Correctional officers work in a coercive environment and as such they are confronted with various challenges on a daily basis. Research found that the unique stressors that correctional officers experience result in stress which can negatively impact their physical and psychological health as well as their family life. However, limited research has been conducted to identify the stressors that are relevant to the South African correctional officer. Therefore, the aim of this study was to investigate South African correctional officers’ lived experiences of their work and work environment and the Employee Assistance Programme and the meaning they attached to them. Purposive and snowball sampling techniques were utilised to select the 20 participants from the two correctional centres of the Department of Correctional Services in Worcester, Western Cape. The sample consisted of 11 male and 9 female correctional officers between the ages of 26 and 56 years with a mean age of 43.4. A qualitative approach was utilised to obtain in-depth insights into the lived experiences and attributed meanings of participants. Individual interviews were conducted with the participants by utilising a semi-structured interview guide. A demographic questionnaire was completed by each participant after the interview. The interviews were audio-recorded with the written permission of each participant and transcribed for analysis. Through the use of Interpretive Phenomenological Analysis (IPA) 7 themes were identified namely: (a) confronting various challenges on a daily basis (b) various dimensions of correctional officers life affected (c) neglect of correctional officers’ well-being (d) coping mechanisms (e) barriers preventing corrections officers from utilising the EAP (f) a recognition of the positive value of the EAP (g) personal meaning derived from work. In addition, the themes consist of various subthemes. The findings of the study suggest that correctional officers are confronted with various challenges on a daily basis, which include lack of input into decision making, lack of support from management, lack of trust in management, pressure caused by staff shortages, lack of resources, inadequate training opportunities and a lack of promotion system. Furthermore, participants revealed that their work and work environment had a negative impact on their physical and psychological health as well as their family life. In addition, participants reported that aspects of their well-being are neglected which include a lack of interest from management in their problems, a lack of recognition and motivation from management as well as a lack of team-building opportunities. Various coping mechanisms were utilised by the participants which seems to act as a buffer against the negative effects of their stressful work and work environment. These coping mechanisms include conflict resolution and communication skills, religion, sport, positive thinking, resilience as well as family and co-worker support. A variety of barriers that prevent participants from using the EAP service that are offered at work were identified. These barriers indicated by the participants included a lack of trust in the EAP, the stigma attached to using the EAP, difficulty relating with the EAP practitioner, a negative perception of the EAP, and insufficient marketing of the EAP. Despite the barriers, participants recognised the overall positive value of the EAP service in the Department of Correctional Service. Participants appear to find meaning in their work. Some participants expressed the satisfaction that they experienced from their job while others expressed the sense of reward that they experience from their job. Recommendations for further research include the evaluation of the EAP programme to determine its effectiveness on a national level, more involvement from management in ground floor correctional officers, providing additional teambuilding oppertunities and reintroducing Wellness Days. A limitation of the study is that only a small sample of correctional officers limited to two correctional facilities in Worcester, Western Cape, was used. Therefore, the findings of the study could not be generalised to the whole population of South African correctional officers. / Psychology

Unemployment among young, less-educated coloured individuals is a major problem in the community of Worcester in the Western Cape. The purpose of the research study is to gain in-depth insight into the impact of unemployment on psychological well-being among young coloured people in Worcester. The study is based on a qualitative approach by conducting semi-structured interviews with twelve unemployed, coloured persons in Worcester. The ages of the participants ranged from 18 to 30 years, with the median age of 20.33 years. Purposive sampling and snowball techniques were used to select these unemployed young persons. Two instruments, a demographic questionnaire and a semi-structured interview guide, were used to gather data on the research participants. The transcribed data were analysed by means of content thematic analysis and aided by thematic network analyses. The findings of the study suggest that unemployed participants experience negative feelings daily as a result of their unemployment. Some participants blamed themselves for previous mistakes that they had made, they feel a sense of failure to provide for their children's needs as parents, they expressed feelings of guilt or shame, and compared themselves with employed peers, which is indicative of low self-esteem. Furthermore, unemployment has a financial impact on participants which includes financial dependency on others, unemployment serving as a barrier to being able to fulfil future plans and aspirations as well as unemployment having an effect on the social life of participants in that participants appear to withdraw from social interaction and isolate themselves. For some participants