Stress has lasting and sometimes fatal effects on the law enforcement community, which can compromise the well-being of police officers. To date, there is little research on factors that influence the level of stress in police officers. The purpose of this quantitative, correlational study was to investigate the relationship of gender, used coping mechanisms, and levels of organizational and operational stress among police officers who have and have not received stress management training. Bandura's social learning theory and Lazarus and Folkman's theory of cognitive appraisal provided the theoretical foundation. Cross-sectional survey data from a convenience sample of 134 male and female police officers were collected using the Brief Cope, the Operational and Organizational Police Stress Questionnaire, and a demographic survey. An independent samples t test and multiple linear regression analyses were conducted to test the hypotheses. According to study findings, officers who received stress management training demonstrated a higher use of adaptive coping mechanisms compared to those who did not receive training. In addition, gender and use of maladaptive coping predicted level of stress among officers. Evidently, receiving stress management training was useful for these participating police officers, and these findings suggest that the training may have positive demonstrable effects for other police officers. This study promotes positive social change by increasing knowledge and awareness of the value that stress management has in reducing level of stress and use of maladaptive coping in police officers, thus empowering the psychological needs of officers while endorsing public safety at the individual and societal level.

Magister Scientiae (Physiotherapy) - MSc(Physio) / Stroke is the second leading cause of disability worldwide. Up to 60% of the survivors remain severely disabled. These people experience various challenges in such areas as self-care, mobility, accessing medical and rehabilitation services, transportation and finance. These affect them psychologically, physically and socially predisposing them to complications. Hospital based stroke records report on critical cases, which are not a true reflection of after effects of stroke in a community setting. The impact of stroke on patients and spouses cannot be underestimated considering that it is often sudden, giving no chance to patients or spouse to adjust to the predicament. The aim of this study was, therefore, to explore the challenges stroke patients and their spouses experienced during the rehabilitation process, from diagnosis through to treatment and discharge. The study was based on a qualitative approach, utilising an exploratory design. Data was collected using semi-structured in-depth interviews and focus group discussions. All interviews were tape recorded and transcribed verbatim. A thematic content analysis was used to analyse data. Ethical approval was sought from the University of the Western Cape and the College of Medicine Research Ethics Committee, University of Malawi. Permission was obtained from the General Manager of Malawi Against Physical Disabilities. The results indicates a range of challenges including dependence on spouse for basic self-care activities and activities of daily living, stress due to fear of dependence on their spouses, loss of opportunity for regular interaction with friends and family, limited facilities and accessibility to rehabilitation. Spouses are also burdened by of caregiving responsibilities. In conclusion, this study highlights that the consequences of stroke affect both patients and spouses in the areas of health, finance and social. There is need for rehabilitation professionals to give equal attention to the challenges experienced by spouses when managing stroke patients. The study recommends that accessibility to rehabilitation should be improved by increasing patients’ space at the centre, construction of more centres and expand CBR services to cover all districts in the country.

My thesis explores the disabling condition agoraphobia with panic disorder across the life spans of three individuals who are related: 63 year old Grandmother, her daughter - 43 year old Mother, and her grandson - 23 year old Son. As their life stories are told, glimpses of experienced stigma, emotional management, creation of identities, and coping mechanisms are revealed. These are analyzed using the sociological theories of Goffman, Ellis, Cahill, and Davidson. The notion of nature versus nurture is most apparent in Son's story which details the effects of growing up with Grandmother's severe agoraphobic episodes. While each individual does have similarities in their experience of this disorder, nevertheless they each cope and manage in very different ways. I begin by offering a quick look at my own experience with the disorder. I then provide a definition of agoraphobia with panic disorder, its etiology and risk factors. I discuss the prevalence of the disorder and how it affects the individuals' quality of life. I present Grandmother, Mother and Son's life stories followed by an analysis of their experienced stigma, emotion management, and coping mechanisms. Of particular interest, is Son's life story followed by his personal depiction of the evolution of his anxiety, his theory concerning causes, and his methods of control. My methodology was selected, first, because Priestly (2003) suggests taking the life span approach is of vital importance when studying a disability. Second, while many assertions have been made about what influences the onset of this disorder; little is known about what the individuals actually experience and how it affects their emotions and social interactions. The use of qualitative methodology allows for a more in-depth understanding of these individuals' thoughts, perceptions, and emotional reactions to their illness and interactions that cannot be known through quantitative methods. In addition, this may provide us with the tools to create successful interventions that will lessen the discomfort of the individuals and will also allow us to find ways to reduce the harm inflicted by society while adding knowledge about the social and emotional experience of this disabling illness.

