A research report submitted in partial fulfilment for the degree Master of Arts in Social and Psychological Research by Coursework and Research Report (PSYC7022) in the Department of Psychology, Faculty of Humanities at the University of the Witwatersrand, February 2017 / The lifetime prevalence of Major Depressive Disorder (MDD), as reported for South Africa, is 9.7%. However, significant cultural differences occur in the clinical presentation of MDD which are connected to notions of religion, social principles and norms of relationships. With this in mind, this study explores the extent to which Hindu community members’ knowledge of MDD, their beliefs about the aetiology of MDD and their attitudes towards people with MDD impacted their perceptions on the care and management of MDD as well as their help seeking behaviours. The study also explored the extent to which Hindu religious identity mediates or moderates the relationship between aetiology, knowledge and attitudes towards MDD and the care and management of MDD and help seeking behaviour. A questionnaire consisting of a demographics section, a religious identity scale, a MDD knowledge, attitudes and practices scale and the attitudes towards seeking professional psychological help scale was completed by a convenience sample of 264 Hindus from Johannesburg and surrounding areas. Data was analysed using descriptive statistics and multiple regression analyses. Participants in this study had a moderate religious identity and generally positive attitudes towards MDD. This sample believed that stress was the main cause of MDD and that talking to their friends, family and their general practitioner would be the most beneficial in terms of care and management of MDD. Participants also had positive attitudes towards seeking professional help. Two multiple regression analyses were conducted with the attitudes towards professional help seeking as well as all the care and management factors as the dependent variables and religious identity, knowledge of MDD, attitudes towards MDD and all four aetiological factors of MDD as the independent variables. These analyses yielded varying results. Following these analyses, religious identity was explored as both a potential mediator and moderator variable between attitudes towards MDD and help seeking behaviours. These results are discussed within the broader debates on depression and its manifestation across cultures. / XL2018

Negative attitudes and stigmas against those diagnosed with mental illnesses have been found to prevail in modern society, despite the availability of effective treatments and attempts to educate people about mental health. Numerous studies have been conducted on the attitudes of various groups of people and communities towards mental illness. There is, however, limited research about student populations, particularly students registered for courses in the “allied health professions”. This study aimed to explore and describe the prevailing attitudes towards mental illness of a sample of the undergraduate Psychology student population (registered between 2nd and 4th year of study) within the Faculty of Health Sciences at a South African University. The procedure followed was an electronic intranet based survey, utilising the Community Attitudes to Mental Illness (CAMI) scale. The survey was accessed via the university’s student portal and links were sent via email to students to complete. A total of n=51 student responses were recorded and analysed. Data were quantitatively analysed using t-tests and Analyses of Variance (ANOVA). No statistically significant differences on the CAMI scales were found between the students in relation to the various student demographic variables such as age, gender, race or year level, and the CAMI findings. Overall, the sample of undergraduate Psychology students were shown to have favourable attitudes towards mental illness, which is potentially accounted for by their chosen field of study of Psychology. Education and knowledge about mental health were acknowledged as being most important in reducing stigma towards mental illness.

Thesis (M. A. (Psychology)) -- University of Limpopo, 2016 / Several studies have shown that alternative health care practitioners play an important role in addressing the mental health care needs of individuals by offering culturally appropriate treatment. In South Africa, it has been suggested that indigenous healers are frequently consulted for mental illness when compared to their Western trained counterparts. The aim of the present study was to explore the conceptualization of mental illness by VhaVenda indigenous healers. Specifically, the study sought to achieve the following objectives: a). Establish what VhaVenda indigenous healers understand about mental illness; b). Determine the types of mental illness identified by VhaVenda indigenous healers; and, c). To determine what indigenous healers in this community perceive as the signs and symptoms of mental illness. A qualitative approach, and in particular, the case study method was used in the present study. Ten indigenous healers (male = 8: female = 2), aged between 35 and 60 were selected through snowball sampling and requested to participate in the study. Data were collected using semi-structured interviews and analysed using the content analysis method. The following psychological themes emerged from the study: a). participants understanding of mental illness; b). causes of mental illness; c). types of mental illness; d). signs and symptoms of mental illness; e). diagnoses of mental illness and f). Treatment of mental illness. The findings revealed that there are multiple causalities of mental illness and were accounted for by African indigenous beliefs. The findings of the present study further suggested that the participants do not have an elaborate nosological system that distinguishes between the different types of mental illness. Instead of giving names to the illnesses, the participants tended to describe the illness based on what is perceived as the cause which emanate from cultural ideologies. Furthermore, the results revealed that indigenous healers use the following treatment modalities to treat mental illness: namely, the use of herbs and indigenous practices. The study is concluded by making a few recommendations, that among others include consideration been given to some form of collaboration between indigenous healers and western trained health care practitioners.

