African American college students face a myriad of unique race related stressors on campus, yet there is a gap of knowledge on how these experiences may impact overall health as well as what may mediate these effects. The goal of the current study was threefold. First, it was to better understand the relationship between health outcomes and the experience of discrimination on college campuses for African American students. Second, it further investigated the research of Pieterse & Carter (2007), to explore if perceived discrimination influences health outcomes above and beyond general life stress in the emerging adult population. Lastly, it explored potential protective factors by examining if the relationship between health outcomes and the experience of discrimination is mediated by socio-cultural group involvement in the form of fraternities and sororities. 133 African American college students from a south eastern predominantly White university completed the American College Health Association’s National College Health Assessment to explore these research aims. Racial discrimination was positively correlated with negative health outcomes, however experience of discrimination did not influence health outcomes above and beyond general life stress. Additionally, belonging to a fraternity or sorority did not mediate the relationship between the experience of discrimination and negative health outcomes. The results suggest that the discrimination African American college students face on predominantly white campuses are harmful to overall health, yet more needs to be explored to find adequate interventions to these negative health outcomes.

In an effort to accentuate the need for Black Psychological theory, research and methodology within the field of Africology, Africana professor Dr. DeReef Jamison argues that in order to gain a full understanding of the African American experience, Africana scholars must consider the importance of Black Psychology as it relates to their work. In his article entitled, Through the Prism of Black Psychology: A Critical review of Conceptual and Methodological Issues in Africology as seen through the Paradigmatic Lens of Black Psychology he notes that while Black Psychology is identified as a core component of Black Studies, few programs include such courses within their curricula. He further suggests that the goal within Black Psychology of examining the impact of African Americans historical experiences on their psyche speaks to the primary goal of Black Studies. Thus the empirical nature of Black Psychology utilized to understand the African American psychological experience can have tremendous implications for the field of Black studies. Through an overview of the field of Black Studies, its core curriculum, select graduate programs, and the field of Black Psychology, this paper will extend Dr. Jamison’s arguments by suggesting that African-Centered psychology specifically, needs to be central in the field of Black studies. While Black Psychology empirically addresses the African American psyche considering African-American historical experiences, it is the African Worldview analytical approach, which is central to African-Centered psychological theory and methodology and provides a culturally specific analysis, which is critical to the Black Studies intellectual pursuit. / text

M.A. (Psychology) / Please refer to full text to view abstract

Racism has been identified as a profoundly traumatic and a psychologically damaging experience affecting Black people (Harrell, 2000; White & Parham, 1990; Williams & Williams-Morris, 2000). It has been theorized that one of the most devastating effects racial oppression (i.e. racism and discrimination) is the internalization of that oppression (Bailey, Chung, Williams, & Singh, 2006; Speight, 2007). Speight (2007) argued that an understanding of racism would be incomplete without considering how it is internalized. Internalized racial oppression is the process through which Black people consciously and unconsciously internalize and accept the dominant White culture’s oppressive actions and beliefs towards Black people, while at the same time rejecting an African worldview and cultural motifs (Bailey, Chung, Williams, & Singh, 2006). Internalized racial oppression is believed to adversely affect the psychological health of Black people. This study examined the construct validity of the Internalized Racial Oppression Scale (IROS; Bailey et al., 2006) through the use of confirmatory factor analysis and social desirability. Additionally, this study investigated internalized racial oppression as a predictor of the endogenous factors of Psychological Distress, Psychological Well-Being, Personal Self-Esteem, Collective Self-esteem, and Life Satisfaction through the use of latent variable path analysis. It was hypothesized that, similar to racial oppression; greater levels of internalized racial oppression will predict greater psychological distress, lower psychological well-being, lower personal self-esteem, lower collective self-esteem, and lower satisfaction with life among Black college students. Three hundred seventy Black students (Cohort 1 = 102, Cohort 2 = 268) participated in this study. Cohort 1 consisted of students recruited from a predominately White university in the Southeastern region of the United States. Cohort 2 consisted of a national sample of students. Participants from Cohort 1 completed a pencil and paper survey, while the participants from Cohort 2 completed a survey via online. The results supported the factorial structure of the IROS. Further, the results found that the IROS was a predictor of psychological distress, psychological well-being, collective self-esteem, and satisfaction with life. Implications for research and practice are discussed.

