1,721,090 research outputs found
Ethics, power, and responsibility in qualitative psychology: a duo-ethnographic inquiry
No full textThis paper emerges from a collaborative duo-ethnographic inquiry into the lived and contested dimensions of ethics in qualitative psychological research. Grounded in our diverse positionalities as researchers situated across disciplinary, institutional, and geopolitical contexts we reflect on the persistent dissonance between institutionalized procedural ethics and the ethical complexities encountered in practice. Through reflexive and collaborative analysis, we identify four interwoven tensions that structure our inquiry: the mismatch between institutional ethics and ethical responsibility; informed consent as a point of ethical and political tension; the challenges of navigating the tensions and paradoxes within ethical practice; and the entanglement of ethics with political structures and power dynamics. Rather than offering prescriptive solutions, we dwell within these tensions–inhabiting the discomfort, contradiction, and uncertainty that define ethical research as an ongoing, situated struggle
Common mental disorders and psychological adjustment among individuals seeking HIV testing : a study protocol to explore implications for mental health care systems
Full text linkCITATION: Bantjes, Jason & Kagee, Ashraf. 2018. Common mental disorders and psychological adjustment among individuals seeking HIV testing : a study protocol to explore implications for mental health care systems. International Journal of Mental Health Systems, 12:16, doi:10.1186/s13033-018-0196-0.The original publication is available at https://ijmhs.biomedcentral.comPublication of this article was funded by the Stellenbosch University Open Access Fund.Background: In an effort to promote greater access to voluntary counseling and testing for HIV, it has become
practice in many countries, including South Africa, to establish non-medical testing sites and to de-couple HIV testing
from other medical and mental health care services. While it is well established that HIV infection is associated with
a range of psychopathology, much of the literature has assumed that it is receipt of an HIV positive diagnosis that
causes people to become depressed, traumatized, or develop other psychiatric symptoms. Empirical data about the
baseline psychiatric condition and mental health care needs of persons seeking HIV testing is scarce. Understanding
the psychological health of persons seeking HIV testing and documenting how psychiatric symptoms develop over
time following receipt of an HIV positive diagnosis, has important implications for mental health care systems.
Methods: We describe a study protocol to investigate: (1) the level of psychological distress and the prevalence of common
mental disorders among persons seeking HIV testing; (2) the longitudinal development of psychiatric symptoms
among persons diagnosed with HIV; and (3) the recommendations that can be made for mental health care systems
to support persons seeking HIV testing and those newly diagnosed with HIV. In this longitudinal study quantitative and
qualitative data are collected to document participants’ psychiatric symptoms, to determine whether they meet diagnostic
criteria for a common mental disorder, and to explore the lived experiences of persons receiving an HIV positive test
result. Data are collected at three time points; before HIV testing, and then again at 6 and 12 months post-testing.
Discussion: Documenting the prevalence of common mental disorders among persons seeking HIV testing, and
tracking the psychosocial support needs, psychological adjustment and psychosocial experiences of persons newly
diagnosed with HIV, has important implications for the delivery of mental health care services and the design of integrated
mental health care systems.https://ijmhs.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s13033-018-0196-0Publisher's versio
Coping and resilience in refugees from the Sudan: a narrative account
No full textObjective: The purpose of this paper was to identify and explicate coping and resilience themes employed by 13 resettled Sudanese refugees. Method: A sample of 13 Sudanese refugees was asked to describe their experience of coping in the three periods of their migration, namely: pre migration from Sudan, transit, and post migration in their host country. Members of the sample participated in qualitative interviews conducted with the assistance a bilingual community worker. Results: Three themes that characterized the experience of resettled refugees across all periods were: religious beliefs, social support and personal qualities. A fourth less salient, theme, comparison with others, also emerged in the post-migration context. Conclusions: A number of themes associated with coping and resilience in response to trauma were identified. These themes may be translated into strategies to assist in responding constructively to trauma. Such approaches may be used to improve the well-being of resettled refugees in Australia
Present concerns of survivors of human rights violations in South Africa
No full textMost research on persons subjected to physical torture for political reasons has framed this experience as traumatic, with the sequelae approximating the diagnostic criteria of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). However, responses to checklists, questionnaires, and structured interview schedules may reflect the effect of demand characteristics more than the actual concerns of respondents. Thus semi-structured qualitative interviews were conducted with 20 South Africans who were detained for political reasons during the apartheid era. The interviews were transcribed and analyzed with the assistance of the Atlas.ti 4.5 programme. Results showed that the major concerns expressed by the sample were somatic problems, economic marginalization, non-clinical emotional distress, and dissatisfaction with the present political dispensation in South Africa. Respondents also expressed concerns that reflected symptoms of traumatization, but these were not salient in comparison with the other themes that emerged. These data suggest that a model of trauma and the diagnostic category of PTSD may be less appropriate than suggested by most of the literature in accounting for the concerns of many South African former political detainees. This paper critiques the hegemony of the psychiatric model of traumatization in conceptualizing the needs of this population, and suggests an alternate perspective that is broader and more inclusive than a psychiatric paradigm. It also discusses the research and possible clinical implications of the results in terms of addressing the needs of former detainees in South Africa.Postraumatic stress disorder Torture survivors Political violence Apartheid South Africa
