Job insecurity in the current global climate has escalated and more organisations are engaged in downsizing and restructuring in an attempt to survive under difficult economic conditions. At the same time, organisations are also exposed to structural reforms and international competition leading to transformations in the labour market. Jordan, Ashkanasy and Hartel (2002) developed a model to explain the effect of job insecurity on employees’ coping behaviour. In their two stage model they propose that perceptions of job insecurity could lead to lower affective organisational commitment and higher job-related stress which in turn could lead to negative coping behaviour. They then include emotional intelligence - a moderator linking the above-mentioned constructs. The main objective of this study was to investigate whether this model will be applicable to a national soft drink company in South Africa. A literature review was conducted to determine how emotional intelligence, job insecurity, affective organisational commitment, job-related stress, and coping behaviour were conceptualised. The relationships between these constructs and the role of emotional intelligence as moderator were also determined. This was done to investigate the model of Jordan et al. (2002). A cross-sectional research design was used for the purpose of this study. Managers of a national soft drink company were the participants. The Emotional Intelligence Scale (EIS) (Schutte et al., 1998); the Job Insecurity Questionnaire (JIQ) of De Witte, (2000); the Organisational Commitment Questionnaire of Meyer and Allen (1997); the COPE Questionnaire of Carver, Scheier and Weintraub (1989); and the Experience of Work and Life Circumstances Questionnaire (WLQ) of Van Zyl and Van der Walt (1991), including the biographical questionnaire, were utilised. The SPSS programme was used to perform the statistical analysis and descriptive statistics were used to analyse the data. Cronbach alpha coefficients were used to assess the reliability; and explorative factor analysis was conducted to assess the validity of the measuring instruments. Pearson’s product-moment coefficients were used to specify the relationships between the variables. Multiple regression analysis was used to determine the moderating influence of emotional intelligence. It was determined that, in this specific research group, job insecurity has a negative correlation with affective organisational commitment, but job insecurity has a positive correlation with job-related tension. A positive correlation was found between job-related tension and negative coping behaviours, such as denial, behavioural disengagement, mental disengagement or alcohol-drug disengagement. A negative correlation was found between job-related tension and affective organisational commitment. Furthermore, job insecurity was found to have a negative correlation with affective organisational commitment. Lastly, problem-focused coping has a positive relationship with emotion-focused coping. All of these correlations were statistically and practically significant. Multiple regression analyses were performed to determine the moderating effect of emotional intelligence as mentioned above. The results indicated emotional intelligence does not moderate any of the relationships between the constructs. Conclusions and limitations of this research and recommendations for the national soft drink organisation as well as for future research were made. / MA, Industrial Psychology, North-West University, Vaal Triangle Campus, 2011

