Background The present study investigated the psychometric properties of the newly developed English version of the Giessen Subjective Complaint List-8 (GBB-8), a questionnaire assessing psychosomatic symptoms with regard to exhaustion, gastrointestinal, musculoskeletal and cardiovascular. Methods A U.S. sample of 638 participants (47.6% female) was recruited by MTurk to participate in this cross-sectional online survey. Validation instruments included the Patient Health Questionnaire-4, Perceived Stress Scale, short version of the Trier Inventory for Chronic Stress. Results Reliability was high with ω’s between .80 and .86 for all subscales. Confirmatory factor analyses yielded comparable good model fit for a four-dimensional model as well as a higher order model. Multi-group confirmatory factor analyses confirmed measurement invariance of the GBB-8 across sex and age. Regarding convergent validity, correlations with other instruments were highly significant and of large magnitude as expected. Conclusion The English version of the GBB-8 has shown excellent psychometric properties. Therefore, it can be recommended for the assessment of psychosomatic complaints in contexts where short screening instruments are necessary.

Over the past few decades it has become evident that the work/family interface is a much broader concept that does not only stress the negative side of the relationship, but also include a positive side. This refers to the process by which participation in one role (e.g. work role) is made better or easier by virtue of participation in the other role (e.g. family role). South Africa is a multicultural society, which consists of four groups (i.e. Black, White, Coloured and Indian), speaking eleven official languages. All of these groups are faced with unique and different circumstances. Apart from cultural, ethnic and linguistic differences, other divergent elements may exist (i.e. values and norms). Therefore South African employees may experience the positive side of the work/family interface differently from employees within other countries. To add to the problem, it is not clear how South African employees‟ experiences of enrichment between work and family domains compare to the experiences of employees in other countries. Furthermore, to date no measuring instrument to assess the enrichment between work and family domains in both directions (work-to-family and family-to-work) exists, that is unique to the South African context. This could pose potential problems for organisations and for future studies on the positive side of work/family in South Africa. The objectives of this research were 1) to determine how the positive side of the work/family interface, particularly work-family enrichment, is conceptualised according to the literature; 2) to develop a new work-family enrichment instrument that is suitable for the South African context and that addresses conceptual and measurement issues relating to previous positive measurements of the work/family interface; 3) to investigate the psychometric properties of the newly developed work-family enrichment instrument; and 4) to assess antecedents and outcomes of work-family enrichment among employees within the South African context. The study consisted of four phases. During the first phase, following an extensive review of literature covering the positive side of the work/family interface, a theoretical framework was proposed for the study. Thereafter, a new instrument that measures work-family enrichment was developed based on the proposed theoretical framework. The instrument was tested via Rasch modelling with a pre-limenary study (N = 527), in order to overcome some of the measurement limitations from the previous positive work-family instruments. This test was followed by investigating the psychometric properties (i.e. construct validity, discriminant validity, convergent validity and external validity; N = 627) of the newly developed MACE Work-Family Enrichment Instrument. During the final phase, antecedents, work-family enrichment and outcomes were assessed in the South African context. In both phases 3 and 4, the following instruments (accompanied by the new instrument) were utilised, namely the Work Resources Scale, Home Resources Scale, Utrecht Work Engagement Scale, Family Engagement Scale, Job Satisfaction Scale, Career Satisfaction Scale, Life Satisfaction Scale, Family Satisfaction Scale and the Work-family Enrichment Scale. During the first phase, the literature revealed that the positive side of the work-family interface is presented by various concepts (i.e. work-family enhancement, work-family facilitation, work-family positive spillover and work-family enrichment). The review also revealed that, to date, the work-family enrichment concept has been the only concept in literature on the positive work/family interface that is grounded in a properly developed conceptualised theoretical model. The fundamental thinking behind the work-family enrichment model is that work and family each provides individuals with resources (i.e. skills and perspectives, psychological and physical, social-capital, flexibility, material) in the one domain, that may help the individual improve the quality of his/her performance in the other domain. These resources thus enable improved performance in the other role either directly (i.e. instrumental path) or indirectly (i.e. affective path). During the second phase a new work-family enrichment