SHOULD THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC BE CONSIDERED A TRAUMATIC STRESSOR? SOME CONCERNS FOR MENTAL HEALTH PROFESSIONALS
Full text linkThis opinion article argues that it may not be appropriate to regard the Covid-19 pandemic as a traumatic stressor. Persons diagnosed with Covid-19 have typically been concerned about events that might have occurred in the future such as severe illness, hospitalisation and death, access to treatment, the welfare of dependents, and stigma and discrimination. Their concerns are thus future-oriented rather than anchored to a past traumatic event, which is the requirement for a diagnosis of PTSD. If the criteria for what is considered a traumatic stressor are widened, there isa risk that the concept of trauma may become so diluted that many events, even mildly distressing ones, may be regarded as traumatic. Social workers and other health professionals should take these matters into account when attending to the emotional and psychological needs of persons affected by the Covid-19 pandemic
Going Beyond Counting First Authors in Author Co-citation Analysis
Full text linkThe present study examines one of the fundamental aspects of author co-citation analysis (ACA) - the way co-citation
counts are defined. Co-citation counting provides the data on which all subsequent statistical analyses and mappings
are based, and we compare ACA results based on two different types of co-citation counting - the traditional type that
only counts the first one among a cited work's authors on the one hand and a non-traditional type that takes into
account the first 5 authors of a cited work on the other hand. Results indicate that the picture produced through this non-traditional author co-citation counting contains more coherent author groups and is therefore considerably clearer. However, this picture represents fewer specialties in the research field being studied than that produced through the traditional first-author co-citation counting when the same number of top-ranked authors is selected and analyzed. Reasons for these effects are discussed
The experience of xenophobia in South Africa
No full textIn May 2008, xenophobic violence erupted in South Africa. The targets were\ud
individuals who had migrated from the north in search of asylum. Emerging first in township\ud
communities around Johannesburg, the aggression spread to other provinces. Sixty-two\ud
people died, and 100,000 (20,000 in the Western Cape alone) were displaced. As the attacks\ud
escalated across the country, thousands of migrants searched for refuge in police stations and\ud
churches. Chilling stories spread about mobs armed with axes, metal bars, and clubs. The\ud
mobs stormed from shack to shack, assaulted migrants, locked them in their homes, and set\ud
the homes on fire.\ud
The public reaction was one of shock and horror. The Los Angeles Times declared,\ud
“Migrants Burned Alive in S. Africa.” The South African president at the time, Thabo\ud
Mbeki, called for an end to “shameful and criminal attacks.” Commentators were stunned by\ud
the signs of hatred of foreigners (xenophobia) that emerged in the young South African\ud
democracy.\ud
The tragedy of the violence in South Africa was magnified by the fact that many of\ud
the victims had fled from violence and persecution in their countries of origin. Amid\ud
genocidal violations of human rights that had recently occurred in some countries in sub-\ud
Saharan Africa, the new South Africa stood as a beacon of democracy and respect for human\ud
dignity. With this openness in mind, many immigrants to South Africa sought safety and\ud
refuge from the conflicts in their homelands. More than 43,500 refugees and 227,000 asylum\ud
seekers now live in South Africa. The majority of people accorded refugee status came from\ud
Burundi, Democratic Republic of Congo, and Somalia. South Africa also hosts thousands of\ud
other migrants who remain undocumented
THEORETICAL CONCERNS IN APPLYING THE DIAGNOSIS OF PTSD TO PERSONS WITH HIV AND AIDS
Full text linkIncreasingly, mental health professionals, including psychologists, counsellors and social workers, are called upon to assist persons living with HIV to negotiate the mental health consequences of their condition. It has been suggested that serious mental health consequences following diagnosis with HIV are likely to occur and that developing countries may be “heading towards a mental health and social disaster” (Freeman, 2004). Freeman (2004) has identified various categories of persons affected by HIV who may experience psychological difficulties, including those recently diagnosed with HIV. Among recently diagnosed persons, it is thought that several psychiatric conditions may ensue, namely major depressive disorder (Gore-Felton, Koopman, Spiegel, Vosvick, Brondino & Winningham, 2006), generalised anxiety disorder (Pence, Miller, Whetten, Eron & GaGaynes, 2006) and posttraumatic stress disorder (Myers & Durvasula, 1999; Martinez, Israelski, Walker & Koopman, 2002; Olley, Zeier, Seedat & Stein, 2005). This article examines some theoretical concerns regarding the viability of a diagnosis of PTSD for persons who have received a diagnosis of HIV in terms of its implications for mental health counselling
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