A dissertation submitted to the Faculty of Arts, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts (Clinical Psychology). Johannesburg September 1996. / Research has established that biological, sociological and psychological factors are involved in the presentation of alcoholism.Within the psychological domain, research has consistently found that a relatively small number of trait-clusters represent the personality profiles of a significant proportion of alcoholics. Dependency has consistently emerged as a prominent feature in a number of these profiles. Research into the relationship between dependency and alcoholism is limited. The majority of significant studies on the relationship between alcoholism and personality have failed to investigate the nature or extent of gender differences. Gender differences are influenced by social forces, including the social construction of gender. The social construction of gender is influenced by patriarchal interests and forces. Patriarchy is a social dynamic that encourages, inter alia, the expression of dependency needs and behaviours in women, and discourages their expression in men. Dependent individuals are motivated to enter and maintain nurturing and supportive relationships with others. High dependency needs can have a negative impact on interpersonal relationships, and can result in the failure of these relationships. Such failure is experienced by dependent individuals as emotionally distressing, and results in affective pain. Alcohol, under certain, everyday conditions can temporarily alleviate emotional pain. The current study hypothesized that as a consequence of the above dynamics, dependency is more likely to be a feature in the presentation of women alcoholics than among men alcoholics. This was tested by comparing the mean levels of dependency for women alcoholics with that for men alcoholics, women non-alcoholics and men non-alcoholics. The MCMI-II self-report inventory was used to measure dependency. Data was obtained from an alcoholic outpatient clinic and a general medical outpatient clinic. Women alcoholics were found to report higher levels of dependency than women non-alcoholics. However, they were not found to manifest higher levels of dependency than men alcoholics. / AC2017

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Eight subjects participated in an assembly task in which they assembled a simulated circuit board. The task required exact placement of three similarly coded resistors, which were chosen from a set of five resistors, followed by adjusting a voltmeter to a specified value. Participants performed the assembly task under various blood alcohol concentrations (Placebo, 0.05%, 0.07%, and 0.09%) to assess the effects of alcohol and workload on quality and productivity. Three levels of paced task conditions and two levels of unpaced task conditions were used for the assembly task conditions. In this study, seven measures of performance were assessed: number of correctly completed units, number of orientation errors, number of position errors, frequency and magnitude of meter adjustment errors, number of improper resistors, and number of incomplete units. A significant alcohol effect (p < 0.0001) was evident for all the dependent variables in the two pacing paradigms with the exception of the magnitude of the meter adjustment errors. Under the paced paradigm, the task condition was significant (p < 0.0001) for the number of completed units, the number of position errors, the number of orientation errors and the number of completed units. Unpaced task condition revealed significance (p < 0.0001) for all the dependent variables with the exception of meter adjustment magnitude. Interactions of alcohol by paced task condition were significant for the number of inaccurate units (p < 0. 00161) and the number of completed units (p < 0. 0001). Unpaced condition revealed interaction effects for the number of completed units (p < 0. 0001), the number of position errors (p < 0. 0001), the number of resistor errors. / Master of Science

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The purpose of the current studies was to look at the importance of contextual and individual difference factors, as well as sex differences, on the expected effects of alcohol. The vulnerability and gender role violation hypotheses were examined as explanations for previous findings of sex differences in anxiety responses to alcohol consumption within heterosexual social situations. In the first study, the contextual variables of sex of the target being rated and sex of target’s companion as well as the factors of sex of subject and beverage consumed were examined to clarify the role of anxiety related to the presence of opposite sex companions and anxiety. The factors of sex of companion, sex of target, and beverage were manipulated within a vignette format. Subjects were asked to read the vignette and to answer questions about the main character in the vignette. There were significant beverage by sex of subject interactions indicating that male subjects expected alcohol to reduce impairment and increase social appeal relative to female subjects who tended to expect that consuming alcohol would decrease social appeal and increase impairment. In addition, male subjects expected alcohol to decrease anxiety and increase social skill while female subjects did not expect such an increase and, instead, expected a decrease in social skill in male targets drinking alcohol and no effect on anxiety. These findings did not support either the hypothesis of vulnerability or of gender role violation as explanations of sex differences in alcohol expectancies. Based on the findings of the first study, the goals of the second study were to tease apart possible relationships that individual differences in gender role, sexual description of target and additional motivation to impress the companion could have with feelings of anxiety and other alcohol expectancies in a situation in which both alcohol and being with an opposite sex companion are involved. This was done within a vignette format. Described target sexuality, motivation to impress, and discomfort with behaviors outside the traditional feminine gender role were not found to moderate alcohol expectancies. Interpretation of the results in relation to the vulnerability and gender role violation hypotheses and directions for future research are discussed. / Master of Science

Thesis (MEdPsych (Educational Psychology)--University of Stellenbosch, 2007. / Fetal Alcohol Syndrome (FAS) is an ongoing problem in the Western Cape. Marginalised and poverty-stricken communities use alcohol as a method of entertainment because it is freely available and relatively inexpensive. Due to a cycle of ongoing poverty and lack of education, many women drink large quantities of alcohol when they are pregnant or before they know they are pregnant. This causes the unborn baby to be severely at risk for FAS. There has been much research done in academic and social environments on the presentation and symptoms of FAS and of behaviour. Less research has been done surrounding the mother's experience of her FAS child, it is therefore my aim to research this gap in the research. This research study investigated the experience of mothers who raised children with FAS. Many mothers of children with prenatal exposure to alcohol feel conflict and guilt regarding their children and I attempted to find out what their general experience surrounding this was. Within this research topic I aimed to investigate the mothers' attitudes, their behaviour towards and their general perceptions of their developing child with FAS. This was viewed from an eco-systemic framework in which the mother is an integral part of different systems impacting and working together, that influence her maternal functioning. Finally, the aim of this research study was to ascertain how best mothers of FAS children could be supported. In this same process, I hoped, the mothers could learn to feel empowered to help and support their child, and in the process attempt to shift ongoing cycles of negative behaviour patterns to more positive outcomes.

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A dissertation submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Bachelor of Arts Masters (Industrial/ Organisational Psychology) in the Faculty of Humanities, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg. March, 2016 / This study investigated whether the lifestyle behaviours and psychological well-being of women executives and managers predicted their ten-year risk of developing cardiovascular disease. The sample of South African women executives and managers work in a variety of industries in the cities of Johannesburg, Durban and Cape Town. The study sought to determine the predictability of the women executives and managers’ risk of developing cardiovascular disease through examining their level of alcohol consumption, level of physical exercise and the nutritional and dietary choices that they made as well as their level of depression, anxiety and stress. The data was gathered through an executive health and wellness programme and logistic regression and Chi-squared tests of association were used in conducting the analyses. The results suggested that the level of alcohol consumption and the nutritional and dietary choices made were predictive of the individual’s ten-year risk of developing cardiovascular disease. Additionally, the level of anxiety was found to be associated with the risk of developing cardiovascular disease. The results suggest that both individuals and organisations should prioritise the changing of unhealthy lifestyle behaviours, specifically excessive alcohol consumption and daily dietary choices, in order to lower their risk of developing cardiovascular disease. / MT2017