growth), and psychological well-being (measured by positive affect). A sample of 457 secondary school learners in the Overberg Educational District, Western Cape, South Africa, participated in the study. The results suggest a significant positive relationship between placing importance on intrinsic goals and aspirations, and psychological well-being (as indicated by positive affect). However, psychological well-being was not correlated with mental health behaviour. The results of the hierarchical regression analysis suggest that importance placed on intrinsic goals and aspirations predicts psychological well-being and accounts for 8% of the variance. The results highlight the role of intrinsic goals and aspirations in predicting the psychological well-being of adolescents. The findings are supported by the theoretical assumptions of self-determination theory.

Exploring Occupational Therapy Students’ Perceptions of Spirituality in Occupational Therapy Groups: A Qualitative Study

ABSTRACT An exploratory–descriptive qualitative research approach explored occupational therapy students’ perceptions of spirituality in occupational therapy groups during the group fieldwork process. Four focus group discussions were conducted and thematically analyzed. Four themes related to the metaphoric expressions of spirituality emerged: (1) occupational group therapy is a vehicle for spirituality; (2) spiritual journey in occupational therapy groups; (3) engaging in occupations facilitates spirituality; and (4) make use of the resources to service the driver and vehicle. Occupational therapy groups appeared to be the facilitators of spirituality through engagement in occupations, which enhanced quality of life, health, and well-being of group members.

Opportunities for technology-based HIV prevention programming among high school students in Cape Town, South Africa

One in three new cases of HIV in South Africa is among adolescents. Given that adolescents are particularly affected, scalable, and cost-effective prevention programs are urgently needed. This study aims to identify opportunities to integrate technology into youth HIV prevention efforts. In 2012, 1107 8th–11th graders completed a paper-and-pencil survey. Respondents were enrolled in one of three public high schools in Langa, a lower income community in Cape Town, South Africa. Eighty-nine percent of respondents have used text messaging (SMS) and 86% have gone online. If an HIV prevention program was offered online, 66% of youth would be somewhat or extremely likely to access it; slightly fewer (55%) felt the same about SMS-based programming. In comparison, 85% said they would be somewhat or extremely likely to access a school-based HIV prevention program. Interest in Internet- (60%) and SMS-based (54%) HIV prevention programming was similar for youth who had a self-appraised risk of HIV compared to youth who appraised their risk to be lower, as it was for youth who were tired of hearing messages about HIV prevention. Technology use is common – even among high school students who live in lower income communities. At the same time, these data reveal that it is not uncommon for youth to be tired of hearing messages about HIV prevention, and many of the typical topics key to HIV prevention have low interest levels among youth. HIV prevention researchers need to be mindful of the extent of existing programming that youth are exposed to. Technology-based programming may be especially amenable to meeting these requirements because of its novelty especially in developing countries, and because interactive functionality can be easily integrated into the program design. Given the preference for school- and Internet-based programming, it seems that a hybrid approach is likely feasible and acceptable.

Adapting and Validating the Family Resilience Assessment Scale in an Afrikaans Rural Community in South Africa

A family resilience framework understands families as having the potential to not only face adversities but to overcome them; although its measurement is not always agreed upon. The aim of this study is to explain the processes involved in the adaptation of the 54-item family resilience assessment scale into Afrikaans, and to further examine its psychometric properties. Data were collected via the door-to-door method with the assistance of fieldworkers in two rounds. The pilot sample included 82 participants whilst the larger study included 656 participants. The internal consistency and construct validity was assessed using Cronbach’s alphas and Exploratory Factor Analysis implementing a Principal Component Analysis and Promax rotation, respectively. The factors which were found are similar to those of Sixbey’s, however, a new factor emerged replacing Maintaining a positive outlook which was named Family and community outlook. The processes described in this study facilitated the assessment of the feasibility and efficiency of the full-scale study and reduced the number of unanticipated problems associated with large sample data collection particularly using fieldworkers.