A growing body of research has indicated that the levels of suicidal behaviour are particularly heightened among individuals with Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). Two theoretical models of suicide, the Cry of Pain Model of suicide (CoP; Williams, 1997) and the Schematic Appraisals Model of Suicide (SAMS; Johnson, Gooding & Tarrier, 2008) have proposed that perceptions of defeat and entrapment are key components of the psychological mechanisms which drive suicidal behaviour. The SAMS has also emphasized the importance of psychological resilience factors for preventing suicide risk. Resilience to suicide has been recently defined as a set of appraisals which buffer the impact of risk factors on suicidal behaviour. The first aim of this thesis was to investigate the role of perceptions of defeat and entrapment in suicidal behaviour in those with full or subthreshold PTSD. The second aim of this thesis was to obtain empirical evidence for the presence of resilience factors to suicidal behaviour in PTSD. Initially, a comprehensive narrative review and a meta-analysis were conducted to examine the magnitude of the association between various forms of suicidal behaviour and a PTSD diagnosis and the role of comorbid depression in this association. Both, the narrative review and the meta-analysis demonstrated a strong positive association between suicidal behaviour and PTSD, and supported the mediating impact of comorbid depression in this association. A re-analysis of a previous dataset of individuals with PTSD was also pursued to establish the relevance of negative perceptions/appraisals to suicidal behaviour in those with PTSD. Next, three empirical studies were designed to investigate the utility of perceptions of defeat and entrapment in explaining suicidal behaviour in those with full or subthreshold PTSD. The outcomes across the three studies supported the hypothesis that defeat and entrapment represent the proximal psychological drivers of suicidal behaviour in PTSD and fully account for the suicidogenic effects of negative self-appraisals and PTSD symptoms. Two additional empirical studies were conducted to examine resilience factors to suicidal behaviour among individuals with full or subthreshold PTSD. The first of these studies provided evidence that high levels of perceived social support buffered the impact of PTSD symptoms on suicidal behaviour. The last study supported the efficacy of a resilience-boosting technique, the Broad-Minded Affective Coping procedure (BMAC), to enhance the experience of positive emotions and improve mood amongst individuals diagnosed with PTSD. Together, the current results support the SAMS' postulation concerning the role of perceptions of defeat and entrapment in the emergence of suicidal behaviour in PTSD and highlight the importance of boosting resilience as a means of targeting suicidal behaviour in those with PTSD. Clinical implications of these findings are outlined throughout the thesis.

Due to the increasing healthcare costs and reduced length of hospital stay it is becoming increasingly important to identify individuals who are ‘at risk’ of experiencing long-term health issues. The purpose of the study was to: (1) determine if resilience, self efficacy and depression changed from inpatient to 3-month follow up; (2) examine the relationship between resilience, self efficacy, depression, and quality of life (social roles/activity limitations) at inpatient and 3-month follow up; and (3) identify if resilience at inpatient is related to change scores in selfefficacy and depression at 3-month follow up. Results from the paired sample t-test indicated that participants did not experience a significant change from inpatient to 3-month follow up in resilience or self-efficacy, but a significant decrease in depression was observed. Findings also indicated significant correlations between resilience, self-efficacy, and depression during inpatient stay and resilience, self-efficacy, depression, and quality of life at 3-month follow up. However, there was no relationship found between resilience and change scores in self-efficacy and depression. Future resilience research should continue to identify the variables that are most strongly related to resilience so effective interventions can be developed that improve rehabilitation outcomes, decrease secondary and chronic conditions as well as aid in the successful reintegration of individuals into their lives after a traumatic injury.

Stressors affecting healthcare providers have accelerated in recent years, causing increasing rates of burnout and emotional exhaustion. Evidence suggests that improving general mental well-being of nurses could enhance their resilience and ability to cope in stressful situations. Psychiatric nurses are at risk by caring for involuntary and manipulative patients who can be violent and abusive. The purpose of this project was to improve psychiatric nurses' mental well-being through the implementation of a gratitude practice and examined the effect of this brief gratitude intervention on their mental well-being. Models informing this project were human caring theory, resilience theory, and positive psychology models of gratitude benefits. Thirty psychiatric nurses participated; they were told to privately note 3 things they were grateful for in a gratitude journal each day. The Warwick-Edinburgh Mental Well-Being Scale was administered pre- and postintervention, and chi-square analysis was performed, converting sum scores into categories (low-moderate-high); statistical significance was not demonstrated (Pearson chi-square = .1.176, Crarmer's V of .183). Nonparametric Wilcoxin Signed Rank Test and Mann-Whitney U also compared scores of pr-e and posttests. The Wilcoxin Signed Rank revealed significant differences (Z = -1.402, p = .027) but only had 6 matched pairs. Mann-Whitney U showed no significant differences between the pre- and posttest scores (U = 108, p = .161). Limitations were the inability to match identification numbers except for 6. Recommendations are gratitude education and repeat the study. This could begin to affect positive social change by promoting self-care of the nurses via incorporating principles of positive psychology into daily practice.

