Rizwana Roomaney

Salient aspects of quality of life among women diagnosed with endometriosis: A qualitative study

This study examined health-related quality of life among a sample of South African women diagnosed with endometriosis. Semistructured interviews were conducted with 25 participants in South Africa. Participants discussed the ways in which endometriosis affected their health-related quality of life. A total of 10 categories emerged from the data, namely, (1) medical factors, (2) physical functioning, (3) psychological functioning, (4) sexual functioning, (5) reproductive functioning, (6) interpersonal functioning, (7) occupational functioning, (8) information and knowledge, (9) healthcare and medical treatment and (10) financial impact and considerations. Each category was described and compared with findings from other health-related quality of life research in women with endometriosis.

Coping strategies employed by women with endometriosis in a public health-care setting

This study explored how South African patients attending public health facilities reported coping with endometriosis. A total of 16 women with endometriosis were interviewed, and we explored how participants coped with endometriosis. All interviews were audio-recorded and transcribed. Thematic analysis was used to identify themes. Participants reported employing both problem-focused and emotion-focused strategies to cope with endometriosis. Problem-focused strategies included limiting physical activities, increasing knowledge about endometriosis, scheduling social and work activities around menstrual cycle, engaging in self-management and relying on social support. Emotion-focused coping strategies included accepting the disease, adopting a positive attitude, engaging in self talk and evoking spirituality.

The relationship between worldview, self-efficacy, psychological distress, and a health-promoting lifestyle among a South African undergraduate university sample

This study examined the relationship between worldview, self-efficacy, psychological distress, and health-promoting lifestyle among an undergraduate South African student sample. We recruited a sample of 211 participants who responded to an online questionnaire consisting of the Health-Promoting Lifestyle Inventory, the Organicism-Mechanism Lifestyle Profile, the Hopkins Symptom Checklist, and checklists on nutrition, exercise, and alcohol use self-efficacy, gender, and place of residence. The data were analysed using SPSS 18.0. Hierarchical regression analysis indicated that the linear combination of demographic variables, worldview, self-efficacy, and psychological distress significantly explained a health-promoting lifestyle. We also found that psychological distress and nutrition and exercise self-efficacy were significantly associated with a health-promoting lifestyle.

Psychosocial predictors of distress and depression among South African breast cancer patients

The present study focused on psychological distress and symptoms of depression among a sample of patients attending an outpatient breast cancer clinic in South Africa. The authors also sought to identify the predictors of distress and depression by using demographic, medical, and psychosocial variables, including perceived and received social support.

The construction and validation of the Stellenbosch Endometriosis Quality of life measure (SEQOL)

ABSTRACT In this paper, we describe the process of construction and validation of a health-related quality of life (HRQOL) measure for patients with endometriosis. The items in the measure were initially constructed, edited and reduced using a consultative process with endometriosis experts. We then determined the test reliability, validity and factor structure of the measure by administering the measure and several other measures to 203 patients with endometriosis. The 35-item measure produced an eight-dimension factor structure. The measure and its subscales demonstrated excellent internal consistency reliability and promising validity.

The factor structure of the Health-Promoting Lifestyle Profile II among a South African student sample

This study aimed to determine the factor structure of the Health-Promoting Lifestyle Profile II scale in a South African sample. The sample consisted of 211 students at a university. Students completed an online survey that included the 52-item Health-Promoting Lifestyle Profile II. Confirmatory factor analysis, items analysis, and exploratory factor analysis were used to determine the factor structure of the Health-Promoting Lifestyle Profile II and reduce the number of items. Confirmatory factor analysis did not confirm the original six-factor structure for the Health-Promoting Lifestyle Profile II. The measure produced high internal consistency value (Cronbach’s alpha = .92) indicating over-redundancy of items. Item analysis was conducted in order to reduce the number of items. A subsequent exploratory factor analysis yielded a six-factor model for the Health-Promoting Lifestyle Profile II in the current sample. The final 24-item measure demonstrated good reliability (Cronbach’s alpha = .87) and can be used as an alternative to the original measure within the current sample.

Predictors of burnout among HIV nurses in the Western Cape

Background Burnout has been implicated as one of the reasons for key healthcare personnel, such as nurses, leaving their profession, resulting in insufficient staff to attend to patients. Objective We investigated the predictors of three dimensions of burnout, namely emotional exhaustion, depersonalisation and personal accomplishment, among nurses in South Africa attending to patients living with HIV. Method Participants were recruited at a large tertiary hospital in the Western Cape region, with the help of the assistant director of nursing at the hospital. They completed the Maslach Burnout Inventory, the Quantitative Workload Inventory, the Interpersonal Conflict at Work Scale, the Organisational Constraints Scale, the Death and Dying subscale of the Nursing Stress Scale, and the HIV and AIDS Stigma Instrument – Nurse. Results We found elevated levels of burnout among the sample. Workload, job status and interpersonal conflict at work significantly explained more than one-third of the variance in emotional exhaustion (R² = 0.39, F(7, 102) = 9.28, p = 0.001). Interpersonal conflict, workload, organisational constraints and HIV stigma significantly explained depersonalisation (R² = 0.33, F(7, 102) = 7.22, p = 0.001). Job status and organisational constraints significantly predicted personal accomplishment (R² = 0.18, F(7, 102) = 3.12, p = 0.001). Conclusion Factors such as workload, job status and interpersonal conflict in the work context, organisational constraints and stigma associated with HIV were found to be predictors of burnout in the sample of nurses. Our recommendations include developing and testing interventions aimed at reducing burnout among nurses, including reducing workload and creating conditions for less interpersonal conflict at work.

A qualitative study into the protective factors of non-MDMA users who attend trance parties in South Africa

Abstract Methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA) usage is synonymous with trance culture. Qualitative focus groups were conducted with eight young adults who attended trance parties but did not consume MDMA in order to explore protective factors that prevented participants from consuming MDMA. The focus groups were audio recorded, transcribed and analysed, using thematic analysis. Five main themes emerged from the analysis. These themes were named as follows: knowledge and beliefs relating to MDMA, fear of losing control, fear of sexual contact, learning from others who have consumed MDMA and self-preservation. Participants overwhelmingly stated that one of the main reasons they did not use MDMA was because it was chemical in nature. However, participants admitted to using cannabis and mushrooms and rationalised this by stating that they were natural. The researchers had difficulty in attaining participants for this study as few people attend trance parties and abstain from using MDMA.

A COMPARATIVE STUDY INTO THE COPING STRATEGIES EMPLOYED BY UNDERGRADUATE PSYCHOLOGY AND NON-PSYCHOLOGY STUDENTS

This study investigated differences in coping strategies between psychology students and non-psychology students. The researchers hypothesized that psychology students would utilize more adaptive coping skills than non-psychology students, based on their exposure to psychological theory. The Brief COPE survey was administered to 43 psychology students and 47 non-psychology students. Analyses by means of T-tests were conducted to determine statistically significant differences in coping strategies between the two groups. The results indicated that there were no significant differences between the coping styles of psychology students and non-psychology students in 13 of the 14 subscales of the Brief COPE. However, a significant difference was found in one subscale, namely emotional support, with psychology students demonstrating significantly higher mean scores on the scale than non-psychology students (p < 0.01). Psychology students in the sample utilized the coping strategy of seeking emotional support significantly more than the non-psychology students in the sample. These results indicate that knowledge regarding coping does not necessarily translate into implementation of adaptive coping strategies. However, the results of this study indicates that psychology students sought more emotional support than non-psychology students and may therefore indicate that they are more willing to seek assistance in order to cope than non-psychology students.