3. Electronic Theses and Dissertations (ETDs) - All submissions
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Item Analyses of experiences of vicarious traumatisation in short-term insurance claims workers(2013-09-05) Ludick, MarneThe research entailed a comprehensive study of vicarious trauma in short-term insurance claims workers, compared to trauma counsellors and a control group of holiday booking consultants. A well-known, comprehensive model of compassion fatigue/secondary traumatic stress, developed for therapists formed the basis of the study. The research attempted to determine whether this model can be applied more widely to include administrative populations exposed to traumatised clients on a regular basis. To this end, the model was deconstructed into its eleven constituent parts and each element was investigated in addition to other variables of interest to the study. This was done to determine the importance and applicability of each model element and other selected variables to the administrative context. A mixed methods approach was utilised, which combined quantitative and qualitative data. The results yielded by the study were collectively utilised to construct an etic and an emic voice from the research. At the same time, effects from vicarious trauma were considered from an overarching bio-psychosocial stance, systematically gauging effects on various levels of functioning. Scores from quantitative measures on secondary traumatic stress, negative cognitive schemas, empathy, social support and compassion satisfaction were statistically analysed, which revealed significant differences between the worker groups. Widely accepted relationships between the study variables were tested and found to hold true within and across groups. Regression analysis determined the roles of empathy, social support and compassion satisfaction in vicarious trauma, as measured by secondary traumatic stress and negative cognitive schemas. In addition, constructivist selfdevelopment theory was employed to interpret the negative cognitive effects from vicarious traumatisation. Qualitative data were utilised to further elucidate the role and nature of vicarious trauma in each of the worker groups. The themes of exposure to client suffering, detachment, level of empathic engagement, personal trauma history and difficult life demands were unearthed from the qualitative data, which illuminated the importance and role of each of these elements to claims workers. Other areas of interest, being utilisation of sick-leave as a means to cope, work-related illness, attitudes towards professional counselling, feelings evoked by traumatised clients, and the language utilised by workers in response to client traumata were investigated. Further effects on participants as well iv as effects that reach beyond the person were identified and examined. Effects on the social and work contexts were also elucidated. Finally, interesting themes that emerged spontaneously from the data were considered. The consideration of the various model elements and other areas of interest systematically revealed that administrative workers dealing with traumatised clients are also affected by the process of vicarious trauma. Furthermore, the model was found to be largely suitable to the context of claims workers. However, the model was expanded to augment its usability within the more general administrative domain. Finally, the overarching aim was to enrich, contextualise and elaborate on the experiences of claims workers within their unique work context, to facilitate insight and a deeper understanding of vicarious trauma in more administrative populations that have largely been overlooked in research.Item Food insecurity and social support as determinants of health outcomes among patients attending rural HIV clinic in Bushbuckridge, South Africa(2010-04-12T08:14:49Z) Lweno, OmarAbstract not included on cdItem The Role of Social Support in the Relationship between Exposure to Traumatic Stressors and Posttraumatic Stress Symptoms in a Sample of Emergency Care Practitioners(2007-02-22T12:54:15Z) Basedau, Natascha TanyaThe present study served to investigate the way in which continuous exposure to potentially traumatic incidents impacts on the South African Emergency Care Practitioner (ECP). The study sought to investigate the presence of symptoms of posttraumatic stress (PTS) in the sample and the events which appear to pose the greatest threat to these ECPs’ mental health. The notion that individuals exposed to the same traumatic stressors can present with very different posttraumatic responses has led to the acknowledgement that the relationship between exposure and PTS is a complex one. Studies have examined a multitude of variables believed to impact in some way on this relationship, with particular emphasis on individual appraisals and coping styles. Less attention has been afforded the role of social phenomena in the development of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). The attention that has been afforded these phenomena has tended to examine social support as a unidimensional construct, and studies have often measured different social support conceptualisations. Utilising a recognised psychosocial framework, the present study sought to investigate the impact of social support in the relationship between exposure and PTS. It sought to examine three distinct facets of social support, namely: the appraisal of being supported, the perception of available supportive behaviours from family and friends, and an individual’s orientation towards utilising support. The study used a cross-sectional, correlational design to investigate the relationships between exposure, PTSD symptoms and social support. The procedure involved the anonymous completion of several standardised self-report measures by 107 ECPs from Netcare 911, a private South African emergency care organisation. These measures included a revised version of the Paramedic Work Exposure Checklist (PWEC), the Revised Impact of Event Scale (RIES), the Social Support Appraisals Scale (SS-A), the Social Support Behaviours Scale (SS-B) and the Network Orientation Scale (NOS). The events that tended to be rated as having the most negative emotional impact among respondents involved assisting abused or injured children, witnessing the death or injury of a coworker, assisting victims of sexual assault, dealing with equipment failure or the incompetence of others and receiving inadequate or incorrect information when dispatched on a call. The correlational analyses revealed that exposure to events rated as having a negative emotional impact was significantly and positively associated with symptoms of PTSD in the sample. Correlational analyses also revealed that each of the facets of social support measured was significantly negatively associated with symptoms of PTSD. The results indicate that the mode and source of support most significantly associated with symptoms of PTSD in the sample was the perception of available emotional support from friends. In spite of the direct relationships observed between symptoms of PTSD and the facets of social support examined, none of the social support facets investigated emerged as a significant buffer in the relationship between exposure and PTSD. The study highlights the need for additional research, including longitudinal investigation, into the role of multiple facets of social support in the relationship between exposure and PTSD. Some suggestions for future research and the practical application of the findings of the research are offered.Item Secondary traumatic stress, level of exposure,empathy and social support in trauma workers(2007-02-21T12:47:39Z) Macritchie, VictoriaA review of trauma literature indicated that in comparison to PTSD there is very little research into the effects of secondary trauma, especially with regards to trauma workers. The present study explored the psychological impact of trauma workers who work with victims of violent crimes. Both Figley’s (1995) trauma transmission model and Dutton and Rubenstein (1995) ecological model were used to develop a refined trauma model for trauma workers in South Africa, which formed the theoretical basis for the current research. This model looked at the relationships between specific key variables (level of exposure to traumatic material, empathy, and level of perceived social support) and secondary traumatic stress, and their interrelationship. In the present study relevant information was gathered from volunteer trauma workers (N=64) using self-report measures. Data was analysed using the following statistical techniques: Descriptive statistics, Pearson’s Correlation Coefficients, Two Independent Sample T-Test, and a Moderated Multiple Regression. Results indicated that the trauma workers, to some extent, experienced symptoms of secondary traumatic stress. In addition, it was found that previous exposure to traumatic material, level of empathy, and level of perceived social support have a significant relationship with secondary traumatic stress. Social support was not found to have a moderating effect, but empathy emerged as a consistent moderator between the trauma workers previous exposure to traumatic material and secondary traumatic stress. Results also revealed that ones qualification made no difference in the development of secondary traumatic stress. In summary, this study expanded on knowledge into the effects of criminal violence in South Africa, particularly with concern to trauma workers, a population often ignored. This study was considered to be a contribution to trauma literature as it provides much needed empirical evidence.