ETD Collection

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Subject: search.filters.subject.depression

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Now showing 1 - 6 of 6
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    Does social support affect depression in patients on antiretroviral treatment program in rural KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa?
    (2010-04-15T08:57:12Z) Yeji, Francis Asepola
    Good and quality social support has been positively associated with mental health and researchers and clinicians are increasingly recognising the important protective role it plays in people living with HIV/AIDS (PLWA). We investigated whether the mental health (depression) of patients receiving antiretroviral treatment (ART) in a public-sector treatment programme in the rural district of Umkhanyakude, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa is influenced by social support and strategies to cope with HIV infection. Depression was assessed in a cross-section of 272 patients (mean age 38 years, age range 20-67 years) with the General Health Questionnaire 12 (GHQ12). A GHQ12 score of 4 or higher indicated mental health pathology (depression), while lower scores indicated normal mental health. We regressed depression on sex, age, marital status, education, household wealth, social support (instrumental and emotional social support), and 6 strategies to cope with HIV infection. Holding the other variables constant, “instrumental social support” was a significant predictor of mental health pathology (OR = 0.65 P<0.001, 95% CI 0.52 - 0.81). Using “avoidance of people” as a strategy to cope with HIV increased the odds of depression almost threefold (OR = 2.79 P=0.006, 95% CI 1.34 - 5.82), “trying to keep it from bothering” one reduced it by a factor two (OR = 0.45 P=0.068, 95% CI 0.20 - 1.06). 33% of patients were depressed indicating that depression is very common in patients on ART in rural South Africa. In addition to drug treatment, interventions improving instrumental social support and changes in the strategies to cope with HIV infection may be effective in reducing this disease burden among ART patients.
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    Depression and anxiety in HIV infected individuals attending HIV treatment facilities at various sites in South Africa: occurrence and related factors. A descriptive-analytic study
    (2009-05-08T12:08:31Z) Thom, Rita
    International literature, most of which originates from First-world countries where HIV predominantly affects socially marginalised minority populations, has well-described the burden of mental disorder, particularly depressive and anxiety disorders in HIV-infected individuals. The few studies conducted in developing countries show contradictory results. This study aimed to describe the occurrence of mental disorders; particularly depressive and anxiety disorders, in a population of HIV-infected individuals attending HIV-treatment sites in Gauteng and Mpumalanga in South Africa from November 2004 to November 2005. A cross-sectional descriptive-analytic study, it included a clinical diagnostic interview and a semi-structured interview to explore postulated risk and protective factors, including demographic, clinical and psychosocial variables, for depressive and anxiety disorders in HIV-infected individuals. Three hundred and two (302) individuals were interviewed at the Perinatal HIV Research Unit’s associated Wellness clinics and at the Chris Hani Baragwanath Hospital’s Nthabiseng HIV clinic. Just over thirty percent of participants had a current mental disorder and the lifetime prevalence of mental disorder was 40%. Almost 17% of participants had a current depressive disorder and almost 16% had a lifetime depressive disorder. The occurrence of major depressive disorder, current and lifetime, was 3.64% and 10.26% respectively. Sixty percent of participants with lifetime major depressive disorder had their first onset after diagnosis of HIV status. The occurrence of current and lifetime anxiety disorder was almost 4%. Substance use disorders were common, affecting 7.6% of the participants at time of interview. Lifetime prevalence of substance use disorders was 18.9%, suggesting that knowledge of HIV status or other interventions may have resulted in this significant decrease. Identified significant risk factors for depressive disorder included a history of a lifetime depressive disorder, moderate or severe psychosocial stress and feelings of isolation. Being in a support group was found to be a protective factor against depressive disorder. While the results in this study are conservative compared to those of other similar South African studies in HIV-infected individuals, there was a statistically significantly increased occurrence of depressive and anxiety disorders (combined) compared to general population prevalence studies of these disorders in South Africa. Ways of improving access to mental healthcare for HIV-infected individuals and the general population, are discussed
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    Work design, anxiety and depression: A call centre case study
    (2008-05-23T08:40:26Z) Mphuthi, Faith Lerato
    This research study explores the possible relationships that may exist between the work design, level of anxiety and depression in South African call centres. By investigating the work design of a call centre and exploring its relationship to anxiety and depression will help to achieve this. Variables that will be looked at in this research study are work design, anxiety and depression. Our sample comprised of call centre agents. The agents were came from one inbound and one outbound call centre. It was then realized during the analysis of the data that there is no significant difference between the two call centres therefore the two samples were merged into one sample thus increasing our sample size to a total of 56 respondents. Pearson correlation analysis revealed that significant positive correlations exist between all the variables, work design, level of anxiety and depression. It was also proven that the higher the JCI score the lower the anxiety and depression levels. Additional correlation tests were conducted to see whether there is a relationship that exists between JCI subscales, anxiety and depression. Results showed that not all of the sub-scales of the JCI show a significant correlation with Anxiety and Depression. Only Autonomy and Feedback to some degree correlate with Anxiety (r = 0.38; p = 0.004 and r = 0.26; p = 0.053). Variety and Authority correlated significantly and positively with Depression (r=0.38; p = 0.004; and r = 0.32; p = 0.017). These results indicate good support for this research study, illustrating that the manner in which work is designed will have an effect in the anxiety and depression levels experienced by the employees.
