Search

This paper takes the form of an account of the emergence of the field of psychoanalytically informed parent-infant/child psychotherapy in South Africa. It traces the origins and the development of the South African field by locating local practice within the international field. The influential links between international approaches and local practice and services are described. The historical account is based on a review of published parent-infant/child literature, including South African authored texts. Interviews with key local stakeholders and practitioners supplement the literature review. This paper endeavours to locate parent-infant/child psychotherapy more clearly on the map of mental health work in South Africa, and in so doing to promote the work as both a relevant and valuable intervention. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

The United Nations estimates that 79% of teenage girls trafficked globally every year are forced into involuntary prostitution. About 247 000 South African children work in exploitative conditions; about 40 000 South African female teenagers work as prostitutes. This paper investigates lifestyles and routine activities of teenagers at risk of being trafficked for involuntary prostitution. The key concepts involuntary prostitution, intergenerational sex and exploitative conditions are defined in relation to the lifestyles and routine activities of South African female teenagers. Human trafficking for involuntary prostitution is described, based on a literature review. Lifestyle exposure and routine activities theories help to explain the potential victimisation of these teenagers in human trafficking for involuntary prostitution. Actual lifestyle and routine activities of South African teenagers and risky behaviours (substance abuse, intergenerational sex and child prostitution) are discussed as factors that make teens vulnerable to such trafficking. This paper recommends that human trafficking prevention efforts (awareness programmes and information campaigns) be directed at places frequented by human traffickers and teenagers in the absence of a capable guardian to reduce victimisation, as traffickers analyse the lifestyles and routine activities of their targets. South Africa should also interrogate entrenched practices such as intergenerational sex. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With the anticipated publication of the DSM-5 in May 2013, much reflection and work has been done on reviewing existing psychiatric nomenclature including, but not limited to the field of traumatic exposure. Traditionally, understanding of the psychiatric and psychological effects of trauma have been developed from studies with adults and then applied to trauma-exposed children with some modifications. While this is an important step to understanding the sequelae of trauma in children and adolescents, the adverse developmental effects of traumatic exposures on the rapidly evolving neurological, physical, social and psychological capacities of children calls for a developmentally sensitive framework for understanding, assessing and treating trauma-exposed children. The importance of early attachment relationships in infancy and childhood means that severely disrupted early caregiving relationships may have far-reaching and lifelong developmental consequences and can therefore be considered traumatic. Given the high rates of violence and trauma exposure of South African children and adolescents, the need for a developmentally based understanding of the effects of trauma on child and adolescent mental health becomes even more pronounced. In this paper, we draw on theoretical perspectives to provide a practical, clinically driven approach to the management of developmental trauma. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Objective:We examined several indicators of psychological health in a sample of orphans and vulnerable children (OVC) to determine if there were significant differences between those orphaned by AIDS and those orphaned by other causes, and if there were gender differences. Method:Our sample consisted of 119 young children (ages 6–10 years) who participated in a non-governmental organisation (NGO)-supported social services programme in a low-resource, non-urban community in South Africa. We collected data on three groups: non-orphans (OVC1;n= 45); orphans due to AIDS (OVC2;n= 43); and other orphans (OVC3;n= 31). Parents of non-orphans and legal guardians of orphans rated their children on a 112-item, age appropriate Child Behaviour Checklist (CBCL), South Africa version. Results:Children in the OVC2 group were significantly different from their peers on Internalising Problems and Somatic Complaints, while OVC3 group had a higher proportion of children in the at-risk range on Social Problems compared to OVC2. Females had elevated scores on the anxious/depressed, internalising problems, total problems, and sluggish cognitive tempo scales compared to males. There was an interaction between factors, such that boys in OVC2 had elevated mean scores on Somatic Complaints. These findings suggest increased vulnerability for girls on emotional issues and for boys on somatic problems. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