Job insecurity in the current global climate has escalated and more organisations are engaged in downsizing and restructuring in an attempt to survive under difficult economic conditions. At the same time, organisations are also exposed to structural reforms and international competition leading to transformations in the labour market. Jordan, Ashkanasy and Hartel (2002) developed a model to explain the effect of job insecurity on employees’ coping behaviour. In their two stage model they propose that perceptions of job insecurity could lead to lower affective organisational commitment and higher job-related stress which in turn could lead to negative coping behaviour. They then include emotional intelligence - a moderator linking the above-mentioned constructs. The main objective of this study was to investigate whether this model will be applicable to a national soft drink company in South Africa. A literature review was conducted to determine how emotional intelligence, job insecurity, affective organisational commitment, job-related stress, and coping behaviour were conceptualised. The relationships between these constructs and the role of emotional intelligence as moderator were also determined. This was done to investigate the model of Jordan et al. (2002). A cross-sectional research design was used for the purpose of this study. Managers of a national soft drink company were the participants. The Emotional Intelligence Scale (EIS) (Schutte et al., 1998); the Job Insecurity Questionnaire (JIQ) of De Witte, (2000); the Organisational Commitment Questionnaire of Meyer and Allen (1997); the COPE Questionnaire of Carver, Scheier and Weintraub (1989); and the Experience of Work and Life Circumstances Questionnaire (WLQ) of Van Zyl and Van der Walt (1991), including the biographical questionnaire, were utilised. The SPSS programme was used to perform the statistical analysis and descriptive statistics were used to analyse the data. Cronbach alpha coefficients were used to assess the reliability; and explorative factor analysis was conducted to assess the validity of the measuring instruments. Pearson’s product-moment coefficients were used to specify the relationships between the variables. Multiple regression analysis was used to determine the moderating influence of emotional intelligence. It was determined that, in this specific research group, job insecurity has a negative correlation with affective organisational commitment, but job insecurity has a positive correlation with job-related tension. A positive correlation was found between job-related tension and negative coping behaviours, such as denial, behavioural disengagement, mental disengagement or alcohol-drug disengagement. A negative correlation was found between job-related tension and affective organisational commitment. Furthermore, job insecurity was found to have a negative correlation with affective organisational commitment. Lastly, problem-focused coping has a positive relationship with emotion-focused coping. All of these correlations were statistically and practically significant. Multiple regression analyses were performed to determine the moderating effect of emotional intelligence as mentioned above. The results indicated emotional intelligence does not moderate any of the relationships between the constructs. Conclusions and limitations of this research and recommendations for the national soft drink organisation as well as for future research were made. / MA, Industrial Psychology, North-West University, Vaal Triangle Campus, 2011

The general aim of this research was to determine the theoretical elements of positive coping behaviour and operationalise these into a reliable and valid measurement scale, the Positive Coping Behaviour Inventory (PCBI). Positive coping behaviour was conceptualised in the context of employee wellness in the contemporary world of work. The literature review guided the development of a theoretical model comprising four constructs denoting positive coping behaviour: cognitive, affective, conative and social coping behaviour. Scale development protocols were followed in generating items for each dimension. The empirical study (research scale development) employed a non-probability, purposive sampling technique. The empirical study targeted the total population of N = 525 employees working in Omnia. The Omnia Group comprises a balanced and diversified range of complementary chemical service businesses with a broad geographic spread. The sample was diverse in terms of age, gender and race, overall mood description and general health. The respondents were purposefully selected based on the requirement that respondents had to be working and aged between 19 and 65 years. The empirical research provided evidence of the factorial (multidimensional) validity, unidimensionality, internal consistency reliability and structural and intra-test construct validity of the PCBI. Construct equivalence of the PCBI across age, gender and race groups was also confirmed. The statistical analyses provided evidence of the PCBI being anchored in a strong theoretical foundation with the scale having the potential to provide researchers and practitioners with a reliable instrument to measure the positive coping behaviour of adult workers. Furthermore, the PCBI contributes to the field of positive psychology and industrial and organisational psychology in terms of better understanding of the behavioural dimensions that constitute positive coping behaviour. As a valid theoretical framework, the PCBI dimensions provide useful information on measuring individuals’ positive coping behaviour in a holistic manner by focusing on a broad spectrum of positive psychological constructs in terms of cognitive, affective, conative and social behavioural elements / Industrial and Organisational Psychology / D. Litt. et Phil. (Industrial and Organisational Psychology)

No description available.

