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Place attachments are essential for community identity, yet little is understood about sacred natural sites' salience to these attachments. A network of sacred natural sites, also known as Zwifho, ...

Introduction The input from practitioners in developmental assessment test revision is a crucial and leading component of the project. This paper highlights six key phases of the Griffiths III revision process and the value of having a guiding plan that includes test practitioner input. Methods The revision of the Griffiths III consisted of six separate phases that were supported by practitioner and user input and feedback. These six phases and practitioner views ensured that the necessary core constructs and new areas for item development were included in the revised version. These processes also underscored the construct development and task review, item design, piloting and standardization of the revised version, as well as its production, release and subsequent training methods. Results The six guiding phases provided a methodologically robust frame to the revision process. Practitioners valued an overall developmental measure with discrete data about and within the 'avenues of learning' allowing them to analyse a child's strengths and weaknesses. Communication with practitioners across the world demonstrated the wide disparity of culture and environments that the Griffiths Scales are deployed in. It is not possible to design a revised scale that is appropriate for all areas of use, so in this revision process, it was decided to design the scales as culturally fair as possible and support practitioners in other countries to translate and validate the scales for use. Conclusions The revision of the Griffiths III found test users to be valuable sources of information on the basis of their experiences with the test and professional knowledge. Creating a continuous feedback mechanism within a phased process provided opportunities for the revision team to engage meaningfully with the data being obtained as well as test users to advance the scope and quality of the test. Revision teams are encouraged to consider the process and engagement methods explored in this study during their projects.

There is an increasing trend to consider complementary ways of combining quantitative and qualitative assessment. Furthermore, there is a growing awareness of the need to revise psychological measures on a regular basis. This article attempts to address both these trends and uses a child development measure, the Griffiths III, as an illustration of how this can be accomplished. The outcome proposes a potential six step revision process.

Purpose This study aimed to share the application, experiences, and lessons learnt regarding the value of the Mmogo-method that is a visual projective research method, in the context of exploring the experiences and coping of undergraduate diagnostic radiography students with death and dying patients in the workplace. Methods Verbatim data were gathered during the debriefing phase of the adapted Mmogo-method technique from the participants. In addition, the reflective memos of the independent coder and interviewer were used as data sources. Results The experiences of various stakeholders positively supported the use of the visual projective research method. The method enabled them to freely and openly verbalise their experiences of coping with death and dying in the workplace. Juxtaposing these was one experience of indifference. Conclusion The Mmogo-method provides rich data and enables an ethically and methodologically rigorous opportunity to obtain new insights into sensitive topics. It is recommended for consideration when researching sensitive topics.

BackgroundClinical assessment of catatonia includes the use of diagnostic systems, like the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual 5 (DSM-5) and International Classification of Disease Manual 10 (ICD-10), or screening tools such as the Bush Francis Screening Instrument (BFCSI)/Bush Francis Catatonia Rating Scale (BFCRS) and Braunig’s Catatonia Rating Scale. In this study, we describe the inter-rater reliability (IRR), utilizing the BFCSI, BFCRS and DSM-5 to screen for catatonia. MethodData from 10 participants recruited as part of a larger prevalence study were used to determine IRR by five assessors after they were trained in the application of the 14-item BFCSI, 23-item BFCRS and DSM-5 to assess catatonia in new admissions. Krippendorff α was used to compute the IRR, and Spearman’s correlation was used to determine concordance between screening tools. The study was performed at a 35-bed acute mental health unit in Dora Nginza Hospital, Nelson Mandela Bay Metro. Participants were mostly involuntary admissions under the Mental Health Care Act of 2002 and between the ages of 13 and 65 years and older.ResultsThe majority (8, 80%) were 35 years or less and males (8, 80%). At least six (60%) of the ten participants were found to have catatonia based on the BFCSI/BFCRS and DSM-5 criteria.The BFCRS (complete 23-item scale) had the greatest level of inter-rater agreement with an α=0.798, while the DSM-5 had the lowest level of inter-rater agreement with an α=0.565. The highest correlation coefficients were observed between the BFCRS and BFCSI.ConclusionThe BFCSI and BFCRS were found to be sensitive tools for screening for catatonia with high IRR and high correlation coefficients, while the DSM 5 showed some deficiencies in screening for catatonia with low IRR and lowest correlation with the other two tools.

