ETD Collection

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    Trauma in the South African Police force : personality and coping as risk factors for developing post-traumatic stress disorder.
    (2014-07-03) Waterston, Danielle
    The South African service (SAPS) has a reputation for being resilient despite the amounts of trauma they are exposed to. Research has shown that this occupation is one of the most stressful. However, research surrounding the SAPS suggests that police work is one of society’s most stressful occupations. The way in which individuals respond to such traumatisations is dependent on numerous factors, two being personality and coping. In so far, this study investigated three main areas around police reservists – a unit within the SAPS - in order to understand their responses to trauma: whether personality factors were related to post-traumatic stress symptomatology (PTSS) in the police reservist population; whether coping moderated the relationship between personality factors and PTSS; whether a personality factors predict coping style. A quantitative analysis was conducted among a sample of 36 reservists in the Gauteng area of South Africa. This study found that the relationship between Neuroticism and PTSS is mediated by coping, specifically Emotion-Focused and Dysfunctional Coping styles. A relationship between Conscientiousness and PTSS showed to be prevalent, however this is not due to the mediation affect of coping. Furthermore, Neuroticism and Extraversion showed to predict coping style. Specifically, Neuroticism showed to affect EFC and DC and Extraversion showed to affect EFC. The descriptive statistics showed that this sample of police reservists is suffering from PTSD. Implications of these findings are discussed and directions for future research are explored.
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    The perceptions of first year students on the impact of relocation on their adjustment at university : a relocation study.
    (2009-02-13T08:12:17Z) Nkuna, Joy Manini
    The research aims to establish the perceived impact of relocation on first year student’s ability to cope with academic demands at University. The research intends to answer the following questions: How do first year students perceive their adjustment at University? Has the relocation impacted on the students functioning on any level? For example: -Academically, Emotionally, Physically and Socially. A large number of young adults relocate due to the need to pursue their chosen careers at the University. However, this happens at a time in their life when there is a lot of turmoil around social and individual identity and the pressures from society to achieve, including pressures to secure their future. This happens independently from parents and relevant social ties when students study away from home. A qualitative methodology was used for the research. The sample consisted of 10 Black female post matric first year students at University. The age range of participants was between 17 and 20. Data was collected through the use of semi structured interviews. Gathered data was analyzed using thematic content analysis. This involves organizing the data into categories on the bases of the themes and concepts. The concepts were then linked up in the form of a sequence. Eight steps were then followed when analyzing the data, which forms part of the criteria for thematic content analysis. Results obtained indicate that students find relocation to be a perturbing experience which pushes one out of their comfort zone into the unknown. This experience forces one to make numerous adjustments. The move taps into one's ability to deal with ambiguities, function independently and implement a task to deal with unanticipated challenges. Thus students are expected to take on the role of young adulthood. This brings with it the reality that they now have to be independent. As a result of this, most students get involved in what is called goal modification, namely focusing on what they would like instead of focusing on what their parents would want. The process is challenging as one is going through a process of loss and, in other ways, gain. The loss of social capital is felt as having a negative impact on academic performance. This is because students loose their source of motivation, support and reliable company. They now have to source it within themselves, an attribute which has proven to be difficult. Relocation is viewed as a compounding variable to other challenging factors to students. Hence the students’ relocation is perceived to be a variable which tends to have a negative affect on students’ academic performance. This is due to the fact that relocation tends to create a sense of discontinuity from known academic structures, social support ties and familiar surroundings. The loss of the above mentioned factors tends to aggravate the process of academic adjustment.
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    Work – family conflict, sense of coherence,coping resources and job satisfaction amongst women general practitioners
    (2006-11-16T07:59:56Z) Mulaudzi, Tshifhiwa Ruth
    The aim of the present study was to explore how women general practitioners experience work-family conflict, their sense of coherence, coping resources as well as implications of these on their level of job satisfaction. This involved investigating the bi-dimensional model of the work-family conflict and measuring them against other investigated variables like coping resources, sense of coherence and job satisfaction. The research was conceptualized based on the stress and coping models. Literature review based mostly on international level revealed that women doctors do experience work-family conflict and that it does impact on their level of well-being. The sample, which consisted of women general practitioners residing in the Gauteng province, was obtained using snowballing method and non-probability sampling method. A hundred and fourteen questionnaires were distributed by mail and within a period of three months only 28 questionnaires had been returned of which 22 were used for statistical procedures. Statistical analysis involved a number of procedures including Pearson correlation, t-test procedures and partial correlation methods. The results revealed that women general practitioners do experience work-family conflict especially one aspect of it known as the family interference with work (F→W). Furthermore results indicated that the experience of work-family conflict, specifically the F→W amongst these women does affect their level of job satisfaction in a significantly negative way. Demographics on the other hand proved to have no significant impact on the level of job satisfaction amongst these women. Lastly, it was noted that even though these women employed a wide variety of coping resources none of them proved to have any significant effect on their level of job satisfaction.