<p> Cultural beliefs on healthcare in the 21st century by the African immigrants in the United States have contributed to the severity of illnesses in their communities. The results of this research identified the healthcare barriers experienced by members of the Bronx Ghanaian Immigrant Muslim Community (BGIMC) in New York City. The purpose of this research was to investigate the influence of education, immigration status, health insurance status, and cultural beliefs on the BGIMC members' perceived access and willingness to use healthcare services for various ailments. A sample of 156 male and female members of the BGIMC completed the survey questionnaire. The study was grounded in the conceptual frameworks of critical theory and complexity theory. The results of logistic and linear multiple regressions indicated that those with insurance were 9 times more likely to report that they had access to healthcare than those who did not have insurance. Additionally, those with health insurance were almost 7 times more likely to report using healthcare services in the past 12 months. Results of the multiple linear regressions indicated that immigration status, health insurance status, and education levels did not predict willingness to use healthcare when an arm was broken, nor did they predict willingness to use healthcare for a severe fever. However, immigration status, health insurance status, and education levels did predict willingness to use healthcare when experiencing dizziness. Understanding the social and cultural factors related to use of health care services will lead to tailored health insurance and access initiatives for the BGIMC; this increased understanding will also promote positive social change in their community and serve as a model for other African communities in the United States.</p>

South African schools are quickly, and progressively, becoming arenas for violent behaviour. These days, schools are no longer considered safe and protected environments where children can go to learn, develop, enjoy themselves, and feel secure. Rather, schools are being defined as unsafe and dangerous settings for teaching and learning, plagued by various forms of school violence (Van Jaarsveld, 2008). According to De Wet (2003), the causes of school violence are numerous and exceptional to each violent incident. Research indicates that most perpetrators of school violence are in the adolescent stage of development (O‟Toole, 2000). Adolescence as a transition stage implies severe changes on both an anatomical and a psychological level, presenting psycho-social adjustment demands that could be too much for certain adolescents and end in dysfunctional adaptive behaviour such as aggression (Louw & Louw, 2007; Sigelman & Rider, 2006). According to Meece and Daniels (2008), there seems to be no single cause for aggression and it is seen as an interaction of the adolescent’s own characteristics, family environment, culture, peer relations and community. The purpose of this study was to investigate whether intra- and inter-psychological factors such as self related well-being, coping self-efficacy, general health and inter-personal relations contribute to manifested anger/hostility/aggression of learners in secondary schools. A quantitative research design of the cross sectional survey type was used to reach the aims of this study. The population included grade nine learners of four secondary schools who fitted the selection criteria. The size of the research group was N=512, which included male (N=217) and female (N=295), African (N=311) and White (N=201) adolescent learners. Quantitative data collection was done by means of the Personal, Home, Social and Formal Relations Questionnaire (PHSF) of Fouché and Grobbelaar (1971), the Coping Self-Efficacy Scale (CSE) of Chesney, Neilands, Chambers, Taylor, and Folkman (2006), the General Health Questionnaire (GHQ-12) of Goldberg and Hillier (1979) and the Aggression Questionnaire (AQ) of Buss and Perry (1992). A biographical questionnaire was also included to collect the participants‟ socio-demographic information. The empirical research was described and results reported in two manuscripts intended for publication. Descriptive statistics, reliability and validity of the measuring instruments used, correlations among the operationalized constructs, significance of differences on the scales for subgroups and regression analyses to identify predictors of aggression and moderating variables, were calculated. The results of the study indicated that although means and standard deviations correspond to those reported in literature for the same scales, the participants in this study manifested only moderate levels of the phenomena measured. The reliability and validity of the measuring instruments were mostly acceptable, with a few exceptions. Correlational results indicated that psychological factors have significantly negative relationships with aspects of aggressive behaviour, suggesting that the more psychological wellness and adjustment youth experience, the less they will experience or express aggressive behaviour. Significance of differences on several of the variables investigated was found between the gender and racial sub-groups with moderate to large practical effect. Furthermore, aspects of personal and social adjustment and of coping self-efficacy and mental health, significantly predicted features of aggression in youth who participated. Intra- and inter-personal aspects of psychological adjustment significantly moderated the strength of the relationships between coping self-efficacy and aggression as well as general mental health and aggression. These findings were theoretically expected and could be explained by means of research findings reported in literature and relevant theories. Conclusions and recommendations were discussed. / Thesis (MA (Psychology))--North-West University, Vaal Triangle Campus, 2013