This work is a descriptive phenomenological study of the experience of conflict that is lived by black teachers in the Bantu Education context. Subjects are teachers from the East Rand and Eastern Cape who have high school teaching experience that ranges from 1 to 15 years. The conflict researched was defined as those situations in which the teacher faced demands or expectations from different interest groups which were incompatible or negated each other. The Subjects of this research were six teachers who were interviewed for case material. The phenomenological case study design was used. Data collection consisted of in-depth interviews while analysis followed the phenomenological method developed at Duquesne University. This was an exploratory study which identified two major forms of conflict. The first exists between the teacher's expectation of teaching and the education authorities' expectation of how and what the teacher should teach in lessons. The second form of conflict identified is that in which the teacher's allegiance to one social group or ideology is violated by the teacher's participation in a system of education that negates his/her view about the South African sociopolitical situation. In the latter case the teacher is forced to comply with commitments or demands placed on him/her which negate each other. Van den Berg's theory of plural existence was used to inform data analysis and so was the theory of cognitive change and inconsistency.

Text in Afrikaans / Euro-centric (Western) therapeutic approaches in psychotherapy are criticized by several authors as being unsuitable in an African context. The reconciliation of the contrasting approach of world- and human views regarding individualism (Western) and collectivism (Africa) is being questioned. In this research a qualitative approach was used. The objectives were to explore, describe and to explain the use of gestalt play therapy with the adolescent who suffered trauma due to the loss of one or both parents, in a multicultural context. Case studies were done on three adolescents in eight therapeutic sessions of Gestalt play therapy. The finding and conclusion of this research showed that Gestalt play therapy could be used with the traumatised adolescent in a multicultural context. The child could be understood from a holistic point of view as the individual as well as a member of a cultural group. / Social Work / M. Diac. (Play Therapy)

