Abstract This thesis explores and discusses the discourses drawn on by pregnant women in their construction of their ‘selves’ in pregnancy. The study was qualitative in nature, in order to understand the women’s experience from their context and to allow for their individual constructions to come forth. The aim of the study was to explore firstly, which discourses the pregnant women draw on during their pregnancy and secondly, how the women construct themselves as pregnant beings. The ...
SUMMARY This study explored whether Namibian legal and allied criminal justice professionals involved in child sexual abuse investigations were cognizant of child suggestibility and whether the concept child suggestibility was duly weighted during investigations and court proceedings. The legal practitioners were defined as prosecutors, magistrates and private defense lawyers. It was hypothesized that the Namibian legal and allied criminal justice professionals involved in child sexual abuse...
ABSTRACT Literature has found that paraplegic as well as quadriplegic individuals are presented with a range of challenges, which are similar as well as frequent amongst them. These include stigmatisation, discrimination, problems related to family, work and independence. Health problems such as bowel and bladder control, infections and pressure sores, as well as related psychological problems are also common (Lustig, 2005). Paralysis impacts on all areas of an individual’s life, because i...
ABSTRACT Nursing is considered as being intrinsically stressful because nurses are exposed to dangers such as viruses, bacteria, needle-prick injuries and other hazards on a daily basis. Thus, this study set out to investigate the stress, work engagement, and psychological well-being of nurses working at state hospitals in Windhoek, Rehoboth and Okahandja. The objective of the study was to determine the levels as well as the relationships between stress, work engagement, and psychological we...
Abstract Public stigma towards mental illness is associated with various negative implications for those struggling with mental illness and plays a significant role in help seeking behaviour as well as treatment adherence. The aim of this study is to quantify the degree of public stigma that exists and to understand attitudes towards mentally ill people held by people residing in Windhoek, Namibia. Finally, it seeks to identify whether there are any demographic variables associated with high...
ABSTRACT Research on Intimate Partner Homicide (IPH), particularly the study on parents of murdered victims is not widely documented. In Namibia, little is known about the impact of IPH on the parents, since more attention is directed to either the victims or perpetrators of these crimes with less focus on the parents of the victims. The purpose of this study was to explore the psychological experiences for parents of IPH victims in the Khomas region. To answer the research question, “How ...
ABSTRACT Sickle cell disease is a genetic condition that has both physical and psychological impact on individuals who have the condition. The aim of this study was to investigate the influence of illness belief and personality traits on treatment compliance among adolescents with sickle cell disease as well as the moderating role of belief about medicine between illness belief and treatment compliance. A total sample of 120 adolescents with sickle cell disease (68 SC genotype, 49 SS genotype...
ABSTRACT This study investigated the influence of academic stress and academic performance on the psychological well-being of Senior High School (SHS) remedial students ranging from 18 to 25 years. The moderating role of social support, africultural coping, gender and socio-economic status in the relationship between academic stress and psychological well-being were also investigated. The moderating role of academic self-efficacy, in the relationship between academic performance and psycholog...
ABSTRACT The study examined culture-specific coping and quality of life among Ghanaians living with chronic illness such as mental illness and chronic kidney disease. A sample size of 150 was used comprising of 50 mentally ill patients, 50 Chronic Kidney Disease patients and 50 healthy controls. Participants were sampled from the Accra Psychiatric Hospitals, Pantang General Hospital and the Korle-Bu teaching Hospitals respectively. The concurrent mixed method design was used which comprised a...
ABSTRACT Professional psychologists offer very efficacious therapy, however many individuals battling with mental/psychological illness do not consult them for assistance. This study examined some predictors of professional psychological help-seeking behaviour among Ghanaians in the Greater-Accra region and explored their knowledge and understanding of professional psychological services. The sequential mixed method design was used in this study. Study 1 was a cross-sectional survey involving...
Exclusive breastfeeding is recommended globally by the World Health Organization, and this feeding method influences mothers’ psychological health. Hence, the current study investigated the direct influence of breastfeeding self-efficacy and internal health locus of control, on well being. It also looked at the moderating role of faith in breast milk in the relationship between self-efficacy and well-being, as well as the effects of some demographic variables on internal locus of contr...
ABSTRACT The extant literature have examined the prevalence of injuries among a number of sporting disciplines using quantitative methods. Few studies have explored the lived experiences of rugby and ice hockey players, employing qualitative methods. A review of literature shows that little or no study has been conducted on the lived experiences of footballers with career threatening injuries especially within the African context. The study sought to explore the psychosocial problems male Gha...
ABSTRACT This study aimed to explore the psychosocial precipitants and rate of relapse among substance abusers in the Sunyani Metropolis, Ghana. A total of 30 respondents comprising 15 relapsed (with their primary caregivers), 10 non-relapsed, 3 psychiatric nurses, 1 psychiatrist and 1 psychotherapist was recruited for the study. The study employed a qualitative research design. Data were analysed using Thematic Analysis. The rate of relapse was computed quantitatively using relapsed respon...
Abstract Coping with chronic health conditions has been attributed to numerous factors including spiritual/religious, collective and ritual behaviours of people with varied cultural backgrounds. The study examined psychological health, coping and cultural values among Ghanaians living with chronic kidney disease (CKD) and undergoing haemodialysis therapy. 125 respondents were recruited from the Dialysis Unit of the Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital in Accra, Ghana. The study adopted the sequential m...
ABSTRACT Ghana is grappling with inadequate professional mental health practitioners for the treatment of schizophrenia. Since many patients partly access the services of non-professional mental health practitioners, implementation of collaborative framework will potentially ensure effective and quality delivery of schizophrenic care. This study examined opinions about the different collaborative frameworks between professional and non-professional mental health practitioners for the delivery...