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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]

Objectives:Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is common, yet under-recognised and undertreated, particularly in low socio-economic settings. Little is known about compliance to evidence- based guidelines in low- and middle-income countries, and no clinical audits have been published in Africa. We undertook to measure compliance in a South African setting using the National Institute for Clinical Excellence (NICE) guidelines for ADHD as the gold standard to compare compliance and socio-demographic characteristics between two treatment locations in Cape Town and to generate an audit checklist for standardising care. Methods:The study used a sample of 100 randomly selected cases of school-age patients diagnosed with ADHD, at the Division of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry, Red Cross War Memorial Children’s Hospital and University of Cape Town, South Africa. Fifty cases each from a central and a peripheral clinic location were reviewed retrospectively using audit tools, including 17 audit standards derived from NICE guidelines. We defined compliance as “good” with ≥80%, “fair” with 50–79%, and “poor” with <50% adherence. Results:Compliance was low, with only four audit standards rated as “good”. Physical monitoring was especially poor. The central group received more treatment options and relatively safer monitoring. Conclusions:We recommend introducing structured protocols followed by re-auditing to improve service delivery, and present a checklist for use in future audit cycles. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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]

Parent and peer relationships are important social resources for adolescents. South African research on adolescents' relationships, however, underemphasises these relationships as potential positive resources. Studies also tend to use samples from urban populations, while rural and semi-rural adolescent populations are neglected. This study focused on White and Coloured adolescents living in one South African semi-rural community and their ratings of positive and negative relationship qualities in relationships with parents and peers. Using the Network of Relationships Inventory (NRI), we found that mothers, best friends and romantic partners were relatively equal sources of social support. Mothers' high ratings for support, conflict and punishment may point to mothers bearing the primary responsibility for child care. Fathers' low support ratings raise concern as father involvement is important for adolescents' well-being. White participants overall rated their relationship higher for support and lower for negative qualities than the Coloured participants. [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]

Across the globe, and particularly in the high-income countries of the developed world, adolescents are resorting in increasing numbers to the virtual world for peer interaction and socialisation (Subrahmanyam, Smahel and Greenfield 2006). This new and popular way of relating through virtual mediums such as the Internet has sparked public concern, and has been a focus of academic debate. Ongoing debate in psychology literature discusses the notion of compulsive usage of online communication platforms (commonly termed Internet addiction), particularly among adolescents (Kim et al. 2006, Fu et al. 2010, Israelashvili, Kim and Bukobza 2012). [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Objective: This article reports on an investigation into the connection between spirituality and the lifestyle choices of adolescents in the North West Province of South Africa. Method: An examination of the theoretical connections between these two entities in the lives of adolescents was followed by a quantitative study in which a questionnaire consisting of an adapted version of the Youth Risk Behaviour Survey and the Spiritual Well-Being Scale was used. Results: The empirical investigation shows that a significant correlation exists between the two variables and it appears that spiritual well-being can have a positive influence on the lifestyle choices made by adolescents. Conclusion: Further research must be carried out to assess the impact of spirituality on risk behaviours and lifestyle choices. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

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]