instrument was developed, namely the MACE Work-Family Enrichment Instrument. This instrument was based on the proposed work-family enrichment theoretical model for both directions (i.e. work-to-family and family-to-work). Initially 133 items were developed that the researcher obtained from the existing literature, and 161 items were self-developed. During the evaluation study, various problematic items were eliminated by using the Rasch measurement model. The third phase included the validation study in which the psychometric properties of the new MACE instrument was investigated. The results provided evidence for construct validity, discriminant validity and convergent validity, and showed significant relations with external variables. Adequate internal consistency was also found for the proposed scales. The final number of items retained after this phase in the development and pilot study of the MACE Work-Family Enrichment Instrument were 34. During the final phase, various relationships were pointed out between antecedents (i.e. various work resources and home resources), work-family enrichment dimensions, as well as dimensions and outcomes of this type of enrichment. These included work-engagement dimensions, family engagement dimensions, as well as satisfaction-dimensions for work, career, life and the family environment. The results of these relationships were found to be in accordance with other literature on the positive side of the work/family interface. The present study provided evidence for the psychometric properties of the new MACE instrument, which researchers and managers can use to investigate the specific enrichment between work and family domains of employees in a South African context. The results give researchers and managers insight into the specific antecedents (e.g. work resources) and outcomes (e.g. job satisfaction) that play a role in work-family enrichment. This insight can be used as basis on which interventions can be developed to deal with these issues currently. Recommendations were also made for future research. / PhD (Industrial Psychology), North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2014

Subjective career success has been the focus of research for a number of years. The term refers to the individual’s personal perception of how successful he/she is in a career. In many qualitative studies subjective career success is found to be a multi-dimensional construct. Although there are quantitative instruments that measure subjective career success, they do not measure the construct on multiple dimensions. The first objective of this study was to determine the validity and reliability of two existing multi-dimensional instruments that measure subjective career success, especially in the South African context. These are the Perceived Career Success Scale (Gattiker & Larwood, 1986) and the Life-success Measures Scale (Parker & Chusmir, 1992). The second objective was to determine which predictors can be found for subjective career success. Literature differentiates between three broad categories of variables, namely demographical (gender, language group, marital status and age), human capital (job tenure, level of education and career planning) and organisational variables (perceived organisational support and training, and development opportunities). A convenience sample of 754 personnel from the South African Police Service was taken at stations and training colleges in the Free State, South Africa. A measuring battery that assesses subjective career success was used. This entailed the Perceived Career Success Scale as well as the Life-success Measures Scale. In addition, questions were used to ascertain the three types of variables demographic (gender, language group, marital status and age), human capital (job tenure, level of education and career planning) and organisational variables (perceived organisational support and training and development opportunities). The following statistical analyses were done to analyse the data: descriptive and inferential statistics, Cronbach’s alpha coefficients, product-moment correlations, confirmatory factor analysis and linear regression analysis. The results of these analyses indicate that subjective career success is indeed a multi-dimensional construct. Three dimensions (job success, interpersonal success and non-organisational success) of the Perceived Career Success Scale (Gattiker & Larwood, 1986) could be established. These dimensions yielded good reliability, but the validity remained problematic. In contrast, the Life-success Measures Scale (Parker & Chusmir, 1992) yielded four dimensions (security, social contribution, professional fulfilment and personal fulfilment). The psychometric properties of these dimensions were acceptable and showed to be reliable and valid. In addition, various demographic, human capital and organisational variables were found to be predictors of subjective career success. Career planning, training and developmental opportunities, as well as perceived organisational support, explained the most variance. Various recommendations were made for the context of the South African Police Service, and also for future research. The organisation is advised to apply the results from this study to adjust policies and practices in such a way that employees will experience higher levels of subjective career success. Furthermore, career discussions may be held in order to enhance opportunities for career planning and provide opportunities for relevant training and development that are aligned to the business drive of the organisation. Interventions that will increase perceived organisational support and congenial relationships could be implemented and maintained. More research on the two subjective career success measures is needed, in order to 1) verify the validity of the Perceived Career Success Scale and 2) to apply it and the Life-success Measures Scale to other sectors and industries. It is also recommended that a more heterogeneous sample be utilised as well as longitudinal research designs in future research studies relating to subjective career success. / MCom (Industrial Psychology), North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2014

