ABSTRACT HIV is considered a global disease, infecting and affecting the lives of millions of people. So far, the psychological experience of being HIV-positive has not yet been investigated sufficiently. The aim of this study is to explore how HIV-infected individuals evaluate their own lives, particularly how they find meaning in living with this life-threatening virus and how they cope with their HIV-positive status by making meaning out of it. Work done on meaning making and coping by Par...
ABSTRACT The global corporate setting changes swiftly as a result of technological, economic and political developments. Due to these phenomena it has been noted that staff members in general experience a great increase in emotional strain, leaving a need for an effective program focussed on enhancing employees’ ability to deal with such stressors via an increase in their trait emotional intelligence. With such an enhancement the employees would experience improved levels of empathy, emotio...
ABSTRACT This research study aimed to bring about greater insight into the topic of bereavement, especially with regards to children and adolescents. Questions that were answered included: How and why do people grieve? How can one help a person to cope with his/her grief? How do children grieve, and is it different from adults' grief? What do adults understand by children’s reactions to loss? The sample population was pre-defined according to the following characteristics. Primary and secon...
ABSTRACT There is silence on Namibian families who have a member with Down syndrome (DS). Hence, research is needed regarding the experiences, stress and well-being of families who are caregivers of a family member with Down syndrome. This is important to parents who begin their married lives with a Down syndrome child in the family since it will provide them with a balanced perspective of what to expect. In addition, most studies on the experiences of caring for a Down syndrome were conducte...
ABSTRACT The aim of this study was to explore life crises prevalence of both employed and unemployed early adults in Windhoek, Namibia, by comparing differences in life crisis reporting between them. The study also aimed to determine gender differences in life crisis experiences of early adults, if any, and also the areas in which life crisis was most experienced. Guided by a quantitative approach, an Adult Crisis Episode Retrospective Self-Assessment Tool (ACERSAT) was used to collect the da...
ABSTRACT This research study aimed at exploring and describing psychosocial experiences of adolescents diagnosed with cancer. A cancer diagnosis is known to be a life-altering experience which disrupts normal development. Often, adolescents bring to the cancer experience a different dimension of psychosocial circumstances because of their developmental life stage. This research study employed an exploratory qualitative research design to explore the psychosocial effects of a cancer diagnosis ...
ABSTRACT Employment in education has been found to be one of the most stressful career paths around the world, with some of the highest burnout rates. The field of Positive Psychology have started to research this career path, because quality education is a powerful tool in ensuring economic, democratic and social development of nations. The National Association of Namibian Teachers Union (NANTU) states that many of the country’s educators want to leave the profession because of high job de...
ABSTRACT Tuberculosis (TB) is a leading cause of mortality globally, leading to an annual death rate of 1.8 million. In 2017, over 700 people died from TB in Namibia. Moreover, despite the scale-up of high-quality Directly Observed Treatment Short Course strategy (DOTS) to control TB in Namibia, treatment success rates (TSR) fall short of the global target of 90%. Unsuccessful treatment outcomes are a risk drug resistant TB. Consequently, the study aimed to model the population, patient and d...
Abstract This qualitative study explores the experiences of 10 adults with epilepsy (AWE) in the Khomas region of Namibia. The study focuses on the everyday of problems, needs and coping strategies of this population as described during semi-structured interviews. An exploratory qualitative research design was used to investigate the experiences of AWE in the Khomas region of Namibia. Ten people with epilepsy were identified through purposive sampling. All participants were over the age of 18...
ABSTRACT As a new field of study, the impact of Facebook use is not well understood. Consequently, this descriptive quantitative cross-sectional study aims to address identified gaps by collecting Namibian specific data on the intensive Facebook use (IFU) and compulsive Facebook use (CFU) of first year students from the University of Namibia and describing how IFU and CFU relate to each other and to academic performance, life satisfaction and user characteristics. Using random sampling from a...
Abstract Time perspective is the subjective perception a person holds about his/her past, present and future. Past, present and future are regarded as the dimensions of time perspective. All experiences/events are sorted into the dimensions and are called "contentss" of time perspective. The events/experiences of the different dimensions of time perspective are connected to each other, which provides the person with a perception of continuity over the life span. A perception of continuity ove...
ABSTRACT In this study the aim was to determine whether elderly people are lonely. The researcher also wanted to determine whether music in therapy is a suitable mode of therapy to alleviate or lessen loneliness. This study was conceived as the author felt that this creative mode may be able to achieve what other modes of therapy cannot do, namely transcend the limitations of language or provide a vantage point for the therapeutic process. The study focused on elderly people, as the elderly m...
ABSTRACT Interpersonal control is a significant factor in the maintenance of alcohol dependency within the dyad relationship. In the treatment of a dysfunctional behaviour, like alcohol dependency, intuitive psychological interventions have been in use. This has generated much criticism. Therefore, research and measurement tools need to be used as a basis for more objective therapeutic interventions. This study was designed to develop a reliable and valid interpersonal control rating measure ...
ABSTRACT This study was conducted to find out the effectiveness of cognitive behaviour therapy on preoperative anxiety and post-surgical recovery. The study involved forty (40) elective surgical patients of both genders who came in for either a major or minor surgery at the surgical block of the Korle-Bu Teaching hospital. Data was collected by means of a questionnaire interview. The experimental group went through cognitive behavioural therapy, which comprised of cognitive techniques, toget...
ABSTRACT The study explored child neglect and its impact on the psychological wellbeing of adolescents in the Tema Metropolitan Assembly of the Greater Accra Region in Ghana. The study was done in two parts using the exploratory sequential mixed method design (study 1-qualitative study and study 2-quantitative study). In study 1, 16 purposively and conveniently sampled participants made up of 5 DOVVSU officials (key informants), 5 parents and 6 adolescents were interviewed to obtain their kn...