Catatonia is a psychomotor abnormality caused by neurological, medical or severe psychiatric disorders and substances. Its prevalence ranges from less than 10% to just above 60%. Diagnosis may be influenced by the screening tools used. Screening of new admissions to a mental health unit for catatonia was undertaken using three instruments to determine prevalence of catatonia. Participants ranged from age 16 years and over. Recruitment took place from September 2020 to August 2021. The setting was a mental health unit within a general hospital in Nelson Mandela Metro, South Africa. Five assessors were trained by the principal investigator to apply the Bush Francis Screening Instrument (BFCSI), the Bush Francis Catatonia Rating Scale (BFCRS), and the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual 5 (DSM-5), to assess participants. Clinical and demographic data were collected using a specially designed datasheet. Data analysis was performed to identify significant associations between presence or absence of catatonia and clinical and demographic data. Up to 241 participants were screened and 44 (18.3%) had catatonia. All 44 cases were identified through the BFCSI while the DSM-5 identified only 16 (6.6%%) of the 44 cases even though the remaining 28 (63.6%) participants still required treatment for catatonic symptoms. The DSM-5 diagnostic criteria excluded staring, which was the commonest sign of catatonia identified through the BFCSI [n = 33 (75%)]. Close to half (21; 47.7%) of those with catatonia on the BFCSI had schizophrenia. The rest had bipolar disorder (12; 27.3%), substance-induced psychotic disorder (7; 15.9%) and no specified diagnosis in one (1; 2.6%). The BFCSI was very effective at identifying catatonia while the DSM-5 was inadequate, missing close to 64% (28 of 44) of cases. Predictors of catatonia in this sample were a younger age and being male. A prevalence of 18.3%, indicates that assessment for catatonia should be routinely conducted in this and similar settings.

Background Clinical assessment of catatonia includes the use of diagnostic systems, such as the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual, Fifth Edition (DSM-5) and the International Classification of Disease, Tenth Revision (ICD-10), or screening tools such as the Bush Francis Catatonia Screening Instrument (BFCSI)/Bush Francis Catatonia Rating Scale (BFCRS) and the Braunig Catatonia Rating Scale. In this study, we describe the inter-rater reliability (IRR), utilizing the BFCSI, BFCRS, and DSM-5 to screen for catatonia. Methods Data from 10 participants recruited as part of a larger prevalence study (of 135 participants) were used to determine the IRR by five assessors after they were trained in the application of the 14-item BFCSI, 23-item BFCRS, and DSM-5 to assess catatonia in new admissions. Krippendorff’s α was used to compute the IRR, and Spearman’s correlation was used to determine the concordance between screening tools. The study site was a 35-bed acute mental health unit in Dora Nginza Hospital, Nelson Mandela Bay Metro. Participants were mostly involuntary admissions under the Mental Health Care Act of 2002 and between the ages of 13 and 65 years. Results Of the 135 participants, 16 (11.9%) had catatonia. The majority (92 [68.1%]) were between 16 and 35 years old, with 126 (93.3%) of them being Black and 89 (66.4%) being male. The BFCRS (complete 23-item scale) had the greatest level of inter-rater agreement with α = 0.798, while the DSM-5 had the lowest level of inter-rater agreement with α = 0.565. The highest correlation coefficients were observed between the BFCRS and the BFCSI. Conclusion The prevalence rate of catatonia was 11.9%, with the BFCSI and BFCRS showing the highest pick-up rate and a high IRR with high correlation coefficients, while the DSM-5 had deficiencies in screening for catatonia with low IRR and the lowest correlation with the other two tools.