The dilemma of accounting for race, class and equity in admission to university education is not a new one. And yet it remains a heated debate and an unsolved problem to this day. The grey areas surrounding this dilemma far outweigh the proverbial black and white. This study argues that the equity dilemma may have much to do with the way access is granted into university and aimed to offer actionable alternatives to the debate surrounding the equity dilemma: should access be granted – in attempt to redress past inequalities - on the basis of race or class? By focusing on race and/or class, we may misread the underlying signals of agency and resilience in students who work against disadvantage, even at times thrive in the face thereof, and transcend (or has the potential to transcend) all of these imposed restrictions and obstacles. In the field of education, the figure of the French sociologist Pierre Bourdieu looms large, and for this reason, amongst others, I mainly draw on his ideas to expand on how I came to understand this interplay between educational disadvantage as structure and the ability of some students to succeed, as agency. Yet, I did not find sociological notions of agency completely satisfactory in my attempts to understand why some students excel despite challenges and hence attempted to enrich the sociological notion of agency with a complimentary focus on the psychological concept of resilience. Consequently, my argument was that if resilience and agency is demonstrated by a student and can be perceived, it must be possible to assess it and to determine, before allowing a student access to university whether he/she is in possession of such traits. This was to be done by examining a biographical questionnaire (BQ) for its usefulness in identifying resilient-agency (R-A) and then, if it is found to be useful, implement such a BQ to augment placement at the University of Pretoria. The BQ was administered to two cohorts of students in 2012 (n=118) and 2013 (n=229) respectively. The data from the BQ was used to identify interview participants and interviews were consequently conducted with seven participants. A narrative analysis was done on the qualitative and quantitative data whereby the data was restoried into narratives. With the permission of the Registrar, the first-year marks of the students were added and organised into the narratives. A thematic analysis of the narrative was done and elucidated through the inclusion of the theoretical framework underpinning this study. Various questions arose in grappling with the positioning of the concepts resilience and agency in this study and specifically into the narratives. In wresting with them, a shift in my own theoretical understanding of these two concepts led to the investigation of a possible amalgamation of the two terms. As a result, a new conceptual language is introduced that builds on resilience and agency. The contribution of this study is found in the identification and discussion of the potential indicators for resilient-agency (R-A) as identified from the narratives presented and positioning them in such a way that they inform the future development of the BQ into an instrument that has the potential to identify R-A and therefore augment the process of university admissions and effectively address the equity dilemma. / Thesis (PhD)--University of Pretoria, 2019. / Sociology / PhD / Unrestricted

Magister Artium (Development Studies) - MA(DVS) / There is a huge gap in literature on resilience especially that which reflects African perspective. This can be seen from many definitions of resilience that are informed by research done in the American and Eurocentric context. This gap in literature calls for more resilience research to be done in different areas filled with adversities in South Africa and Africa at large. This will help to understand the mechanisms that young people in these contexts of adversities need to adapt well and have positive outcomes despite their context of development that is filled with adverse situations. Thus, the broad objective of this study is to understand conceptual clarification of resilience in African perspective, with intent to close the gap in literature, especially where Afrocentric definition of resilience is concerned, mainly in Gugulethu Township, Cape Town, is understood. Qualitative research methods were used in order to unearth the understanding of the phenomenon.

Temmincks pangolins are the world’s most trafficked mammal. This animal is unique to Southern Africa, and just as rare are the conservationists who are working against all odds to save this species from extinction. While the incidence of poaching within South Africa is increasing, as is the value of a pangolin, the conservation workspace is rapidly becoming increasingly dangerous. In light of the above, one cannot help but be concerned for the well-being of the pangolin conservationists. Despite engaging in meaningful work, the conservationists are exposing themselves to prolonged stress that is likely to impact their well-being. The purpose of this study is to explore the well-being of Temmincks pangolin conservationists in terms of state and trait depression as well as burnout. Furthermore, the study aims to understand whether coping mechanisms or resilience mitigate the effect of the potential depression and burnout. Therefore, a sequential explanatory mixed-method design was adopted for this study. The quantitative data was gathered using the Maslach Burnout Inventory General Survey (MBI-GS), the State Trait Personality Inventory Form Y (STPI-Y) depression subscale, the Coping Orientations to Problems Experienced (COPE) questionnaire and the Predictive 6 Factor Resilience Scale (PR6). The qualitative data was collected utilising a semi-structured interview. Results indicated that the participants were currently experiencing both state and trait depression. Additionally, a third of the sample is at risk of developing burnout. In spite of this, the participants displayed the presence of goal focus, tenacity and collaborative spirit. These elements of resilience were shown to assist the conservationists to persist through adversity. The participants also showed the use of effective coping mechanisms, namely; accepting, planning and critically engaging with perceived stressors. These coping mechanisms were shown to enhance the presence of the resilience indicators. Thus, despite depression and burnout impacting negatively on their well-being, the participants are utilising coping mechanisms and resilience which enhances their well-being. Recommendations included a developmental workshop focusing on fostering effective coping mechanisms to build stronger resilience and ward off potential burnout and possibly ameliorate current depression experiences. / Dissertation (MA (Psychology))--University of Pretoria, 2020. / Psychology / MA (Psychology) / Unrestricted