Thesis (MA)--University of Stellenbosch, 2002. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: Many Black nurses who originally come from previously disadvantaged communities find themselves at present in relatively senior positions. The reality is, however, that many of these employees are still residing in residential areas where transformation and changes are still very limited and progress hardly noticeable. Such employees experience the stressful world of nursing on the one hand while on the other hand they also have to battle with the realities of the legacy of Apartheid. These may include aspects such as financial burdens, long distances from work, poor public transport, high crime rates in their communities and schools that are yet to improve standards. There are still Black South Africans, amongst them Black nursing sisters, who have to battle with these problems daily, in addition to having to cope with occupational stressors. One would assume then that they may be experiencing a large degree of strain and burnout. This research was therefore concerned with those nurses who remain productive and efficient in their work by overcoming constant occupational and non-occupational demands and stressors. Not all nurses, however, experience ill health due to stressors. There are nurses who do cope well. Two research questions were investigated with reference to the above: (a) Why some Black nursing sisters appear to cope better than others; and (b) What the role of Sense of Coherence (SOC) is as a coping resource. The study therefore investigated the statistical relationship between (a) SOC and well-being and (b) the effect that SOC has on the perception of a selected number of work characteristics. Significant Pearson Correlations were found between SOC and psychosomatic strain symptoms and burnout frequency. No significant relationship was found between SOC and burnout intensity. A significant relationship was found between SOC and work demands, as well as SOC and career rewards. Findings further indicate that no significant relationship was found between organisational climate, leadership relations, influence at work, time pressures and adverse factors in the work environment. Two-way ANOVAs indicate that no significant main effect exists in respect of SOC on psychosomatic strain symptoms. The study also indicates that a significant main effect exists for SOC on burnout frequency, whereas no significant main effect exists for SOC on burnout intensity. No significant interaction effect exists between SOC and age on psychosomatic strain symptoms, burnout frequency and burnout intensity. A significant interaction effect exists between SOC and education level on burnout intensity, while there is no significant interaction effect between SOC and educational level on psychosomatic strain symptoms and burnout frequency. A significant main effect exists for SOC on the perception of leadership relations, influence at work and career rewards. Findings further indicate that no significant main effect exists for SOC on the perception of: orgnisational climate, time pressures, work demands and adverse factors in the work environment. No significant interaction effect exists between SOC and age on the perception of organisational climate, influence at work, work demands, time pressures, career rewards, leadership relations and adverse factors in the work environment. Results indicate that no significant interaction effect exists between SOC and educational level on the perception of organisational climate, influence at work, work demands, time pressures, career rewards, leadership relations and adverse factors in the work environment. The results thus indicate that a positive correlation exists between SOC and wellbeing. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Talle verpleegters uit voorheen benadeelde gebiede, bevind hulself huidiglik in relatiewe senior posisies. Die werklikheid is egter dat hierdie werknemers nog steeds onder andere in woongebiede bly waar transformasie en verandering gering is en algemene vordering nie waarneembaar is nie. Hierdie werknemers ondervind die stresvolle omstandighede van verpleging eendersyds en andersyds voer hulle 'n stryd teen die nalatenskap van apartheid. Dit kan aspekte soos finansiele probleme, lang afstande van hul werkplek, publieke vervoer, hoë misdaadsyfers in hul gemeenskappe asook skole waar die opvoedkundige standaarde nog aangespreek moet word, insluit. Daar is nog talle Swart Suid-Afrikaners, Swart verpleegsusters onder andere wat daagliks met hierdie probleme die stryd voer met 'n langsame veranderingsproses, terwyl hulle ook met talle stressors in hul beroepe te make het. Dit kan dus aanvaar word dat hierdie persone 'n groot mate van stres en uitbranding ondervind. Hierdie navorsing het te make met daardie groep verpleegsters wat produktief en bekwaam in hul werk bly funksioneer het, weens die feit dat hulle hierdie voordurende beroeps-en nie-beroeps vereistes en stressors suksesvol die hoof kan bied. Nie al die verpleegsters se geestegesondheid word dus deur genoemde stresfaktore benadeel nie en kan deurgaans effektief funksioneer. Twee navorsings-vraagstukke is met betrekking tot bogenoemde Suid-Afrikaanse realiteit ondersoek: (a) Waarom sommige Swart verpleegsusters die stressors in hul beroeps-en lewensomstandighede beter as ander hanteer en (b) Watter rol speel koherensiebelewing ("SOC") as enstreshantering meganisme. Die studie het (a) die verhouding tussen koherensiebelewing en werknemer welsyn en (b) die rol van koherensiebelewing ("SOC") as enmeganisme vir die hantering van stres, nagevors. Beduidende Pearson Korrelasies tussen koherensiebelewing, psigosomatiese stressimptome en die frekwensie van uitbranding is gevind. Geen beduidende verband is tussen koherensiebelewing, werkseise en loopbaanbelonings gevind nie. Die resultate dui verder aan dat daar geen beduidende verband tussen organisatoriese klimaat, leierskap verhoudings, invloed by die werk, tydsdruk, en nadelige faktore in die werksomgewing bestaan nie. Twee-rigting variansie ontledings dui egter aan dat daar geen beduidende hoof effek tussen koherensiebelewing en psigosomatiese stressimptome bestaan nie. Die studie dui ook op 'n beduidende hoof effek tussen koherensiebelewing en die frekwensie van uitbranding. Geen beduidende hoof effek is tussen koherensiebelewing en uitbranding intensiteit gevind. Geen beduidende interaksie effek bestaan tussen koherensiebelewing en ouderdom op psigomatiese stressimptome, frekwensie van uitbrandiqg en uitbrandings intensiteit nie. 'n Beduidende interaksie effek bestaan tussen koherensiebelewing en opvoedkundige kwalifikasie op uitbranding intensiteit, terwyl daar geen interaksie effek bestaan tussen psigomatiese stressimptome en frekwensie van uitbranding nie. 'n Beduidende hoof effek ten opsigte van koherensiebelewing op die persepsie van leierskap-verhoudings, invloede by die werk, en loopbaanbelonings is gevind. Die navorsing dui verder daarop dat geen betekenisvolle hoof effek bestaan ten opsigte van koherensiebelewing op die persepsie van organisatoriese klimaat, tydsdruk, werksvereistes en nadelige faktore in die werksomgewing nie. 'n Statisties beduidende hoof effek ten opsigte van koherensiebelewing op die persepsie van leierskap-verhoudings, invloede by die werk, en loopbaanbelonings, bestaan. Geen beduidende interaksie effek bestaan tussen koherensiebelewing en ouderdom op die persepsie van organisatoriese klimaat, invloed by die werk, werkseise, tydsdruk, loopbaanbelonings, leierskap-verhoudings en nadelige faktore in die werksomgewing nie. Resultate toon geen statisties beduidende interaksie effek tussen koherensiebelewing en opvoedkundige kwalifikasie op die persepsie van organisatoriese klimaat, invloede by die werk, werkseise, tydsdruk, loopbaanbelonings, leierskap-verhoudings en nadelige faktore by die werk nie. Die resultate dui derhalwe op 'n positiewe verband tussen koheresensiebelewing en werknemerwelstand.

Text in Afrikaans / Euro-centric (Western) therapeutic approaches in psychotherapy are criticized by several authors as being unsuitable in an African context. The reconciliation of the contrasting approach of world- and human views regarding individualism (Western) and collectivism (Africa) is being questioned. In this research a qualitative approach was used. The objectives were to explore, describe and to explain the use of gestalt play therapy with the adolescent who suffered trauma due to the loss of one or both parents, in a multicultural context. Case studies were done on three adolescents in eight therapeutic sessions of Gestalt play therapy. The finding and conclusion of this research showed that Gestalt play therapy could be used with the traumatised adolescent in a multicultural context. The child could be understood from a holistic point of view as the individual as well as a member of a cultural group. / Social Work / M. Diac. (Play Therapy)

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