there was a loss of a sense of purpose experiencing difficulties in structuring their time and generally spent their time with passive and purposeless activities. Despite being unemployed, certain other participants seek a sense of purpose and try to spend their time engaging in menial tasks or social activities. Participants expressed an overall positive attitude towards employment which includes regarding work as being very important as well as remaining optimistic about their chances of finding a job. Coping with unemployment daily emerged as one of the struggles experienced by the participants in the study. The process of coping with unemployment daily includes utilising a variety of coping strategies to manage their unemployment as well as to manage negative feelings that emerge from being unemployed. The coping strategies indicated by the participants include listening to music, sleeping, reading the Bible, and talking to their friends or family members. Participants also revealed that they needed and received two types of social support from family and friends to help them cope with their unemployment predicament; including a need for emotional support and a need for instrumental support. Participants in the study experienced judgment by community and family members daily because of their unemployed status which includes stigmatising comments. These comments are internalised by participants which may exert a negative impact on their psychological well-being. Limitations of the study includes, participants could have answered the questions of the semi-structured guide in a socially desirable manner as well as the audio-recorded interviews were transcribed into Afrikaans and translated into English and as such, some of the meaning of what the participants had said could have been lost in the translation process. Recommendations for further research includes exploring whether perceived support have a greater beneficial effect on the psychological well-being of unemployed individuals than received support, as well as the role such types of support play in coping with unemployment. / Psychology / M.A. (Psychology)

Unemployment among young, less-educated coloured individuals is a major problem in the community of Worcester in the Western Cape. The purpose of the research study is to gain in-depth insight into the impact of unemployment on psychological well-being among young coloured people in Worcester. The study is based on a qualitative approach by conducting semi-structured interviews with twelve unemployed, coloured persons in Worcester. The ages of the participants ranged from 18 to 30 years, with the median age of 20.33 years. Purposive sampling and snowball techniques were used to select these unemployed young persons. Two instruments, a demographic questionnaire and a semi-structured interview guide, were used to gather data on the research participants. The transcribed data were analysed by means of content thematic analysis and aided by thematic network analyses. The findings of the study suggest that unemployed participants experience negative feelings daily as a result of their unemployment. Some participants blamed themselves for previous mistakes that they had made, they feel a sense of failure to provide for their children's needs as parents, they expressed feelings of guilt or shame, and compared themselves with employed peers, which is indicative of low self-esteem. Furthermore, unemployment has a financial impact on participants which includes financial dependency on others, unemployment serving as a barrier to being able to fulfil future plans and aspirations as well as unemployment having an effect on the social life of participants in that participants appear to withdraw from social interaction and isolate themselves. For some participants there was a loss of a sense of purpose experiencing difficulties in structuring their time and generally spent their time with passive and purposeless activities. Despite being unemployed, certain other participants seek a sense of purpose and try to spend their time engaging in menial tasks or social activities. Participants expressed an overall positive attitude towards employment which includes regarding work as being very important as well as remaining optimistic about their chances of finding a job. Coping with unemployment daily emerged as one of the struggles experienced by the participants in the study. The process of coping with unemployment daily includes utilising a variety of coping strategies to manage their unemployment as well as to manage negative feelings that emerge from being unemployed. The coping strategies indicated by the participants include listening to music, sleeping, reading the Bible, and talking to their friends or family members. Participants also revealed that they needed and received two types of social support from family and friends to help them cope with their unemployment predicament; including a need for emotional support and a need for instrumental support. Participants in the study experienced judgment by community and family members daily because of their unemployed status which includes stigmatising comments. These comments are internalised by participants which may exert a negative impact on their psychological well-being. Limitations of the study includes, participants could have answered the questions of the semi-structured guide in a socially desirable manner as well as the audio-recorded interviews were transcribed into Afrikaans and translated into English and as such, some of the meaning of what the participants had said could have been lost in the translation process. Recommendations for further research includes exploring whether perceived support have a greater beneficial effect on the psychological well-being of unemployed individuals than received support, as well as the role such types of support play in coping with unemployment. / Psychology / M.A. (Psychology)