Resilience in clinical and counseling graduate students was examined as a tripartite construct consisting of personality, coping, and psychological functioning in a structural equation model. Specifically, five personality traits were included as predictors of coping and psychological functioning, and coping served as a predictor of psychological functioning. Three hundred and nine graduate students in clinical and counseling psychology programs participated in an online questionnaire survey consisting of self-report instruments measuring the five-factor model of personality, coping, social support, depression, anxiety, wellbeing, and burnout. In the best fitting model, conscientiousness was a positive predictor of coping and a negative predictor psychological functioning, neuroticism negatively predicted coping, and openness to new experiences positively predicted coping. Extraversion and agreeableness were not significant predictors of coping or psychological functioning in the structural equation model. The goal of the study was to better understand the relationships between personality, coping, and psychological functioning as well as contribute to the empirical data on the functioning of graduate students in clinical and counseling psychology. The results suggest that there are certain characteristics that may be more important for graduate students and their mentors and supervisors to be aware of to increase the wellbeing of graduate students and protect against burnout and other stress related problems later in their careers. For example, conscientiousness positively predicted coping, yet negatively predicted psychological functioning, suggesting that high levels of conscientiousness could be problematic if the student is over-extended academically. Future work in this area might productively focus on examining more comprehensive and complex models of resilience, utilizing additional personality constructs and variables for a clearer idea of resilience in both psychology graduate students as well as other populations.

The purpose of this study was to describe the relationship between participation in relationship-building programs and online social groups, and the individual resilience of women in agriculture in the United States. Women have demonstrated a unique ability to connect farms and ranches with social resources, drive change and adaptation in agriculture, facilitate farm and ranch succession, and build community after a disaster. The capacity of agriculture and rural communities to adapt in the face of significant adversity depends on those unique abilities. Improving the resilience in women in agriculture is critical to the overall resilience of rural America. Unfortunately, most resilience interventions focus on internal psychology and do not address external, social-ecological factors for resilience. The results of this study show participation in certain relationship-building programs is associated with a significant increase in the level of some external resilience factors among women in agriculture in the U.S.

Current toxic interactions between the systems of man, nature and machine in the diamond mining town of Cullinan are volatile and cannot be sustained. When the mine and the main economic system regress, how can the remaining dependent cultural and biophysical systems be sustained and what can Cullinan become after the demise of the machine? Impending deindustrialisation could mean that Cullinan will be silenced and its associated meaning and memory lost. The architecture of the Age of the Machine represents contemporary interactions between the biotic and bionic where industrial buildings, and the introverted town, reflect the dominance of the machine over nature. The objective of this dissertation is to set a precedent for place-responsive regenerative architecture within a post-mining context that is inspired by local nature and culture. An architecture that expresses a new co-evolving mutualistic relationship between the existing town and landscape (cultural and natural systems) will be considered. Programme: A local food hub The intention of this dissertation is to address the future shift of human communities and economic activities back to the alignment and synergy with life processes. A bionic evolution from the Age of the Machine, to the Age of Life is explored. / Dissertation (MArch(Prof))--University of Pretoria, 2014. / Architecture / MArch(Prof) / Unrestricted

The appropriation of open space is a common and organic process that is constantly taking place in the contemporary South African city. The tabula rasa approach of Apartheid and modernist planning had little consideration for these natural spatial patterns. This dissertation argues for a democratic approach to architecture and space-making in the contemporary South African city, one that embraces diversity, multifunctionality, and the eventuality of incremental development. Drawing from theories such as Control of Complexity (Habraken 1987), Space as Ritual (van Rensburg & da Costa 2008), and Safe-to-Fail (Ahern 2011), the research explores the possibilities of designing for emergent and adaptable space as a tool for enablement in the context of Mamelodi. The inherited Apartheid spatial legacy of Mamelodi has led to the prevalence of monofunctional, medium density development that has limited economic opportunity and encouraged pendulum migration in search of employment. This presents the opportunity to introduce new scales of urbanity to the context, whilst still being sensitive and encouraging existing spatial functions and patterns. / Mini Dissertation MArch(Prof)--University of Pretoria, 2018. / Architecture / MArch(Prof) / Unrestricted