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    An investigation of Depression among clinical, counselling and educational psychologists in private practice
    (2006-11-15T12:53:12Z) Esterhuizen, Melanie Jane
    The aim of this study is to investigate depression in clinical, counselling and educational psychologists in private practice. Forty-one psychologists completed a survey questionnaire consisting of closed and open-ended questions. The questionnaire required no identifying details. This ensured confidentiality, and the information gathered was subjected to both quantitative and qualitative analyses, which forms the basis of this dissertation. The results confirm that psychologists do indeed suffer with depression. However, contrary to expectation, it is not always the work of a psychologist which creates the conditions for depression, but rather a history of depression or a vulnerability to depression, which is sometimes stirred up by different aspects of the work. Also, a psychologist’s personal experience of depression often seems to be helpful during the therapeutic process, where the therapist uses his/her subjective experience of depression, to understand and assist clients in the management of their emotional pain. In addition, the negative impact of depression on clinical work is explored. In the sample, there do not appear to be many differences between clinical, counselling and educational psychologists regarding their experiences of depression. With hindsight, it was thought that the division of the disciplines did not add anything meaningful to the study. The purposively drawn sample was biased towards clinical psychologists. Also, the investigative nature of the study made it difficult to draw conclusions which could be generalized to the population of psychologists in South Africa. Despite the study’s limitations, the results, when compared with existing literature regarding depression in psychologists, revealed many similarities. Areas of further research were identified.
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    The Relationship between Three Religious Coping Styles and Suicidal Ideation and Positive Ideation in Young Adults
    (2006-11-01T08:58:26Z) Smith, Danielle Ann Elise
    Internationally, suicide is highly prevalent among adolescents and young adults, and South African data suggest that suicide is a serious problem that is increasingly affecting the Black population and young men in particular. This study aimed firstly to investigate the prevalence of suicidal behaviour among young adults, and, in a sample of 85 young people (aged 19-30), one in seven had previously attempted suicide, and almost one in three had recently thought about killing themselves. Sociological research has shown that religion has a predominantly protective effect with regard to suicide, however psychological research, while providing evidence for a similar relationship, has also shown that religious strain may contribute to suicidality. This study sought to establish whether a relationship exists between suicidal ideation (and positive ideation), and various indicators of religiosity. Unexpectedly, given the research trends, suicidal ideation was significantly positively associated with self-reported religious salience (r = .297, p = .006), and with the collaborative/deferring religious coping style (r = .301, p = .005), characterized by higher levels of religiosity. Suicidal ideation was significantly negatively associated with the self-directing style (r = -.331, p = .002), favoured by less religious participants. Positive ideation was unrelated to religious salience, participation, and both religious coping approaches. Various explanations were proposed for these results. Cognition is a central pathway for suicidality, and insecure religious attachment, when triggered by stressors, may set in motion a cognitive process involving negative religious attributions and harmful religious coping strategies – typical symptoms of religious strain which has been associated with suicidal behaviour. Maladaptive religious beliefs and behaviours may also have a negative impact on depression, hopelessness and helplessness, all vulnerability factors for suicidal behaviour in young people. It is also possible that, when faced by life challenges that exceed coping capacity, individuals may be more likely to turn to God, while simultaneously experiencing hopelessness, depression and suicidal ideation. Finally, the gender skew in the sample may have resulted in the high levels of suicidal behaviour and religiosity, and the positive relationship between them. Vulnerability to suicidal behaviour in young adults is a multifaceted problem, and religion, itself a multidimensional concept, is one of many factors that may provide protection against or contribute to suicidal behaviour. In order to understand the complex problem of vulnerability to suicidal behaviour in young adults, there is a need for further multivariate research.
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    Self-esteem and depression of employed versus unemployed male homosexuals in long-term monogamous partnerships
    (2006-02-09) Crawford, Daryth Clinton Brown
    The relation between self-esteem and depression with regard to employment status of gay men in long-term monogamous partnerships was investigated, specifically to determine if a relation exists between employment status and self-esteem, and between employment status and depression in these men. The relation between eleven biographical and psychosocial variables with self-esteem and depression were also investigated. Non-probability snowball and purposive sampling were used to gather the sample of 56 gay male couples who were predominantly white; middle-class; well-educated; urban-dwelling South Africans; that had been involved for a mean length of 7.3 years. Each couple consisted of an employed partner and an unemployed partner, who had a mean length of 3.4 years of unemployment. Five couples (10 subjects) formed a pilot study and completed only the Revised Janis-Field Feelings of Inadequacy Scale (R-JFFIS), while the remaining 51 couples (102 subjects) completed both the R-JFFIS and the Revised Beck Depression Inventory (R-BDI). An Analysis of Covariance (ANCOVA) computed for the mixed effect model with fixed factor of employment status nested within the random factor of couple, controlling for the effects of the possible covariates revealed a significant difference between self-esteem of employed and unemployed partners. The difference is not significant for depression. Confirmatory evidence for the importance of age as a significant predictor of self-esteem was found for the whole sample; while perceived health and education were found to be significant predictors of depression. Self-esteem and depression were found to be inversely related in both employed and unemployed partners individually and collectively, while a positive correlation was found between self-esteem of employed and unemployed partners. Multiple regression analysis revealed that the eleven variables investigated were poor correlates of self-esteem in both partners. Only perceived health was found to be a significant predictor of depression in employed and unemployed partners respectively. No known existing studies investigate these particular dimensions of gay life. The disparity of self-esteem scores between employed and unemployed partners and the inverse relation between perceived health and depression provide a proactive position, from which primary prevention of depression could be achieved.