Organisations throughout the world have to cope with an increasing rate of change. These organisational changes are due to a number of reasons, which include social, technological, economic and political reasons. These result in a change in government regulations. In South Africa, the changes include the merging of higher education institutions and changes in the educational landscape. The public higher education institutions were reduced by the Department of Higher Education and Training from 36 to 23. Same changes include new universities of technologies and mergers of other universities plus more comprehensive universities. Recently, government established two new universities, one in Mpumalanga and another in the Northern Cape. Job insecurity, job satisfaction, occupational stress, sense of coherence, and general health are key aspects of the higher education institutions during and after the transformation process. This study aimed to determine the relationship between job insecurity, job satisfaction, occupational stress, sense of coherence, and general health of employees in a higher education institution. The literature reviewed showed that job insecurity occurs as a result of a merger, which is one of the multiple antecedents in a job insecurity model. However, a merger, as an organisational condition, changes individual perceptions about job insecurity and its consequences. Job satisfaction, occupational stress, and general health are consequences of job insecurity. From the reviewed literature, it is clear that the employees’ lack of resources is a very serious challenge in their endeavour to perform their duties. Lack of resources results in the poor performance of employees and their inability to use their capabilities to deal with every day work-related challenges. A cross-sectional design with employees in higher education institution (N=229) was used. The Job Insecurity Inventory, Minnesota Job Satisfaction Questionnaire, An Organisation Stress Screening Tool, Orientation to Life Questionnaire, and General Health Questionnaire, and a biographical questionnaire were utilised. Statistical analyses were carried out for the three articles in the study with the help of the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (IBM-SPSS) program. Statistical methods used in this article consisted of descriptive statistics (for example, means, standard deviations and frequencies), Cronbach alpha coefficients, explanatory factor analyses, Pearson product-moment correlation coefficients, multiple regression analysis and mediation analysis (Omnibus procedure). The results of article 1 showed that job insecurity was statistically significantly related to general health (somatic symptoms, social dysfunction, hopelessness and worthlessness). This implies that employees who experience high job insecurity also experience problems with their health. General health had a practically significant negative correlation with sense of coherence. Literature reviewed states that a weak sense of coherence leads employees to perceive situations as threatening (that is, high job demands and low job resources), and could lead to ill health. The research findings clearly indicate that sense of coherence does not moderate the relationship between job insecurity and general health. Regarding the results of article 2, a practically significant negative relationship exists between occupational stress and job satisfaction (intrinsic, supervision, extrinsic). This means that employees with high levels of occupational stress display lower job satisfaction and vice versa. Occupational stress and general health have a negative relationship, implying that different occupational stress factors (work demands, insecurity and work relations) relate to the general health of employees. Employees, who experience high work demands, are insecure and experience poor work relations with their colleagues or supervisors, have problems with their health and do not enjoy normal day-to-day activities in the organisation. Job satisfaction displays a practically significant negative correlation with general health. This implies that employees who are not satisfied with the intrinsic satisfaction of their job and working environment experience headaches and lack physical energy. Such employees generally feel sick. They do not enjoy every day activities since they doubt their own competence and the meaning of life. Both occupational stress and job satisfaction are statistically significant predictors of general health. In conclusion, the results of this article report that job satisfaction mediates the relationship between occupational stress and the general health of employees in a higher education institution. The results of article 3 showed that practically significant positive relationships exist between sense of coherence and job satisfaction. Employees with a higher sense of coherence are more satisfied and motivated to work. They are more comfortable with other colleagues and the general working conditions. Employees with a strong sense of coherence are more resourceful in handling different work-related aspects, and they tend to experience higher job satisfaction. It was concluded that sense of coherence moderates the relationship between job satisfaction and some aspects of general health. The results imply that people with lower levels of sense of coherence are more dependent on job satisfaction to experience good health. This has direct implications for vocational and industrial psychologists, as well as higher educational institutions. Recommendations for future research were made. / PhD (Industrial Psychology) North-West University, Vaal Triangle Campus, 2014