Magister Artium (Development Studies) - MA(DVS) / The informal economy has continued to increase in developing countries, giving jobs and income to marginalised groups, the majority being women. The rise of the informal sector is perpetuated by exclusionary social policies and the continued increase in unemployment. In Botswana, street food vending, the most visible form of the informal sector trading, has evolved to be a survivalist activity that women populate. Increasing poverty levels, gender inequalities, and high unemployment rates have resulted in poor urban women being vulnerable to the stresses and shocks caused by these factors. Street food vending is therefore pursued by women to mitigate their vulnerability. Additionally, street food vending allows for more flexible working hours, thus accommodating women’s community, household, and productive roles. Despite women’s substantial contribution to Botswana’s informal economy, the government has not done much to support them.

This study seeks to determine which job demands (role ambiguity, role conflict, and role overload) and work or job resources (training, rewards, supervisory support, and service technology) are most closely associated with the three major components of burnout (emotional exhaustion, depersonalization, and reduced personal accomplishment). A related objective of the study is to ascertain which coping mechanisms seem to be relied on by frontline employees in dealing with the dysfunctional effects of burnout. Frontline bank employees in New Zealand serve as the study setting. Results and their implications are discussed and suggestions for future research are offered.

Caregivers of individuals with autism often report increased levels of stress and a lack of social support to help them cope with various stressors as they provide care. Without coping mechanisms or social support, as individuals with autism present various behavioral and emotional challenges, caregivers can experience a decline in well-being. Thus, the purpose of this qualitative study was to explore the processes that caregivers of individuals between the ages of 9-18 diagnosed with autism use to cope with stress and social support in Southeast Georgia. Grounded theory was used to describe the perceived thoughts caregivers have about stress and well-being and how they gain control over their situation through adaptation. Individual semi-structured interviews were used to collect data from 20 caregivers of children (ages 9-18) with at least a moderate to severe autism spectrum disorder. Findings reveal that caregivers used problem-focused coping in the identification of stressors that impacted them physically and emotionally. The degree to which stress impacts a caregivers' life is dependent on the way caregivers respond to the stressor. Because coping strategies play a role in response to stress, those strategies led to the development of a theoretical model that aim to understand the processes that generate a response to stress. Data were coded and organized into themes using open and axial coding procedures; a theory was then generated using selective coding, yielding a theory of caregiver coping processes. The improved understanding of the challenges that caregivers face as they provide care for individuals with autism holds potential to minimize the negative outcomes of stressors and harness the potential for more positive coping mechanisms to improve caregiver well-being and promote positive social change.

Magister Commercii (Industrial Psychology) - MCom(IPS) / This study investigated the work-life balance phenomenon by closely focusing on the individual coping mechanisms that working students adopt during their academic journey. The research was motivated by the serious financial, student burnout, psychological well-being and other obstacles that working students face, which often result in poor academic performance among this group. Exploratory survey research design was adopted in the study, while the qualitative data collection approach was employed using a structured interview as an instrument to elicit information from five research participants (postgraduate students at the University of the Western Cape). Content analysis was run to identify key themes within the data which pointed strongly towards time management as a coping strategy. / 2023

No description available.

As the nation becomes more multicultural, more research has inquired into the identity development of diverse individuals through their racial identity. The presence of racism and microaggressions presents an interesting obstacle in underrepresented groups’ identity development. Microaggressions, which are ambiguous slights toward a member of a minority group, have become more prevalent in society and have caused a shift in how victims of these aggressions cope and integrate these experiences into their racial identity. Much research has focused on how these daily insults affect health in terms of lower life expectancy, however there is a lack of research regarding how individuals cope with these experiences and incorporate them into their racial identity. The purpose of this study is to determine how individuals cope and grow in their racial identity through the examination of racism narratives. Because narrative storytelling is a powerful factor in individuals’ identity development, this study analyzed 46 African American and Hispanic American racism narratives on 4 narrative constructs: elaboration, coping, effects of racism, and growth. These narrative constructs were coded and correlated with the following questionnaires: Bicultural Integration Scale, the Cross Ethnic /Racial Identity scale, and the Identity Distress Scale. Results found that individuals who showed more depth, growth, and positive coping in their narratives had more positive perceptions of their racial identity and more mature identity development. These findings indicate the importance of narrating traumatic racial experiences for African American and Hispanic American students as they cope with and grow from their racist experiences.

This research proposes a new construct, post-purchase anticipated regret (PPAR), to expand the existing retailing and regret theory literature streams. Specifically, the purpose of this research is to understand the antecedents and consequences of post-purchase anticipated regret in an online retailing context. Study 1 uses qualitative data drawn from depth-interviews with online shoppers to investigate the pre-purchase factors that contribute to PPAR formation. Building from these results, studies 2 and 3 empirically test an original conceptual model to holistically understand PPAR. Additionally, the role of online shopping self-affirmation and regret coping strategies are explored as means to combat PPAR formation. Managerial and theoretical implications are offered, as well as research limitations and future research directions.