Over the past few decades it has become evident that the work/family interface is a much broader concept that does not only stress the negative side of the relationship, but also include a positive side. This refers to the process by which participation in one role (e.g. work role) is made better or easier by virtue of participation in the other role (e.g. family role). South Africa is a multicultural society, which consists of four groups (i.e. Black, White, Coloured and Indian), speaking eleven official languages. All of these groups are faced with unique and different circumstances. Apart from cultural, ethnic and linguistic differences, other divergent elements may exist (i.e. values and norms). Therefore South African employees may experience the positive side of the work/family interface differently from employees within other countries. To add to the problem, it is not clear how South African employees‟ experiences of enrichment between work and family domains compare to the experiences of employees in other countries. Furthermore, to date no measuring instrument to assess the enrichment between work and family domains in both directions (work-to-family and family-to-work) exists, that is unique to the South African context. This could pose potential problems for organisations and for future studies on the positive side of work/family in South Africa. The objectives of this research were 1) to determine how the positive side of the work/family interface, particularly work-family enrichment, is conceptualised according to the literature; 2) to develop a new work-family enrichment instrument that is suitable for the South African context and that addresses conceptual and measurement issues relating to previous positive measurements of the work/family interface; 3) to investigate the psychometric properties of the newly developed work-family enrichment instrument; and 4) to assess antecedents and outcomes of work-family enrichment among employees within the South African context. The study consisted of four phases. During the first phase, following an extensive review of literature covering the positive side of the work/family interface, a theoretical framework was proposed for the study. Thereafter, a new instrument that measures work-family enrichment was developed based on the proposed theoretical framework. The instrument was tested via Rasch modelling with a pre-limenary study (N = 527), in order to overcome some of the measurement limitations from the previous positive work-family instruments. This test was followed by investigating the psychometric properties (i.e. construct validity, discriminant validity, convergent validity and external validity; N = 627) of the newly developed MACE Work-Family Enrichment Instrument. During the final phase, antecedents, work-family enrichment and outcomes were assessed in the South African context. In both phases 3 and 4, the following instruments (accompanied by the new instrument) were utilised, namely the Work Resources Scale, Home Resources Scale, Utrecht Work Engagement Scale, Family Engagement Scale, Job Satisfaction Scale, Career Satisfaction Scale, Life Satisfaction Scale, Family Satisfaction Scale and the Work-family Enrichment Scale. During the first phase, the literature revealed that the positive side of the work-family interface is presented by various concepts (i.e. work-family enhancement, work-family facilitation, work-family positive spillover and work-family enrichment). The review also revealed that, to date, the work-family enrichment concept has been the only concept in literature on the positive work/family interface that is grounded in a properly developed conceptualised theoretical model. The fundamental thinking behind the work-family enrichment model is that work and family each provides individuals with resources (i.e. skills and perspectives, psychological and physical, social-capital, flexibility, material) in the one domain, that may help the individual improve the quality of his/her performance in the other domain. These resources thus enable improved performance in the other role either directly (i.e. instrumental path) or indirectly (i.e. affective path). During the second phase a new work-family enrichment instrument was developed, namely the MACE Work-Family Enrichment Instrument. This instrument was based on the proposed work-family enrichment theoretical model for both directions (i.e. work-to-family and family-to-work). Initially 133 items were developed that the researcher obtained from the existing literature, and 161 items were self-developed. During the evaluation study, various problematic items were eliminated by using the Rasch measurement model. The third phase