M.A. / One of the most perturbing factors of South Africa's communal existence is the high rates of violent crime and the high incidence of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder JPTSD) amongst all communities. Crime-related PTSD is a problem of epidemic proportions. Therapeutic and mental health services for trauma related counselling are limited and in some communities non-existent. It is therefor essential to develop preventative programmes aimed at equipping individuals with the skills to avoid possible trauma-inducing situations such as vehicle hijacking. It was decided to utilise a vehicle hijacking management and -prevention programme developed especially for the purposes of a "short course" intervention approach. The experimental intervention was performed to provide skill and increase levels of personal competence in handling, or, ideally, avoiding a hijacking. A sample group of 35 was selected out of a white upper middle-class, middle aged population. The subjects were exposed to the intervention. The results indicated that the intervention produced significant positive change in self-efficacy beliefs in the experimental groups. Possible limitations of the study were sample sizes and the inherent nature of the groups. It was not possible to examine the relationship between sex and efficacy beliefs. No non-whites subjects were utilised and thus the relationship between race and efficacy beliefs was also not examined. It is recommended that the intervention programme be refined further and validated scientifically in order to be utilised in future research.

M.A. / This study was conducted in light of several feminist texts that have critiqued the diagnostic criteria for posttraumatic stress disorder in the DSM-IV-TR. These texts have argued that the current criteria, particularly Criterion A, are gender-biased and exclude many of the kinds of life events that are unique to women. This study sought to conduct an in-depth exploration of life events that do not meet the DSM-IV-TR‟s Criterion A but that nevertheless precipitated all of the other manifestations of PTSD. For the purpose of this study, two gender-specific traumatic events were selected, namely childbirth and miscarriage or stillbirth. A feminist and phenomenological approach was taken and the study was formulated as a critique of the DSM-IV-TR diagnostic criteria of PTSD. The research question was formulated as follows: Should the Criterion A definition of a traumatic event be expanded to include any experience that an individual defines as traumatic? A semi-structured interview was conducted with three participants complying with the specific population criteria. The interviews were transcribed and analysed through qualitative data analysis processes. The research methodology and analysis processes needed to be adapted due to the phenomenological nature of the research study. A comparison between the symptoms presented by the participants and the diagnostic criteria of PTSD, revealed that all three participants complied with all the DSM-IV-TR criteria except for Criterion A(1) and therefore could not be formally diagnosed with PTSD. It was also revealed that the women‟s experiences and reactions to the traumatic events were very similar, especially the fear caused due to feeling out of control. Therefore it was concluded that the essence of the traumatic experience was loss of control. The research question was positively answered, because it was concluded that each individual experiences events differently due to internal perceptions and the individualised meanings which are allocated to the event. Therefore the Criterion A definition of a traumatic event should be expanded to include any experience that an individual defines as traumatic.

Child-centred play therapy is not the preferred treatment approach for Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), because of the limited research demonstrating this treatment as a proper approach for childhood trauma. The purpose of this case study was to explore and describe the process of child-centred therapy with a four-year-old child with PTSD. An exploratory descriptive case study approach was utilised as it allowed for an in-depth description of a phenomenon in its therapeutic context. Data was collected through multiple sources to establish a comprehensive database. The data was analysed through Alexander’s content analysis and Guba’s model of trustworthiness. Findings included themes observed in the research participant dealing with PTSD of perfectionism, control, shame, mistrust, needing control, and perfectionism. The therapist’s application of Axline’s principles indicated these principles being enough for treating PTSD in a child. Some of those principles had immediate impact while others were cumulative in their effect.