Coping and resilience occurs on a regular basis within the lives of children residing in at-risk communities. Coping refers to an action or behaviour on behalf of the child with the aim of diminishing the burden of psychological and emotional stressors. Coping can be achieved by means of internal factors, such as avoidance, positive cognitive restructuring, and wishful thinking, as well as by means of external factors such as social support. Resilience was operationalized as the ability of the child to bounce back from adversity or stress in order to achieve positive developmental outcomes. This ability to overcome adverse events can be achieved by means of external as well as internal factors, and thus resilience is understood as a socio-ecological construct (Ungar, 2008). Hence a theoretical link between the two constructs has been identified in relevant literature, since both coping and resilience refer to children‟s ability to deal with stress and adversity they encounter. A quantitative method of research was chosen for this study in order to investigate the relationship between coping behaviour and resilience processes. The sample consisted of 262 primary school pupils aged 10 to 14, residing in a severely socio-economically deprived community in Vereeniging, Gauteng. An equal distribution of gender was achieved in the sample. Two questionnaires were administered to determine the coping behaviour and resilience processes of participants, namely The Children‟s Coping Strategy Checklist (CCSC) compiled by Ayers and Sandler (1999), and the Resilience and Youth Developmental Model (RYDM) by West.Ed (1999; 2002). Both measures were administered in Afrikaans, which was the medium of teaching in the school. All ethical requirements for a study of this nature were met with precision. Descriptive statistics regarding the sample revealed that the majority of the participants were aged 12 years, in Grade 6 and Afrikaans speaking. Furthermore the measuring instruments yielded acceptable reliability coefficients, with the CCSC as well as the RYDM obtaining a value of ρ = 0,98. Measurement model 1, consisting of an eleven-factor structure (coping consisting of six factors and resilience of five factors) indicated the best fit, with a Chi-square (χ²) value of 4667,30; CFI of 0,95, and a TLI value of 0,95. Furthermore, significant but tenuous statistically correlational relationship was observed between coping and resilience. A coping measurement model could be conceptualized from the results of this study. Possible limitations of the study were that: The data was collected in 2010, with secondary analysis being the focus of this study; the CCSC as well as the RYDM are relatively new measures within a South African context, and although both were translated for use in this project, cultural equivalence was not ensured. Possible recommendations for further studies may include the development of standardised South African measures, as well as qualitative studies to explore and provide an in-depth understanding of coping behaviour and resilience processes in children. / MA (Research Psychology), North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2014

Coping and resilience occurs on a regular basis within the lives of children residing in at-risk communities. Coping refers to an action or behaviour on behalf of the child with the aim of diminishing the burden of psychological and emotional stressors. Coping can be achieved by means of internal factors, such as avoidance, positive cognitive restructuring, and wishful thinking, as well as by means of external factors such as social support. Resilience was operationalized as the ability of the child to bounce back from adversity or stress in order to achieve positive developmental outcomes. This ability to overcome adverse events can be achieved by means of external as well as internal factors, and thus resilience is understood as a socio-ecological construct (Ungar, 2008). Hence a theoretical link between the two constructs has been identified in relevant literature, since both coping and resilience refer to children‟s ability to deal with stress and adversity they encounter. A quantitative method of research was chosen for this study in order to investigate the relationship between coping behaviour and resilience processes. The sample consisted of 262 primary school pupils aged 10 to 14, residing in a severely socio-economically deprived community in Vereeniging, Gauteng. An equal distribution of gender was achieved in the sample. Two questionnaires were administered to determine the coping behaviour and resilience processes of participants, namely The Children‟s Coping Strategy Checklist (CCSC) compiled by Ayers and Sandler (1999), and the Resilience and Youth Developmental Model (RYDM) by West.Ed (1999; 2002). Both measures were administered in Afrikaans, which was the medium of teaching in the school. All ethical requirements for a study of this nature were met with precision. Descriptive statistics regarding the sample revealed that the majority of the participants were aged 12 years, in Grade 6 and Afrikaans speaking. Furthermore the measuring instruments yielded acceptable reliability coefficients, with the CCSC as well as the RYDM obtaining a value of ρ = 0,98. Measurement model 1, consisting of an eleven-factor structure (coping consisting of six factors and resilience of five factors) indicated the best fit, with a Chi-square (χ²) value of 4667,30; CFI of 0,95, and a TLI value of 0,95. Furthermore, significant but tenuous statistically correlational relationship was observed between coping and resilience. A coping measurement model could be conceptualized from the results of this study. Possible limitations of the study were that: The data was collected in 2010, with secondary analysis being the focus of this study; the CCSC as well as the RYDM are relatively new measures within a South African context, and although both were translated for use in this project, cultural equivalence was not ensured. Possible recommendations for further studies may include the development of standardised South African measures, as well as qualitative studies to explore and provide an in-depth understanding of coping behaviour and resilience processes in children. / MA (Research Psychology), North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2014