<p> <i>Background.</i> Nursing assistants, working in long&ndash;term care facilities, have consistently been among the top occupational groups experiencing work-related musculoskeletal injuries. These injuries have been attributed the physical demands of lifting and moving the individuals in their care. Great strides in research have identified successful risk reduction strategies such as the implementation safe patient handling and mobility programs. The benefits of these programs have been advocated over the last two decades, but the rate of injuries among nursing assistants continues to be more than double the national average for all other industries. The purpose of this study was to investigate the influence of safe patient handling and mobility policies and procedures, facility resources, and work practices on the trends in injury rates and the associated costs in long-term care facilities.</p><p> <i>Methods.</i> Thirty-eight facilities contributed information to the study. Data were gathered on safe patient handling policies, facility resources, work practices, work-related injuries and workers&rsquo; compensation costs for 2002 &ndash; 2011.</p><p> <i>Results.</i> Eighty-four percent of the facilities had patient handling policies or were preparing to implement in the upcoming year. All of the facilities had mechanical lifting devices, employee training and procedures for embedding safe patient handling into daily work practices. Nineteen facilities contributed one to ten years of data, showing injury rates decreased 63% from 2002 &ndash; 2011. Eleven facilities provided worker&rsquo;s compensation information showing medical and indemnity costs decreased 54% from 2006 &ndash; 2011. The presence of a policy, was not found to independently influence these factors. The number of days away from work due to work-related injuries was significantly lower in facilities with patient handling policies. <i> Conclusion.</i> The presence of the policy was not found to independently influence injury rates or costs, but the prevalence of safe patient handling policies, mechanical lifting devices and safe work practices suggested that a safety culture may finally be present in long-term care. Despite the impressive reductions in injuries and costs, the continued higher than average rate of injuries among this occupational group may indicate that other factors now play a greater role in work-related injuries.</p>

Education is recognised worldwide as one of the most stressful work environments. Contributing factors include poor remuneration, workload. poor administrative support. Poor relationships with colleagues and superiors. a lack of respect for the profession and few career advancement opportunities. The result is that a high number of educators experience negative physical and psychological symptoms. Evidence from research suggests that the level of burnout among educators is increasing. that educators are experiencing lower levels of job satisfaction. That there is an increase in the levels of absenteeism and alcohol abuse of educators. Retention problems arise as more educators are leaving the profession at an earlier stage. that the relationship between the educator and learner are becoming more destructive and that the quality of our education is consequently on the decrease. The objective of this research is to determine the relationship between job insecurity. Job satisfaction, social support and general health of educators in the Sedibeng West Municipal District as well as to establish whether social support has a moderating effect on the relation between job insecurity and job satisfaction. The research method consists of a literature review and an empirical study. A cross-sectional survey design was used to collect the data. A random sample (n 312) was taken from educators in the Sedibeng West Municipal District. The Job Insecurity Questionnaire (J IQ) of De Witte. The Revised Minnesota Job Satisfaction Questionnaire (JSQ) by Weiss ct al... the Social Support Scale of Caplan and Goldberg and Hillier"s General Health Questionnaire (GI IQ) were used as measuring instruments. The statistical analysis was carried out with the SPSS-programme. The statistical methods utilised in the article consisted of descriptive statistics, Cronbach alpha coefficients. Pearson product-moment correlation coefficients and multiple regression analyses were used to analyse the data. The results obtained for the four scales proved the measuring instruments to be reliable. The analysis of Pearson product-moment correlations in this study showed that Job Insecurity is negatively related to intrinsic, Extrinsic and Total Job Satisfaction as well as positively related to higher levels of Somatic, Anxiety and Insomnia, Social Dysfunctional and Depression related General Health, but all with a small effect. Intrinsic, Extrinsic and Total Job satisfaction however had a clear positive relation to Social Support received from a Supervisor and Extrinsic Job Satisfaction also correlated positively with Social Support received from Colleagues. The four General Health scales in turn had only small negative relations with Total Job Satisfaction. A regression analysis with Job Satisfaction as dependent variable le indicated that none of the Social Support constructs had a moderating influence on the negative effect that Job insecurity has on a person's experience of their job. Recommendations are made for the educators' profession and for future research purposes. / Thesis (M.A. (Industrial Psychology))--North-West University, Vaal Triangle Campus, 2010.