This case study presents the use of poetry in psychotherapy with an adolescent girl, Buhle (a pseudonym), who needed surgery to correct a curvature of her spine due to adolescent idiopathic scoliosis. She experienced anxiety which prevented surgeons from doing the procedure. Psychotherapists used narrative therapy to explore issues associated with and contributing to her anxiety and encouraged her to document her experiences through poetry, after learning that she was a keen poet. During psychotherapy Buhle's poems were used to track and narrate her experiences and as an empowering method allowing her to make personal sense of challenging experiences. Buhle's poems are presented within an account of the psychotherapy leading up to the surgery. Her poetry reveals a juxtaposition of regular adolescent identity issues in the face of coping with a demanding medical condition and the prospect of invasive surgery. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

ObjectiveAn important contributing factor, but one that has not been investigated thoroughly in South Africa, is the role of parental styles which has been consistently found to be a precursor of conduct disorder. MethodTo establish whether specific parental factors that contribute to this disorder in a South African sample, the Parental Bonding Instrument and the Family Environment Scale were administered to 2 groups of adolescent boys: a group diagnosed with conduct disorder (n = 40) and a group without a diagnosis of conduct disorder (n = 40). To test for significant differences between the two groups, t-tests were performed. ResultsA typical parenting style characterised by low care by the mother and overprotection by the father, which forms an affectionless, controlling parenting style, was found in the children in the conduct disorder group. This type of parenting style results in high control, low expressiveness of emotions, minimal involvement with children, and inadequate supervision and monitoring of children. ConclusionThe study provided sufficient evidence to conclude that a specific style of parenting can contribute to the aetiology of conduct disorder. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

ObjectiveThe aim of the study was to determine the knowledge and experiences of child care workers in the care and management of children with special needs in four institutions of the Department of Social Development in Tshwane Metro. MethodSelf-administered questionnaires were used to collect data from 253 child care workers. ResultsChild care workers showed a low level of knowledge about children with special needs. Most of the participants (67.4%) indicated that they need training in the care and management of children with special needs. Over half of the participants (57.3%) experienced feelings of frustration associated with working with special needs children. Lack of training and resources, and children's level of disability and behaviour were the major causes of this frustration. ConclusionsA system of care to assure safe, quality service is paramount to ensure optimum care and management of children with special needs. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Objectives: According to the 2001 census (StatsSA 2001), approximately 12% of the population in South Africa are intellectually disabled and 7% of the population have a communication disability. Early diagnosis and intervention is vital for optimum functioning in later life yet most children are not identified until well into their schooling. Since foundation phase teachers are amongst the first to encounter these difficulties, this research explored foundation phase teachers’ perceptions of learners with learning difficulties (LD) in two inner city public schools in Johannesburg. Methods: Eight teachers were interviewed using a semi-structured interview schedule. The challenges associated with dealing with children who have a LD together with issues of stigma and parents responses were explored. Thematic content analysis was used to analyse the results. Results: Seven themes were identified, namely understanding of LD, symptoms of LD, aetiology of LD, impact LD has on a learner, stigmatisation of learners with LD, parental denial and inclusive education. Conclusion: From the results, it was evident that LD needs a more contextually appropriate definition in South Africa for teachers to correctly identify these learners. Furthermore, teachers require more training for them to effectively cope with learners with LD. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

The author reflects on the challenges that intellectually disabled sexual violence survivors face when engaging with the legal system. He suggests that the intellectually disabled are multiply burdened because they have to cope with not only their cognitive disability but also with being targets and easy prey for sexual violence perpetrators. He argues that the court processes and evidence delivery mechanisms in the case of people with intellectual disabilities need to be re-examined.