Thesis (MPH.) -- University of Limpopo, 2019 / Background- care of the mentally ill by family members is done with little or no supervision by skilled health workers. Therefore, the purpose of the study was to investigate the experiences of family members of patients living with mental illness in the Capricorn District of Limpopo Province in South Africa. Objective- to explore and describe the experiences of family members caring for patients living with mental illness. Methods- A qualitative, descriptive and exploratory design was used. Non-probability sampling of the purposive and convenient type was used to explore and describe the experiences of family members of patients living with mental illness in the Capricorn District. Data were collected from fifteen family members caring for MHCUs, by using open-ended semi-structured face-to-face interviews. Data were audio recorded and observations were done during interviews. Trustworthiness was ensured by applying credibility, transferability, confirmability and dependability. Data were analysed using Tech’s open-coding method. Results- family members experience disruptive behaviour from MHCUs and they also have to adapt to new routines that are at times unfavourable. As a result, the family members’ health and quality of life are affected, thus making them susceptible to having mental illness and other medical conditions as well. Conclusion- There is a need for family members caring for persons living with mental illness to be given emotional and social support. community projects such as support groups for family members caring for MHCUs and goal directed standard operations procedures at the Psychiatric Ward – specifically designed and implemented for family members caring for MHCUs, are recommended.

A research report submitted to the Faculty of Humanities, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts in Occupational Social Work, August 2017 / Technology is ubiquitous and presents an opportunity for the psychosocial profession to explore and expand the platforms through which counselling and support for employees is offered. The aim of the research study was to explore the perceptions of counsellors regarding the use of online text technologies as a medium for intervention in the workplace environment. Mobile technology globally and in South Africa is growing rapidly, people are connected to information and services more than ever before. More services are being offered and marketed through the use of online technology mediums; these include professional services for mental wellbeing counselling support. Recognising that this is a relatively new field of study, it is valuable to gain insight from experienced counsellors regarding the use of online text based technologies for counselling specifically for workplace environments. Cultural Historical Activity Theory (CHAT) is used as a framework that it explains how the object of study being text based counselling technologies are used currently characterised by highly mobile social media use. This study employed a qualitative approach and was contextualised to a specific organisation, the South African Depression and Anxiety Group (SADAG) because it offers online counselling interventions which include specific programmes for workplace environments on mental health. Purposive sampling was used to select a total of eight counsellors with experience using online text based mediums and two key informants representing management of the organisation. Individual face-to-face interviews were conducted using two semi- structured interview schedules. Thematic content analysis was used for interpretation of the data. The findings show that counsellors do not prefer to use text based online counselling technologies for serious mental health issues. Results indicate that though online text based technologies are relevant as part of employee wellness services in the workplace, the platforms are more suitable for containment, information and referral purposes. Recommendations from the study are for further research to inform standards of practise and formalised and structured training is required for counsellors. / XL2018

This study explores severe mental illness in a South African ru~al district, moving, as with a zoom lens, from the macroperspectives of (i) Xhosa culture, and (ii) biomedicine, to the lived experience of the individual. Its methodology, predominantly qualitative, employed anthropological and psychological procedures. The fieldwork (1988-1989)encompassed a three month stay in the village of Msobomvu. Patients continued to be tracked informally until June, 1995. The empirical research has three parts. In part one, the person with a mental illness was contextualized within Xhosa cosmology and social attitudes. The cognitive and social ecologies were tapped through the narratives of high school and university students at different stages of a Western-biased education. Social attitudes regarding mental illness, and confidence in treatment by traditional healers and the hospital, were also evaluated. Traditional attitudes and supernatural beliefs of illness causation persisted in spite of Eurocentric education, with a concurrent increase in the acceptance of Western-type causal explanations commensurate with continued education. Part two considered the the patients in relation to (i) the biomedical framework (the mental and local hospitals), and (ii) their readjustment to the community after hospitalization. Data came from patient charts, interviews with medical staff, and follow-up visits in the villages. Socio-political and economic issues were salient. Part three case-studied people identified by the village residents as having a mental illness. Resources for treatment - traditional healers, mobile clinic, and village health workers - were the focus. The traditional healing system, and biomedicine, were compared for effectiveness, through the course of illness events. While biomedicine was more effective in containing acute psychotic episodes than treatment by the traditional healer, lack of appropriate resources within the biomedical setting had disastrous results for patient compliance and long-term management of the illness, particularly in people with obvious symptoms of bipolar disorder. The mental hospital emerged as an agent of control. While Xhosa culture provided a more tolerant setting for people with a mental illness, the course of severe mental illness was by no means benign, despite research suggesting a more positive outcome for such conditions in the developing world.