The work environment in which South African employees have to function is highly demanding, offering them little in terms of job security, but simultaneously expecting them to give more in terms of inter alia flexibility, competency, and effort. Tracking and addressing chemical industry employees' functioning in areas that could affect their general health and consequent standard of service is essential. Job insecurity, work-based support, job satisfaction, organisational commitment and general health are specific focus areas in this research. It is important to use reliable and valid measuring instruments to measure these constructs. It appears that job insecurity results in reduced organisational commitment as well as reduced job satisfaction. In the long run all this may have a negative impact on the psychological well-being of employees. Therefore, the right kind of support h m the right kind of people can be of significant value in reducing occupational stress, improving health, and buffering the impact of stress on health. A lack of South African research exists regarding job insecurity, work-based support, job satisfaction, organisational commitment and general health - hence the importance of this research. The primary objective of this research was to investigate the relationship between job insecurity, work-based support, job satisfaction, organisational commitment and general health of Human Resources Professionals (N = 114) in a chemical industry. A cross-sectional survey design was used to collect data. It was found that affective and cognitive job insecurity demonstrated a statistically significant negative correlation with emotional social support (supervisor and other), but practically and statistically negative correlation with intrinsic and extrinsic job satisfaction. With regard to affective and cognitive job insecurity and general health, a statistically significant positive correlation was obtained for somatic symptoms, social dysfunction and severe depression, and a practically and statistically significant correlation with anxiety and insomnia. Affective commitment demonstrated a statistically significant negative relationship with cognitive job insecurity. The regression analysis indicated that job insecurity has some predictive value with regard to the intrinsic and extrinsic job satisfaction and general health subscales, namely somatic symptoms, anxiety and insomnia, social dysfunction and severe depression. With regard to the two components of job satisfaction, intrinsic and extrinsic, job insecurity predicted 14% and 5% respectively of the variance. No predictions were found between affective commitment and job insecurity. With regard to general health, job insecurity predicted 5% (somatic symptoms), 11% (anxiety and insomnia), 1 % (social dysfunction) and 8% (severe depression). Conclusions were made, limitations of the cumin research were discussed and recommendations for future research were put forward. / Thesis (M.A. (Industrial Psychology))--North-West University, Vaal Triangle Campus, 2006.

Education is recognised worldwide as one of the most stressful work environments. Contributing factors include poor remuneration, workload. poor administrative support. Poor relationships with colleagues and superiors. a lack of respect for the profession and few career advancement opportunities. The result is that a high number of educators experience negative physical and psychological symptoms. Evidence from research suggests that the level of burnout among educators is increasing. that educators are experiencing lower levels of job satisfaction. That there is an increase in the levels of absenteeism and alcohol abuse of educators. Retention problems arise as more educators are leaving the profession at an earlier stage. that the relationship between the educator and learner are becoming more destructive and that the quality of our education is consequently on the decrease. The objective of this research is to determine the relationship between job insecurity. Job satisfaction, social support and general health of educators in the Sedibeng West Municipal District as well as to establish whether social support has a moderating effect on the relation between job insecurity and job satisfaction. The research method consists of a literature review and an empirical study. A cross-sectional survey design was used to collect the data. A random sample (n 312) was taken from educators in the Sedibeng West Municipal District. The Job Insecurity Questionnaire (J IQ) of De Witte. The Revised Minnesota Job Satisfaction Questionnaire (JSQ) by Weiss ct al... the Social Support Scale of Caplan and Goldberg and Hillier"s General Health Questionnaire (GI IQ) were used as measuring instruments. The statistical analysis was carried out with the SPSS-programme. The statistical methods utilised in the article consisted of descriptive statistics, Cronbach alpha coefficients. Pearson product-moment correlation coefficients and multiple regression analyses were used to analyse the data. The results obtained for the four scales proved the measuring instruments to be reliable. The analysis of Pearson product-moment correlations in this study showed that Job Insecurity is negatively related to intrinsic, Extrinsic and Total Job Satisfaction as well as positively related to higher levels of Somatic, Anxiety and Insomnia, Social Dysfunctional and Depression related General Health, but all with a small effect. Intrinsic, Extrinsic and Total Job satisfaction however had a clear positive relation to Social Support received from a Supervisor and Extrinsic Job Satisfaction also correlated positively with Social Support received from Colleagues. The four General Health scales in turn had only small negative relations with Total Job Satisfaction. A regression analysis with Job Satisfaction as dependent variable le indicated that none of the Social Support constructs had a moderating influence on the negative effect that Job insecurity has on a person's experience of their job. Recommendations are made for the educators' profession and for future research purposes. / Thesis (M.A. (Industrial Psychology))--North-West University, Vaal Triangle Campus, 2010.

Thesis (Ph.D.)--Arizona State University, 2005. / (UnM)AAI3194930. Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 66-11, Section: B, page: 5749. Adviser: William (Dennis) Clark.