included the validation study in which the psychometric properties of the new MACE instrument was investigated. The results provided evidence for construct validity, discriminant validity and convergent validity, and showed significant relations with external variables. Adequate internal consistency was also found for the proposed scales. The final number of items retained after this phase in the development and pilot study of the MACE Work-Family Enrichment Instrument were 34. During the final phase, various relationships were pointed out between antecedents (i.e. various work resources and home resources), work-family enrichment dimensions, as well as dimensions and outcomes of this type of enrichment. These included work-engagement dimensions, family engagement dimensions, as well as satisfaction-dimensions for work, career, life and the family environment. The results of these relationships were found to be in accordance with other literature on the positive side of the work/family interface. The present study provided evidence for the psychometric properties of the new MACE instrument, which researchers and managers can use to investigate the specific enrichment between work and family domains of employees in a South African context. The results give researchers and managers insight into the specific antecedents (e.g. work resources) and outcomes (e.g. job satisfaction) that play a role in work-family enrichment. This insight can be used as basis on which interventions can be developed to deal with these issues currently. Recommendations were also made for future research. / PhD (Industrial Psychology), North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2014

Subjective career success has been the focus of research for a number of years. The term refers to the individual’s personal perception of how successful he/she is in a career. In many qualitative studies subjective career success is found to be a multi-dimensional construct. Although there are quantitative instruments that measure subjective career success, they do not measure the construct on multiple dimensions. The first objective of this study was to determine the validity and reliability of two existing multi-dimensional instruments that measure subjective career success, especially in the South African context. These are the Perceived Career Success Scale (Gattiker & Larwood, 1986) and the Life-success Measures Scale (Parker & Chusmir, 1992). The second objective was to determine which predictors can be found for subjective career success. Literature differentiates between three broad categories of variables, namely demographical (gender, language group, marital status and age), human capital (job tenure, level of education and career planning) and organisational variables (perceived organisational support and training, and development opportunities). A convenience sample of 754 personnel from the South African Police Service was taken at stations and training colleges in the Free State, South Africa. A measuring battery that assesses subjective career success was used. This entailed the Perceived Career Success Scale as well as the Life-success Measures Scale. In addition, questions were used to ascertain the three types of variables demographic (gender, language group, marital status and age), human capital (job tenure, level of education and career planning) and organisational variables (perceived organisational support and training and development opportunities). The following statistical analyses were done to analyse the data: descriptive and inferential statistics, Cronbach’s alpha coefficients, product-moment correlations, confirmatory factor analysis and linear regression analysis. The results of these analyses indicate that subjective career success is indeed a multi-dimensional construct. Three dimensions (job success, interpersonal success and non-organisational success) of the Perceived Career Success Scale (Gattiker & Larwood, 1986) could be established. These dimensions yielded good reliability, but the validity remained problematic. In contrast, the Life-success Measures Scale (Parker & Chusmir, 1992) yielded four dimensions (security, social contribution, professional fulfilment and personal fulfilment). The psychometric properties of these dimensions were acceptable and showed to be reliable and valid. In addition, various demographic, human capital and organisational variables were found to be predictors of subjective career success. Career planning, training and developmental opportunities, as well as perceived organisational support, explained the most variance. Various recommendations were made for the context of the South African Police Service, and also for future research. The organisation is advised to apply the results from this study to adjust policies and practices in such a way that employees will experience higher levels of subjective career success. Furthermore, career discussions may be held in order to enhance opportunities for career planning and provide opportunities for relevant training and development that are aligned to the business drive of the organisation. Interventions that will increase perceived organisational support and congenial relationships could be implemented and maintained. More research on the two subjective career success measures is needed, in order to 1) verify the validity of the Perceived Career Success Scale and 2) to apply it and the Life-success Measures Scale to other sectors and industries. It is also recommended that a more heterogeneous sample be utilised as well as longitudinal research designs in future research studies relating to subjective career success. / MCom (Industrial Psychology), North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2014