The aim of this study was to examine the effects of coping behaviour on the stress and psychological well-being as experienced by South African teachers. A review of relevant literature revealed that the teaching profession is an extremely stressful occupation globally. Factors contributing to the stress that teachers experience include the downsizing of the number of teachers in schools and insufficient training being provided for teachers. Exposure to these chronically stressful conditions has psychological and physical consequences for some teachers. Numerous studies, however, have also pointed out that some teachers, in the same teaching environment, experienced less stress and had better physical health than others. In an effort to gain clarity on these contradictory findings, many studies regarding the effect of various coping behaviours have been undertaken. No literature could, however, be found regarding the different coping behaviours used by African teachers and which strategies proved a success. Therefore, the aim of this study was to investigate the effect that coping behaviour had on the level of stress, as well as psychosocial well-being, experienced by black South African teachers. The current study was conducted as part of the SABP A (Sympathetic Activity and Ambulatory Blood Pressure in Africans) project conducted at the North-West University. Data for this sub study was collected through a cross-sectional design and the statistical consulting services of the university were involved in the analysis of the raw data. The Teacher Stress Inventory (TSI) (Boyle, Borg, Falzon, & Baglioni, 1995), the Coping Strategy Indicator (CSI) (Amirkhan, 1990), and the Mental Health Continuum-Short Form (MHC-SF) (Keyes, 2006) were administered to 200 urban African teachers residing in the Kenneth Kahunda district in the North West Province. The TSI was administered as a self report measure of occupational stress in teachers. The CSI was administered to all the participants in an attempt to establish what coping strategies were employed by them. It consists of three subscales (problem solving, avoidance, and seeking social support) which are independent of one another and, according to the authors, free from demographic influences. The MHC-SF was administered to all the participants as a measure of well-being. The MHC-SF places individuals on a continuum which ranges between complete mental health (flourishing) to incomplete mental health (languishing). Those who are neither flourishing nor languishing are said to be moderately mentally healthy. All the measures that were administered proved to be reliable and thus interpretable, except for the subscales of the TSI. Therefore, only the TSI total scale score was used for interpretation. Results indicated that this group of teachers were experiencing high levels of stress and were making above average use of all three coping behaviours to deal with their stressors. 70% of the teachers were reportedly moderately mentally healthy, while 2% of them were languishing, and only 28% of them were flourishing. Of these teachers, those who reported smoking and alcohol use as a coping behaviour were experiencing less stress than those who abstained. These results were, however, only of small to medium practical significance. Intercorrelational results indicated that, although stress levels were high, stress had no direct and significant relation to either coping or well-being. The use of certain coping strategies, however, correlated positively with some aspects of mental health. In order to elucidate the nature of the relationships that seemed to exist between these constructs, path analysis was conducted. Structural Equation Modelling (SEM) results revealed a strong negative path between the use of avoidance as a coping strategy and the emotional well-being of participants. A direct significant path was reported between seeking social support and the social well-being of this group of teachers. Another significant finding was the existence of a direct path between problem solving and the social and psychological well-being reported by participants. The implications of these results, as well as the possible shortcomings of the current study and its limitations, were discussed. In conclusion, the results indicated that coping behaviour had little effect on the amount of stress that the teachers experienced, although it seems that coping behaviour does have a significant effect on some aspects of mental health. / Thesis (M.A. (Clinical Psychology))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2010.