Objetivo: Investigar a saúde mental de jovens com fissura labiopalatina transforame em atendimento no Hospital de Reabilitação de Anomalias Craniofaciais, USP. Modelo/Pacientes: Estudo observacional transversal, em 60 sujeitos com idade entre 19 e 26 anos: 30 sujeitos com fissura labiopalatina transforame (Grupo 1) e 30 sujeitos sem fissura labiopalatina (Grupo-Controle). O método foi quanti-qualitativo, utilizando como instrumentos a entrevista clínica semiestruturada e o Questionário de Saúde Geral (QSG) de Goldberg, que avalia a presença de transtornos mentais comuns não-psicóticos: stress psíquico, desejo de morte, desconfiança no desempenho, distúrbios do sono, distúrbios psicossomáticos e saúde geral. Local: As entrevistas foram realizadas na Sociedade de Promoção Social do Fissurado Lábio-Palatal (PROFIS), prestadora de assistência aos pacientes em tratamento no Hospital de Reabilitação de Anomalias Craniofaciais. Resultados: Os dados quantitativos obtidos no QSG, pelos Grupos 1 e Controle foram comparados, não se encontrando diferença estatisticamente significativa entre os pacientes com fissura labiopalatina e o Grupo-Controle, nos fatores de Saúde Mental. Quanto aos gêneros, encontrou-se diferença estatisticamente significativa no fator Desejo de Morte, no Grupo 1, gênero feminino, em comparação ao masculino, porém, abaixo do percentil 90, indicativo de transtorno. Quando comparados com a média brasileira, também não houve diferença estatística significativa. Conclusões: Apesar de a análise qualitativa dos dados revelar sujeitos com histórias de sofrimento, discriminação e dificuldades, verificou-se que eles estão conseguindo enfrentar dificuldades e apresentaram características pessoais de desenvolvimento semelhante ao Grupo-Controle. Deste modo, concluiu-se que, neste estudo, não houve correlação entre fissura labiopalatina transforame e transtornos de saúde mental não psicóticos. / Objective: To investigate the mental health of youngsters with untreated cleft lip/palate attended at the Hospital for Rehabilitation of Craniofacial Anomalies, USP. Model / Patients: Studies in 60 subjects aged between 19 and 26 years old (Group 1) and 30 subjects without untreated cleft lip/palate (Group 1) and 30 subjects without cleft palate (Control Group). Using semi-structured clinical interview instruments and the General Health. Questionnaire (GHQ) of Goldberg, which assesses the presence of common non-psychotic mental health: mental stress, death wish, distrust on performance, sleep disturbances, psychosomatic disorders and general health. Location: The interviews were conducted at the Sociedade de Promoção Social do Fissurado Labio Palatal PROFIS (Society for the Promotion of Social Cleft Lip and Palate), a provider of assistance to patients at the Hospital for Rehabilitation of Craniofacial Anomalies. Results: The quantitative data obtained on the GHQ, for Groups 1 and Control were compared, and there are no statistically significant difference between patients with cleft lip and palate and the Control Group, on the factors of Mental Health. Regarding gender, we found a statistically significant difference in factor ¨ Death Wish ¨, in Group 1, females compared to males, but below the 90th percentile, indicative of disorder. When compared with the national average, there were no statistically significant differences. Conclusions: Although the qualitative data analysis revealed subjects records of suffering, discrimination and difficulties, it was found that they are tackling problems and personal development presenting characteristics similar to the control group. Thus, we concluded that in this study, there was no correlation between untreated cleft lip/palate and non-psychotic mental health disorders.

Perceived job insecurity (JI) among employees is a common problem in our globalized economy that is characterized by competition and demands flexibility from both employees and employers. The existing literature presents a lot of evidence for the impact of JI on general physical health and psychological well-being outcomes, but asks for more longitudinal research on the impact of JI on specific outcomes, controlled for their baseline levels. The current study addresses this gap in existing research and investigates the associations between JI and diagnosed major depression, diagnosed acute stress, sleep quality, and the health-related behaviors of smoking and snussing in two Swedish samples from Stockholm and Norrland, over long time spans (up to 17 years for the Stockholm sub-sample). Data was obtained from the WOLF study. Results are mixed. For the Stockholm sub-sample, job insecurity correlates with most outcome measures except diagnosed stress, and predicts small shares of variance of sleep quality, the number of cigarettes participants smoke, and if participants use snus. The Norrland sub-sample replicates the impact of JI on general health and hints at a relationship between JI and sleep quality, but no other correlations with health-related behaviors or diagnoses were significant. Reasons for the differences among the sub-samples and limitations of the study are discussed.