IntroductionCatatonia arises from serious mental, medical, neurological or toxic conditions. The prevalence range depends on the setting and the range is anything from 7% to 63% in other countries. South African prevalence rates are currently unknown. The proposed study is a quantitative descriptive study using the Bush Francis Catatonia Screening Instrument as a screening tool with a data capturing information sheet to extract clinical information from patient folders. The study will investigate: (1) prevalence of catatonia, (2) clinical and demographic correlates associated with catatonia, (3) predictors of catatonia, (4) response to treatment and (5) subjective experience of catatonia.Methods and analysisThe setting is an acute mental health unit (MHU) within a regional, general medical hospital in Nelson Mandela Bay, South Africa, which accepts referrals from within the hospital and from outlying clinics. Participants will be recruited from inpatients in the MHU from beginning of September 2020 to end of August 2021. Most admissions are involuntarily, under the Mental Health Care Act of 2002 with an age range of 13 to over 65 years. Participants who screen positive for catatonia will be followed up after discharge for 3 months to measure outcomes. Primary outcomes will include the 12-month prevalence rate of catatonia, descriptive and other data on presentation and assessment of catatonia in the MHU. Secondary outcomes will include data on treatment response, participants’ report of their subjective experience of catatonia and predictors of catatonia. Descriptive statistics, multivariate binomial logistic regression and univariate analyses will be conducted to evaluate associations between catatonia and clinical or demographic data which could be predictors of catatonia. Survival analysis will be used to examine the time to recovery after diagnosis and initiation of treatment. The 95% CI will be used to demonstrate the precision of estimates. The level of significance will be p≤0.05.Ethics and disseminationThe study has received ethical approval from the Research and Ethics Committees of the Eastern Cape Department of Health, Walter Sisulu University and Nelson Mandela University. The results will be disseminated as follows: at various presentations and feedback sessions; as part of a PhD thesis in Psychology at Nelson Mandela University; and in a manuscript that will be submitted to a peer-reviewed journal.

The decision to divorce marks a turning point for every individual involved. It can be viewed as more than just a legal process. From a psychological perspective, it does not matter who initiated the divorce, since it always comes with emotional ramifications for all those involved. Statistically, there is a high rate of divorce in South Africa and there have been significant shifts in trends over time. While black South African men’s experience of divorce has been relatively neglected in the research on divorce, it is important for understanding contemporary social arrangements and processes, and, in particular, for broadening the understanding of black South African men’s lives. How black South African men describe their experience and respond to marital dissolution may point to their positions in the gender-structured community as well as illuminate how they interpret the nature of social practice, marriage, divorce and their position in society. The aim of the research reported on in this paper was to explore black South African men’s experience of divorce. The theoretical framework underpinning this qualitative study was broadly that of Symbolic Interactionism, with Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA) employed as both the research design and data analytic theory and process. The eight participants were volunteers who were recruited purposively. In keeping with IPA guidelines, data-collection proceeded by means of biographical questionnaires and semi-structured interviews. The emerging themes were grouped into three superordinate themes, namely, perceptions of divorce, social support, and experiencing of pain. Each superordinate theme had corresponding subordinate themes and experiential claims. Weed’s (2008) recommendations for the interpretative synthesis of interview data were applied.

Celebrated artist Jackson Pollock challenged the concept of art by moving beyond paintbrush and easel to throwing paint across canvasses laid out on the floor, and using his entire body to create an abstract image. However, despite this capacity for originality, Pollock’s life was bracketed by severe binge drinking, alcoholism, and emotional instability. The importance of identity formation for healthy development is illustrated by a psychobiographical study of Jackson Pollock. Pollock’s difficulties in establishing a stable identity seemed to play an integral part in impeding a positive life course. The developmental theory of Erik Erikson was the lens through which Pollock’s life was studied, with a focus on Erikson’s proposed fifth stage of development, Identity versus Role Confusion. From the study it emerged that it was largely the individuals who surrounded Pollock who shaped him into what they wanted him to be with Pollock lacking the stable sense of self to protect him from a society that treated both him and the art he poured himself into as a commodity to be celebrated and vilified on whim. Alcoholism would cause his death at the age of 44, when, while heavily intoxicated, Jackson Pollock drove his car into a tree.

Scholarship has an obligation to society in that what is discovered through research and what is taught in the lecture hall should extend beyond the classroom and benefit the community. As a hub of training and knowledge in a local community, the challenge for a university exists in integrating community needs and university resources. Mental health is one discipline where this is particularly relevant and urgent due to the growing need for mental health interventions, particularly in under-serviced communities. A university is well positioned to develop a dynamic multidisciplinary approach to the biopsychosocial teaching of mental health practice and community service provision because it has extensive access to networks of current and future professionals. This reflective article explains the development of such a university-community collaborative initiative attached to the Missionvale Psychology Centre (MPC) at the Nelson Mandela University (NMU) located in Port Elizabeth. It examines the broader teaching and learning opportunities afforded the students as well as the need to deliver a much needed service to the local community. In this article, the initiative is qualitatively analysed through the lens of a combination of observational experience and self-reflection. Insights gained and lessons learnt could benefit other health professionals in comparable positions who are faced with similar challenges in response to student training agendas and the social responsibility of universities in developing countries.