Aim: The article describes a framework and the process for the development of the peer-based mental health support programme and its implementation. The development of a peer-based mental health support programme is based on Erikson's theory on the adolescent phase of development, the psycho-educational processes; the peer approach and the orphaned adolescents lived experiences as conceptual framework. Methods: A triangulation of five qualitative methods of photography, reflective diaries, focus groups, event history calendar and field notes were used to capture the lived experiences of adolescents orphaned to HIV and AIDS. Analysis of data followed Colaizzi's method of data analysis. Results: The combination of psycho-education, Erikson's stages of development and peer support assisted the participants to gain knowledge and skills to overcome adversity and to assist them to become to more resilient. Conclusion: The peer based mental health support programme if used would enhance the mental health of adolescent orphans. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Objective: Premature termination of treatment amongst children and families attending mental health services is a significant problem for both outcomes research and clinical practice in South Africa and elsewhere. This study investigated factors that are associated with premature termination of treatment at a public service child and family clinic in Cape Town. Method: A retrospective archival analysis of clinic files from 2002–2009 was conducted. Administrative, child and family factors, and type of treatment were explored as risk factors for premature termination. Results: A single-parent household and the presence of a child or oppositional defiant disorder were risk factors for premature termination of treatment, while the presence of a maternal psychiatric diagnosis was associated with a lower likelihood of terminating treatment prematurely. Conducting a scholastic assessment with the child was associated with a lower risk of premature termination, while there was a trend towards a higher risk of premature termination when individual child therapy was the recommended treatment. Conclusions: This study offers recommendations for how these findings could assist South African clinicians to enhance client retention in child and family mental health services, and suggestions for future research. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Objective: The aim of this study was to explore child rape survivors' perceptions of helpful and harmful experiences at the hands of professional service providers. Method: Focused interviews were conducted with a convenience sample of 20 child rape survivors who had presented for counselling services at a non-governmental organisation located in the coastal region of KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. For each case, information was obtained regarding children's perceptions of helpful and harmful experiences at the hands of police, medical and criminal justice system personnel. Results: A thematic analysis of children's responses indicated that the concerns expressed by respondents reflected four basic inter-related needs and rights including the need and right: to be given a voice, to be informed and consulted, to be protected from harm, and for competent and efficient service provision. Study findings provided little support to the view that the medico-legal examination or the adversarial nature of legal proceedings are likely to be experienced as particularly distressing or traumatising for the child. Conclusions: Study findings indicate that the professional services provided to some child rape survivors fail to adequately address the child's basic needs and rights, with there being an associated need for improved codes of practice designed to better serve the interests of child rape survivors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: This article explores the psychological issues experienced by adolescents affected by HIV and living in a residential care facility. Method: This was a multi-method, exploratory study. Data were collected through one focus group discussion with adolescents at the residential care facility, individual interviews with caregivers and ethnographic observation. Data were obtained from a residential care facility for HIV affected and infected children and mothers in Gauteng. Results: Findings suggest that for adolescents in this study, living in a residential care facility offered both opportunities and challenges. Adolescents at the facility enjoyed material and, to some extent, emotional support. Association with a facility known as a HIV and AIDS care facility, however, had a negative impact on the adolescents. Additionally, the lack of significant attachment figures, asserting their independence and challenging the authority and the expectations of the facility appeared to be significant developmental challenges. Adolescents reported experiencing a range of emotional and psychological problems, some of which were present before they arrived at the facility. Conclusion: Living in a care facility can be both a protective and a risk factor; additional studies on the availability and the impact of alternate forms of care are suggested. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: Learners' perceptions of aspects of school life that are sufficiently serious to interfere with their schoolwork were investigated. Bullying was a form of behaviour that was singled out for inclusion and further exploration in the study. Method: Learners from three coeducational Western Cape Education Department schools were surveyed: 414 Grade 8 and 474 Grade 9 learners completed an anonymous, voluntary self-report questionnaire. Results: Factors identified as most frequently interfering with their schoolwork included classmates not listening in class, feeling overwhelmed by schoolwork, teacher absenteeism, and verbal fighting. When asked specifically about bullying, 40% of learners indicated that they frequently experienced bullying at school-although they ranked it as much lower when compared to other potentially problematic school experiences. Furthermore, although the majority of learners indicated they thought teachers considered bullying a problem, few felt there was anything that school staff could do to counteract bullying effectively. Conclusions: These findings suggest that learners perceive bullying as an unavoidable part of school experience and have normalised this aggressive behaviour. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]