Introdução: O comprometimento cognitivo (CC) na Esclerose Múltipla (EM) possui taxas de prevalência de 43% a 70% e pode surgir desde a Síndrome Clinicamente Isolada (CIS) aos estágios iniciais da EM. O CC na EM pode evoluir independentemente dos sinais e sintomas motores, dos resultados do EDSS e ausência de lesões ativas (captantes) na Ressonância Magnética. Neste contexto, o Multiple Sclerosis National Questionaire (MSNQ) e o protocolo Brief International Cognitive Assesment for Multiple Sclerosis (BICAMS) são instrumentos internacionais empregados para a triagem e o monitoramento nos centros de atendimento para os pacientes com EM. Estudos posteriores e reuniões do mesmo comitê concluíram que o MSNQ possui várias limitações por ser uma medida não objetiva e a triagem única pelo Symbol Digit Modalities Test (SDMT) por si só não é capaz de acessar outras áreas que podem estar comprometidas na EM. Com a segunda revisão do MMSE, e na falta de instrumentos de triagem objetivos capazes de triar os pacientes que precisassem ser melhor acompanhados pelo BICAMS, buscou-se no presente estudo criar a partir do BICAMS e do MMSE-2 uma medida rápida para triagem, que tivesse medidas de memória episódica, velocidade de processamento, atenção e memória operacional. Objetivo: Para obter uma ferramenta de triagem para este propósito (MMSE-MS) foram conduzidos estudos de adaptação segundo o estímulo: estudo de protótipos, estudo de adaptação, propriedades psicométricas e normas do MMSE-2 (como a nossa ferramenta experimental) e estudo preliminar de desenvolvimento de uma ferramenta objetiva de triagem para EM, com base no MMSE-3. Métodos: Todos os estudos de tradução e adaptação foram conduzidos seguindo um mesmo método, já amplamente utilizado pela literatura. O primeiro estudo consistiu no estudo convencional e de protótipos para verificar qual possuía melhor estimativa de equivalência entre as culturas. O segundo estudo consistiu em adaptar, verificar as propriedades psicométricas e estabelecer normas para o MMSE-2. Similarmente ao estudo anterior, um juiz internacional discutiu os resultados do estudo de adaptação para estabelecimento dos parâmetros de transculturalidade. O último estudo foi realizado com o objetivo de obter uma ferramenta com estimativas de sensibilidade e especificidade similares ao BICAMS, mas que fosse designada à triagem dos pacientes que são elegíveis para ser acompanhados pelo BICAMS. Para tal participaram do primeiro estudo, 374 voluntários da comunidade e 25 pacientes com EM. No segundo e terceiro estudo, participaram 128 pacientes com EM e 602 voluntários saudáveis. Todos os estudos clínicos e com as amostras da comunidade foram realizados no período de 2013 à 2015 e contaram com a parceria em pesquisa do Instituto Brasileiro de Neuropsicologia (IBNeuro) e do Laboratório de Instrumentação e Avaliação Psicológica (LABIAP). A coleta de pacientes foi realizada no Ambulatório de Neuroimunologia do Hospital das clínicas da Faculdade de Medicina de Ribeirão Perto (FMRP-USP). Resultados: No primeiro estudo, foram mantidas 5 palavras das 15 da versão original. A razão para as modificações na lista Brasileira foram as diferenças entre a divisão silábica, extensão das palavras e presença de protótipos. Verificou-se ainda que até a quarta palavra evocada na nossa cultura em cada categoria semântica foram as mesmas que foram evocadas na língua nativa do instrumento, mas a ordem da frequência variou dentro de cada categoria, mostrando que embora existam palavras que são prototípicas às duas culturas na classificação semântica global, o contexto cultural interfere muito quando partimos para as especificidades dentro de cada classificação e categoria semântica. O MMSE-2 também apresentou estimativas de validade e precisão comum às duas culturas. No quarto estudo, as medidas do MMSE-2 que tiveram melhor relação com o BICAMS e índices de sensibilidade e especificidade parecidos foram as medidas da tarefa de evocação, atenção e cálculo, memória de histórias e codificação dígitos-símbolos. As correlações selecionadas foram aquelas classificadas em moderadas e fortes. Como segundo critério, as medidas do MMSE-2 foram comparadas às medidas do BICAMS pela curva ROC. As medidas do MMSE- 2 que tiveram especificidade e sensibilidade significativas (p<0,001) foram as elegíveis para compor o teste de triagem. Como a tarefa de codificação dígitos-símbolos é susceptível à demanda motora, optou-se pelo uso da forma oral do SDMT em conjunto. Deste modo, no nosso instrumento de triagem, normas para este instrumento foram criadas a partir da soma dos itens do MMSE-MS com o SDMT oral. Conclusão: A integração de dados desses diversos estudos evidencia cautela quanto aos procedimentos de adaptação empregados para adaptação transcultural das tarefas que são de origem verbal e semântica. Há também evidências da necessidade de instrumentos capazes de triar esses pacientes. Para tal, o MMSE-EM mostrou-se válido, preciso, com índices de sensibilidade e especificidade similares ao BICAMS, com normas ajustadas ao contexto Brasileiro. / Background: The cognitive impairment (CI) in Multiple Sclerosis (MS) has the prevalence rate from 43% to 70% and