School of Human and Community Development (ETDs)

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    Social workers’ experiences of providing psychosocial support to learners in foster care in Merafong city, Gauteng during the covid-19 pandemic
    (University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, 2024) Balopedi, Karabo Mpho
    The South African government attempted to curb a second wave of COVID-19 by banning activities individuals used as their coping mechanisms during the peak of the pandemic. This created a period of heightened stress which resulted in the increase in need for psychosocial services. Social workers within the Department of Social Development, were part of the individuals tasked with rendering psychosocial services. The aim of the study was to explore social workers’ experiences of providing psychosocial support to learners in foster care during the COVID-19 pandemic in Merafong City, Gauteng. It was a qualitative study, that was exploratory in nature following an instrumental case study design. The ecological perspective guided the study. The method of data collection was semi-structured interviews using a semi- structured interview guide as the research tool. Purposive sampling technique was used to select the 10 social workers who meet the inclusion criteria. The collected data was analysed using thematic analysis. The findings revealed that there was lack of resources and no preparation or training to deal with the pandemic. There was also a fear of the virus being spread by social workers amongst themselves and to clients. The study also revealed that social workers needed to find alternative ways to provide services by being flexible, creative and adaptable to the new normal. The findings contribute to the South African knowledge base about the psychosocial support needs of social workers who render psychosocial services within traumatic circumstances like a pandemic. The identified gaps provide research opportunities for government and academics.
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    The lived experiences of caregivers: psychological and social implications of caring for patients with Bipolar Disorder
    (University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, 2023-05) Nicolau, Mikaela Diane; Kasese-Hara, Mambwe
    Due to the nature of the illness, bipolar disorder (BD) has detrimental effects on the diagnosed patients as well as their caregivers (Hajda et al., 2016). Vast amounts of research have been published on the impact and implications experienced by caregivers of mentally ill patients however, a majority of research assessing the psychological and socio-economic status of the caregivers has been quantitative in nature (Sharif et al., 2020). This study sought to understand the psychological and social implications of caring for a patient with BD, with a specific focus on caregivers in the Gauteng region. The middle-class was chosen as Ayalew et al. (2019) found that the higher the caregiver’s income, the fewer implications they experienced as a caregiver. A phenomenological framework was used to conduct this study. The qualitative method of data collection was face-to-face, in-depth interviews with six participants (two males, four females), who were selected using purposive sampling. The interviews were transcribed verbatim, and the data analysed by means of Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis. For the caregivers in the current study, managing the patient’s unpredictable behaviour and dealing with the varying symptoms of the disorder presented a challenge. They described the caregiving role as an emotional rollercoaster, signifying the chaotic, up-and-down nature of the disorder. Being a mother-caregiver led to shared experiences among the caregivers, with similar implications being expressed. Being a wife, however, presented significantly greater caregiver implications. The male caregivers have adapted to their roles better than the females. The theme of financial implications was interesting in this study, as these implications varied among the respondents. The researcher found it interesting that five of the participants spoke about neglecting their needs without any probing, yet they also acknowledged the importance of self-care and being aware of their mental state. The participants in this study expressed the need for support groups, which are lacking in the country. Whilst the findings of this study were in line with much published research, the researcher notes that there is a scarcity of literature covering some of the themes and subthemes presented, and therefore further research should be conducted.