Post-traumatic stress in 30 male survivors of an airplane crash-landing was studied through interviews and questionnaires based on a nonpathological model of preventive psychological intervention and monitoring. Five questionnaires were given initially 12 days after the event and repeated at 2, 5, 10, and 12 months. Two of the brief measures were given weekly from 2 to 8 weeks after the event. As a group, the survivors experienced high levels of stress initially, which decreased rapidly and leveled off over time. There was, however, significant variability among individuals in this seemingly homogeneous group of college basketball players and supportive personnel in their experience of stress to the same traumatic event. There was also a marked contrast between group questionnaire results and individual verbal descriptions of their reaction to an unrelated, fatal airplane crash on the campus of the survivors 1 month after their own crash-landing. Questionnaire data are presented descriptively and discussed in relation to other normative data in the literature and to the methods of observation in this study. Recommendations are offered for professionals attempting this type of field study.

This qualitative study, with elements of co-operative enquiry and phenomenology, endeavoured to describe the impact of rape on the occupations of women who have been raped. Data were gathered from participants who were clients at Rape Crisis, Observatory, through 4 unstructured focus groups and analyses to explore changes in their occupations. What emerged was that the participants were all dissatisfied with their occupations. The overwhelming impact of symptoms of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) on all their occupations was discussed. A dynamic between Person, Occupation and Environment impacted on the occupational engagement and avoidance by the participant. Recommendations for the rape survivors, service providers and family members were made.

Thesis submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in the Department of Psychology, Faculty of Arts at the University of Zululand, South Africa, 2012. / This qualitative study investigated the prevalence of post-traumatic stress disorder within the mining industry. It further reviewed systems used to manage the same disorder following a disastrous mining accident in the Slater Coal Mines. There are key challenges that were reviewed as part of improving diagnosis and management of post-traumatic stress disorder. Two focus groups consisting of six African mineworkers, working in the Slater Coal Mines, were conducted. All participants were isiZulu speakers. The data was analysed using grounded theory, which is a qualitative technique. In using this data analysis technique, data labelling, open coding, axial coding and selective coding were the steps that were followed as a guide. Research findings indicated that post-traumatic stress disorder is prevalent within the mining industry and differs from post-traumatic stress. Existence of post-traumatic stress disorder was represented by symptoms such as intrusive thoughts, avoidant behaviours and terror. Further, causes of mining accidents and accident management measures were the findings. Different work conditions were implicated in the study as contributing to trauma in the mines in addition to accidents that happen underground.

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The present study aims to examine which maladaptive and Big Five personality traits, as well as which lower order facets, are related to symptoms specific to PTSD (i.e., intrusions and avoidance). Unique effects were isolated by controlling for nonspecific general depression that occurs in the disorder but is not specific to it. 707 undergraduate students were administered a self-report online survey to assess their personality, trauma history, PTSD and mood symptoms. Additionally, data from 536 9/11 World Trade Center (WTC) responders who have been administered personality, PTSD, and mood surveys as part of a longitudinal study were analyzed. As expected, neuroticism was highly correlated with PTSD, but had fewer associations with PTSD dimensions after controlling for depression. Trust and agreeableness emerged as important, being negatively related to PTSD, while most maladaptive personality domains and facets were positively related to PTSD (perceptual dysregulation had the highest association). Other traits, such as antagonism and openness, were not significantly related to PTSD. There is growing evidence that clinical interventions can change personality traits; the present study provides new personality targets for intervention that are uniquely related to PTSD.

This study examined police officers' perceptions of self, occupational role and their relation to perceived stress and posttraumatic stress symptomology. Self-report measures for the study variables were completed by 101 police officers. Hypotheses predicted that perception of self and role would be associated with perception of stress and that perception of the stress would mediate PTSD symptomology. Neuroticism, job quality and general job satisfaction were the main predictors of stress. Stress levels mediated between 1) job quality and the symptoms of anxious arousal and impaired self-reference; 2) general job satisfaction and the symptoms of defensive avoidance and dissociation; and 3) neuroticism and the symptom of defensive avoidance. This implies that police officers' job quality, their feelings of general job satisfaction, and low levels of neuroticism are important in alleviating stress and subsequent psychological sequela.