may occur from the Clinically Isolated Syndrome (CIS) to the early stages of MS. The CI in MS can advance independently of motor signs and symptoms, EDSS scores and MRI stable. In this context, the National Multiple Sclerosis Questionnaire (MSNQ) and the International Brief Cognitive Assesment for Multiple Sclerosis (BICAMS) are international tools used to screening and monitoring MS patients in care centers. Further studies and meetings provided by same committee alluded that MSNQ has several limitations for being a non-objective measure and the screening using the Symbol Digit Modalities Test (SDMT) alone is not effective because other areas that may be impaired in MS is not screened. With the second revision of the MMSE, and the lack of objective screening tools to quikly screening MS patients that needed to be monitored by BICAMS, we aimed in the presente study to create a fast measurement to screening the episodic memory, processing speed, attention and working memory from BICAMS and MMSE-2. Objective: To obtain brief a screening tool for MS (MMSE-MS) were conducted four studies using different tools: first the prototype study to development of CVLT-2 lists, adaptation, psychometric properties and normative data of BICAMS to the Braziliam context (as our gold standard), Cross cultural adaptation, psychometric properties, and normative data of MMSE-2 (the experimental tool) and the preliminary study of development of MMSE-MS. Methods: All translation and adaptation studies were conducted following the same method, as widely used in the literature. The first study consisted of conventional adaptation and prototypical norms, aiming to see which had the best estimates of equivalence between the cultures. The second study with BICAMS protocol show that MS scored significantly lower on all BICAMS tests. At the end of the study, the results were discussed with a member of the international committee to confirm the evidences of transculturality between the original and Brazilian versions. The third study consisted of Adapt, to investigate the psychometric properties and stablish normative data to the MMSE-2. Similarly to the previous study, an international judge discussed the results of the study of adaptation to identify the estimatives of transculturality. The fourth and last study was conducted in order to obtain a tool with sensitivity and similar specificity estimates BICAMS, but it was designed to screen patients who are eligible to be accompanied by BICAMS. Participated of the first study, 374 healthy volunteers and 25 patients with MS. In the second and third study participated 128 MS patients and 602 healthy volunteers. All clinical studies and community samples were carried out from 2013 to 2015 and had the partnership of the Brazilian Institute of Neuropsychology (IBNeuro) and the Laboratory of Instrumentation and Psychological Assessment (LABIAP). The collection of patients was performed at the Neuroimmunology Outpatient Clinic from Ribeirão Preto Medical School (FMRP-USP). Results: In the first study, were kept 5 words of 15 from the original American version. The reason for these changes in the Brazilian list were the differences between the syllabic division, extension of the words and the presence of prototypicall words. Was also found that until the fourth word evoked in our culture, in each semantic category were the same as those mentioned in the native language, but the order of the frequency varied within each category, indicating that although there are words that are prototypically commom between the two cultures in the overall semantic classification, the cultural context changes when we analyse the specifics prototipically words inside of each classification and semantic categories. To the second study, the BICAMS showed similar estimates of reliability and validity for current use as monitoring tool for MS in the Brazilian contexto, supporting the diagnostic validity of the Brazilian-Portuguese adaptation The normative data were satisfactory (p <0.001) in relation to the vocational status. The third study, with MMSE-2 also provided good estimates of validity and precision to the both cultures. To the fourth study, the MMSE-2 was compared to the BICAMS. The MMSE-2 tasks which had similar sensitivity and specificity to the BICAMS protocol was the recalling, attention and calculation, history memory and processing speed (Symbol Digit-coding). The selected tasks were those classified as moderate and Strong correlations. The second procedure consisted on comparisions among the MMSE-2 measurements and BICAMS using ROC curve. So, the MMSE-2 measures that had significant (p <0.001) specificity and sensitivity and similar area under the curve (ROC) were eligible to composse the screening tool. As the digit-symbol coding task is susceptible to motor demand, we decided to include the oral SDMT to the task. Thus, to get our screening tool, normative data for this instrument were created from the sum of the MMSE-MS items with oral SDMT. Conclusion: The overall of the data from these studies calls attention to the necessity of the caution to the adaptation procedures used in cross-cultural adaptation of the tasks that has verbal and semantic stimuli. There is also the need of tools abel to screening MS patients. For this, these preliminar data for MMSE-MS showed evidences of validation, similar sensitivity and and specificity, with normative data culturally adjusted to the Brazilian context.