The process of evaluation and intervention of an atypical child poses challenges in a number of areas. These challenges include measures that are not normed for a clinical population, the interpretation of test scores and the use of test scores to devise a meaningful individualized intervention plan that also takes into account sociocultural issues affecting family functioning. To highlight these challenges, an evaluation of a 7-year 1month old girl with Brachmann Cornelia De Lange Syndrome is described using the Griffiths III Scales of Child Development together with the Conners 3- Parent Teacher Surveys and the Vineland Adaptive Scales. The Griffiths III results confirmed a pattern of global delay in all areas of her developmental functioning. The child demonstrated difficulty with the medical and behavioural manifestations of her genetic disorder that needed to be factored into the intervention strategy. The results guided the interventions of different professionals in developing an individualised intervention plan considering the above-identified challenges. The article serves thus as a guide on how to work creatively to determine the level of functioning of an atypical child in the light of the absence of normed measures for such children.

This study applied psychobiography to explore the personal development of Zimbabwean novelist Dambudzo Marechera – and particularly focus on psychological disintegration. For the evidence, we examined primary and secondary works on his life history with special attention to his literary works. Findings indicate that his early writings were autobiographical in nature, chronicling lived poverty, war and violence experiences. Later writings were somehow surrealistic and unstructured, marking a culmination of significant personal disintegration that started in early childhood. Other ancillary biographical evidence suggests self-perceptions as a cult-like figure, and what appears to be a limited social interest.

Establishing a trans-disciplinary mental health platform could contribute to outreach and service training agendas in a higher educational context. The purpose of the platform described in the article provides an opportunity for students to learn from each other, with each other and about each other, across a variety of disciplines in one university, while also effectively addressing the needs of the surrounding community. This article records the background to the establishment of a unique multi-disciplinary university-community collaborative initiative in South Africa by using a self-reflective, action research approach. It also identifies lessons learnt and creates a guiding framework for the establishment of similar projects in other communities. It contributes firstly, to provide a framework to guide and encourage future establishments of similar university-community collaborative engagement endeavors and, secondly, to highlight the requirements for sustaining services to communities when senior students exit their university programmes, while new students enter.

This study illustrates the use of the Griffiths III Scales to futher clarify a diagnosis of Autistic Spectrum Disorder and possible Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder following a test battery of the Childhood Autism Rating Scale, Conners 3-Parent and Teacher Surveys, and the Goodenough–Harris Draw-a-Person test in a child aged 6 years. The Griffiths III assessment confirmed a pattern of delay above and below DQ50. The child demonstrated difficulty with the constructs: Skills for Learning (including attention, curiosity, processing speed); Ways of Thinking, Memory and Play; all aspects of language and communication; and all underlying constructs of early social and emotional development. The concept of Theory of Mind is used to examine the child’s particular difficulties.

In 1954, Ruth Griffiths developed the Griffiths Mental Development Scales (GMDS), a developmental assessment measure based on a philosophy of the basic avenues of learning and the observation of children in play. Significantly, modern systemic approaches to developmental assessment remain in line with Griffiths’ (1954) thinking. July 2010 saw the commencement of the revision of the GMDS. Aim To clarify the direction and content of the revision process. Methods A qualitative, exploratory and descriptive research approach was chosen to underpin Phase One and encompassed various sub-phases. These included a systematic review of recent literature regarding child development and assessment, the conduction of an Avenues of Learning workshop in which ‘sticky note’ data was collected, the conduction of expert interviews, and the development, distribution and ultimate analysis of a questionnaire to Griffiths Users and non Users. Results As the GMDS is widely used and recognised throughout the world, this poster/paper serves to highlight the research challenges and triumphs experienced during Phase One. Themes and trends that emerged from triangulating the data suggested inter alia that developmental theory and knowledge must inform the domains; the screening versus diagnostic nature of the GMDS should be debated; observation and play with reference to the nature of the GMDS must be retained; the age range of the GMDS and the implications for test development was highlighted; and the universality of the link of the GMDS to remediation was expressed. Conclusion The findings obtained in Phase One were used to guide the development of the blue print of test specifications used in directing the following Five Phases of the revision process.