This study sought to explore the perceptions of mental health care practitioners’ perceptions on mental illness within the isiXhosa cultural context. A qualitative exploratory descriptive and contextual design was used for the study. A non-probability purposive sampling method was used to select eight participants from Komani Hospital in Queenstown. Data was collected through semi-structured interviews. The services of an Independent Interviewer were used to avoid any bias as interviews took place where the researcher is employed. All interviews were transcribed verbatim and the data collected was analyzed according to Tesch’s eight steps of data analysis as described in Cresswell (1994:155). The researcher utilized services of an Independent Coder who verified the identified major themes. Four major themes emerged from the analysis of the interview: Mental health care practitioner’s perceptions of mental illness, perception of the causes of mental illness within the isiXhosa cultural context, mental health care practitioners’ views in the management and treatment of mental illness and suggestions put forward to improve the services to mental health care users. The major findings of this study were the lack of knowledge of culture of mental health care users. It is recommended that it would be proper if there could be co-operation between mental health care practitioners and traditional healers by working together as a team.

Thesis (MA (Psychology))--University of Stellenbosch, 2006. / An immense burden is placed on families caring for a member with a mental disorder as a result of deinstitutionalisation in South Africa. The aim of present study was to identify resilience factors in families living with and caring for a member with a mental disorder. The focus was on families living in an underprivileged, semi-rural area; caring for a patient using the state-sponsored psychiatric services. Using a cross-sectional survey design, interviews were conducted with 34 family representatives. During these interviews, qualitative and quantitative data was gathered by means of a biographical questionnaire, an open-ended question and set of self-report questionnaires. The results yielded from the data analysis are in keeping with findings from international and South African family resilience studies. After content analysis of the qualitative data, three themes related to resilience factors emerged: internal factors within the home, external factors outside of the home and factors related to the member with a mental disorder. The most commonly mentioned resilience factors cited by the family representative were religion and spirituality, characteristics of individual family members (excluding the patient), family characteristics, and social support. Spearman’s correlations and best subsets multiple regression analysis were performed on the data to ascertain which factors are significantly correlated or associated with family adaptation. In both statistical analyses, communication styles of the family unit were the most important. Spearman’s correlations further revealed that in addition to family communication, the ability of the family to work together, and communication between the marital couple had the strongest correlation with adaptation. Passive acceptance of problematic issues in the family has a negative correlation with family adaptation. The two most significant predictor variables of family adaptation are the family’s style of family communication during crises and the family’s use of passive appraisal as a coping style.

Thesis (PhD)--Stellenbosch University, 2002.

Thesis (M.A. (Clinical Psychology)) --Univesity of Limpopo, 2013 / South Africa has a growing rate of mental health care users. Because of the lack of health resources and personal beliefs many of these mental health care users consult with their church leaders. The treatment of mental illness by clergy in South Africa is largely undocumented. The aim of the study was to explore and describe the treatment of mental illness by Afrikaans speaking church leaders in Polokwane, Limpopo Province. To gain a deeper understanding of the views held by the Afrikaans-speaking church leaders, a qualitative approach was utilized. Ten participants agreed to participate in the study. The results tend to suggest that most of the respondents use a combination of supportive therapy and teachings from scripture to treat some mental illnesses, and that they feel positive towards collaboration with other mental health care professionals. Lastly the results indicated that most respondents emphasized the importance of homophily in referral criteria. Key Concepts Mental illness; Christian church; Afrikaans speaking; church leader; treatment