Magister Psychologiae - MPsych / This study utilised secondary data from a larger study that looked at individuals that are already infected by HIV which is entitled Implicative personal dilemmas and cognitive conflicts in health decision making in HIV positive adults and adults with AIDS. The primary aim of the larger study was to examine the cognitive construction of the individual and how they utilised their individual resources to construct who they are and how they perceived the difficulties and challenges that they face and the decisions they make regarding their health. HIV and AIDS is a debilitating disease and it affects millions worldwide. South Africa, presently, has the largest burden of this disease with those between the ages of 15 – 49 years of age being most affected. As previously mentioned the decisions that individuals make can impact on their health. Decisions to take necessary precautions such as protected sex during sexual intercourse can decrease the progression of the disease. Decisions made regarding abstinence of risky behaviour as well as being committed to taking medication could also positively impact health. People living with HIV and AIDS find it difficult to adjust to the challenges that this disease presents. Depression is often experienced due to the changes in self image and perception. Studies show that females are twice more likely to experience depression than men. There has however been no conclusive evidence showing the reason for this, however, the perception of stress based on gender could shed some light on this matter and how these perceptions can increase the likelihood of women being more vulnerable to depression. Due to the limitation of this study, it will only look at depression as it relates to HIV and AIDS. Psychological problems such as depression can hamper the adjustment process and the effect of depression is evident in that it can lower the CD 4 + cells. Not only are those living with HIV and AIDS affected by depression, but they also have a lifetime prevalence to depression. It is important to have an effective screening tool for depression so that the detection of this disease can be made and effective treatment can be implemented to enhance health. The sample consisted of 113 adult participants that have already been diagnosed with HIV and AIDS. The primary aim of this study was to compare the Beck’s Depression Inventory II (BDI II) and the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale –(the Depression component) (HADS-D) as a screening tool for depression. Exploratory Factor Analysis revealed a 5 factor structure which accounted for 60.14 % of the total variance. The HADS yielded one factor accounting for 14.33% of total variance. The BDI II has proven to be more a reliable measure of depression with 0.89 according to the Cronbach’s Alpha co efficient opposed to 0.375 as per the HADS-D. The secondary aim was to establish the sociodemographic and disease profiles of the participants under study. / South Africa

<p>This study utilised secondary data from a larger study that looked at individuals that are already infected by HIV which is entitled Implicative personal dilemmas and cognitive conflicts in health decision making in HIV positive adults and adults with AIDS. The primary aim of the larger study was to examine the cognitive construction of the individual and how they utilised their individual resources to construct who they are and how they perceived the difficulties and challenges that they face and the decisions they make regarding their health. HIV and AIDS is a debilitating disease and it affects millions worldwide. South Africa, presently, has the largest burden of this disease with those between the ages of 15 &ndash / 49 years of age being most affected. As previously&nbsp / mentioned the decisions that individuals make can impact on their health. Decisions to take necessary precautions such as protected sex during sexual intercourse can decrease the&nbsp / progression of the disease. Decisions made regarding abstinence of risky behaviour as well as being committed to taking medication could also positively impact health. People living with HIV and AIDS find it&nbsp / difficult to adjust to the challenges that this disease presents. Depression is often experienced due to the changes in self image and perception. Studies show that&nbsp / females are twice more likely to experience depression than men. There has however been no conclusive evidence showing the reason for this, however, the perception of stress based on&nbsp / gender could shed some light on this matter and how these