The aim of this study was to examine the effects of coping behaviour on the stress and psychological well-being as experienced by South African teachers. A review of relevant literature revealed that the teaching profession is an extremely stressful occupation globally. Factors contributing to the stress that teachers experience include the downsizing of the number of teachers in schools and insufficient training being provided for teachers. Exposure to these chronically stressful conditions has psychological and physical consequences for some teachers. Numerous studies, however, have also pointed out that some teachers, in the same teaching environment, experienced less stress and had better physical health than others. In an effort to gain clarity on these contradictory findings, many studies regarding the effect of various coping behaviours have been undertaken. No literature could, however, be found regarding the different coping behaviours used by African teachers and which strategies proved a success. Therefore, the aim of this study was to investigate the effect that coping behaviour had on the level of stress, as well as psychosocial well-being, experienced by black South African teachers. The current study was conducted as part of the SABP A (Sympathetic Activity and Ambulatory Blood Pressure in Africans) project conducted at the North-West University. Data for this sub study was collected through a cross-sectional design and the statistical consulting services of the university were involved in the analysis of the raw data. The Teacher Stress Inventory (TSI) (Boyle, Borg, Falzon, & Baglioni, 1995), the Coping Strategy Indicator (CSI) (Amirkhan, 1990), and the Mental Health Continuum-Short Form (MHC-SF) (Keyes, 2006) were administered to 200 urban African teachers residing in the Kenneth Kahunda district in the North West Province. The TSI was administered as a self report measure of occupational stress in teachers. The CSI was administered to all the participants in an attempt to establish what coping strategies were employed by them. It consists of three subscales (problem solving, avoidance, and seeking social support) which are independent of one another and, according to the authors, free from demographic influences. The MHC-SF was administered to all the participants as a measure of well-being. The MHC-SF places individuals on a continuum which ranges between complete mental health (flourishing) to incomplete mental health (languishing). Those who are neither flourishing nor languishing are said to be moderately mentally healthy. All the measures that were administered proved to be reliable and thus interpretable, except for the subscales of the TSI. Therefore, only the TSI total scale score was used for interpretation. Results indicated that this group of teachers were experiencing high levels of stress and were making above average use of all three coping behaviours to deal with their stressors. 70% of the teachers were reportedly moderately mentally healthy, while 2% of them were languishing, and only 28% of them were flourishing. Of these teachers, those who reported smoking and alcohol use as a coping behaviour were experiencing less stress than those who abstained. These results were, however, only of small to medium practical significance. Intercorrelational results indicated that, although stress levels were high, stress had no direct and significant relation to either coping or well-being. The use of certain coping strategies, however, correlated positively with some aspects of mental health. In order to elucidate the nature of the relationships that seemed to exist between these constructs, path analysis was conducted. Structural Equation Modelling (SEM) results revealed a strong negative path between the use of avoidance as a coping strategy and the emotional well-being of participants. A direct significant path was reported between seeking social support and the social well-being of this group of teachers. Another significant finding was the existence of a direct path between problem solving and the social and psychological well-being reported by participants. The implications of these results, as well as the possible shortcomings of the current study and its limitations, were discussed. In conclusion, the results indicated that coping behaviour had little effect on the amount of stress that the teachers experienced, although it seems that coping behaviour does have a significant effect on some aspects of mental health. / Thesis (M.A. (Clinical Psychology))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2010.

The present study explored the effect of the birth of a child with a cleft lip and palate on family functioning within the context of family systems theory. Five families, each with a child who was born with a cleft lip and palate, were included in the study. The five couples were all married and they were the biological parents of their children whose ages ranged from two months to five years. All five sets of parents were initially interviewed together and then had separate individual interviews where the Family Assessment Measure-III was administered. The results reflected each family's distinctive patterns of interaction and how they adapted to the birth of a child with an orofacial cleft. Factors found to affect family functioning included: External support systems, individual coping skills, family rules and boundaries, open communication and cohesion among family members. / Psychology / M. A. (Psychology)

The present study explored the effect of the birth of a child with a cleft lip and palate on family functioning within the context of family systems theory. Five families, each with a child who was born with a cleft lip and palate, were included in the study. The five couples were all married and they were the biological parents of their children whose ages ranged from two months to five years. All five sets of parents were initially interviewed together and then had separate individual interviews where the Family Assessment Measure-III was administered. The results reflected each family's distinctive patterns of interaction and how they adapted to the birth of a child with an orofacial cleft. Factors found to affect family functioning included: External support systems, individual coping skills, family rules and boundaries, open communication and cohesion among family members. / Psychology / M. A. (Psychology)