perceptions can increase the likelihood of women being more vulnerable to depression. Due to the limitation of this study, it will&nbsp / only look at depression as it relates to HIV and AIDS. Psychological problems such as depression can hamper the adjustment process and the effect of depression is evident in that it can lower the CD 4 + cells. Not only are those&nbsp / living with HIV and AIDS affected by depression, but they also have a lifetime prevalence to depression. It is important to have an effective screening tool for depression so that the detection of this&nbsp / disease can be made and effective treatment can be implemented to enhance health. The sample consisted of 113 adult participants that have already been diagnosed with HIV and AIDS. The&nbsp / primary aim of this study was to compare the Beck&rsquo / s Depression Inventory II (BDI II) and the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale &ndash / (the Depression component) (HADS-D) as a screening tool&nbsp / &nbsp / for depression. Exploratory Factor Analysis revealed a 5 factor structure which accounted for 60.14 % of the total variance. The HADS yielded one factor accounting for 14.33% of total variance. The BDI II has proven to be more a reliable measure of depression with 0.89 according to the Cronbach&rsquo / s Alpha co efficient opposed to 0.375 as per the HADS-D. The secondary aim was to establish&nbsp / the sociodemographic and disease profiles of the participants under study. </p>

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<p>This study utilised secondary data from a larger study that looked at individuals that are already infected by HIV which is entitled Implicative personal dilemmas and cognitive conflicts in health decision making in HIV positive adults and adults with AIDS. The primary aim of the larger study was to examine the cognitive construction of the individual and how they utilised their individual resources to construct who they are and how they perceived the difficulties and challenges that they face and the decisions they make regarding their health. HIV and AIDS is a debilitating disease and it affects millions worldwide. South Africa, presently, has the largest burden of this disease with those between the ages of 15 &ndash / 49 years of age being most affected. As previously&nbsp / mentioned the decisions that individuals make can impact on their health. Decisions to take necessary precautions such as protected sex during sexual intercourse can decrease the&nbsp / progression of the disease. Decisions made regarding abstinence of risky behaviour as well as being committed to taking medication could also positively impact health. People living with HIV and AIDS find it&nbsp / difficult to adjust to the challenges that this disease presents. Depression is often experienced due to the changes in self image and perception. Studies show that&nbsp / females are twice more likely to experience depression than men. There has however been no conclusive evidence showing the reason for this, however, the perception of stress based on&nbsp / gender could shed some light on this matter and how these perceptions can increase the likelihood of women being more vulnerable to depression. Due to the limitation of this study, it will&nbsp / only look at depression as it relates to HIV and AIDS. Psychological problems such as depression can hamper the adjustment process and the effect of depression is evident in that it can lower the CD 4 + cells. Not only are those&nbsp / living with HIV and AIDS affected by depression, but they also have a lifetime prevalence to depression. It is important to have an effective screening tool for depression so that the detection of this&nbsp / disease can be made and effective treatment can be implemented to enhance health. The sample consisted of 113 adult participants that have already been diagnosed with HIV and AIDS. The&nbsp / primary aim of this study was to compare the Beck&rsquo / s Depression Inventory II (BDI II) and the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale &ndash / (the Depression component) (HADS-D) as a screening tool&nbsp / &nbsp / for depression. Exploratory Factor Analysis revealed a 5 factor structure which accounted for 60.14 % of the total variance. The HADS yielded one factor accounting for 14.33% of total variance. The BDI II has proven to be more a reliable measure of depression with 0.89 according to the Cronbach&rsquo / s Alpha co efficient opposed to 0.375 as per the HADS-D. The secondary aim was to establish&nbsp / the sociodemographic and disease profiles of the participants under study. </p>