The Traumatic State of Psychology: An Investigation of the Challenges Psychologists Face When Aiming to Help Trauma Survivors in Post-Apartheid South Africa

This project will sought to investigate the difficult role that psychologists play in post-apartheid South Africa, particularly when they are trying to create meaningful change for trauma survivors from the apartheid era. Many survivors found the results of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) unsatisfactory, and thus still suffer from trauma (Kagee, Naidoo, & Van Wyk, 2013). There is a clear need in the present society of South Africa for a system which helps these trauma survivors find reconciliation and make peace with the atrocities of the past. Part of this system is the counseling psychologists that focus on the trauma that these survivors are still afflicted with. However, for a myriad of reasons, this task is an exceedingly difficult one for psychologists. In order to understand these challenges, the researcher will interview a variety of psychologists to learn what problems they face in their work as well as how they work to overcome these challenges and still provide effective care for their patients. This study will illuminate the difficulties that mental health professionals handle on a daily basis, and as a corollary will show how it is hard for mental health patients to fully move on from the apartheid era. This project is relevant because psychology is still in a transitional state in South Africa (Cooper & Nicholas, 2012a) and has a paramount role in shaping the future society in South Africa. Moreover, many people in South Africa suffer from lingering effects of the apartheid era, and their stories and situations are crucial to present-day South African society. This project can be of use to the South African people because it is hoped that a synthesis of the interviews will reveal commonalities and differences among counseling psychologists that can be of use to experts in this field. The results from the interviews showed that the majority of challenges counselors face come from the legacy of apartheid. In addition to the legacy of apartheid, the Western focus of psychology in South Africa also poses many challenges. A third major challenge is how to handle continuous traumatic stress because of how complicated it can be. Counselors have found many interesting solutions to these challenges including client-driven therapy, group therapy, community-oriented psychology, advocating beyond just counseling, and looking to evidence-based research

Learning About the Experience of Others

Climate change in general and loss of biodiversity in particular will impact the social, emotional, and physical well-being of students with increased severity in the future. Raising the next generation of students with a strong sense of purpose to address environmental issues might change the accelerating trajectory of biodiversity loss. In the proposed study, we will explore how students interact with a narrative and photos about the loss of biodiversity as a means to increasing students’ valuing of biodiversity. Specifically, we test how viewing photos in addition to a narrative can make them resonate with the issue more. We will test outcomes including students' attitudes towards biodiversity and the environment more generally, their learning from the narrative, and their prosocial behaviors to address these pressing issues. Publication: Gehlbach, H., Mu, N., Arcot, R. R., Chuter, C., Cornwall, K. J., Nehring, L., Robinson, C. D., & Calderon Vriesema, C. (2022). Addressing the vexing educational challenges of Biodiversity Loss: A photo-based intervention. Contemporary Educational Psychology, 71, 102096. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cedpsych.2022.10209

Validation of a measurement instrument for parental child feeding in a low and middle-income country

Abstract Background Parental child feeding practices (PCFP) are a key factor influencing children’s dietary intake, especially in the preschool years when eating behavior is being established. Instruments to measure PCFP have been developed and validated in high-income countries with a high prevalence of childhood obesity. The aim of this study was to test the appropriateness, content, and construct validity of selected measures of PCFP in a low and middle-income country (LMIC) in which there is both undernutrition and obesity in children. Methods An expert panel selected subscales and items from measures of PCFP that have been well-tested in high-income countries to measure both “coercive” and “structural” behaviors. Two sequential cross-sectional studies (Study 1, n = 154; Study 2, n = 238) were conducted in two provinces in Indonesia. Findings of the first study were used to refine subscales used in Study 2. An additional qualitative study tested content validity from the perspective of mothers (the intended respondents). Factorial validation and reliability were also tested. Convergent validity was tested with child nutritional status. Results In Study 1, a confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) model with 11 factors provided good fit (RMSEA = 0.045; CFI = 0.95 and TLI = 0.95) after two subscales were removed. Reliability was good among seven of the subscales. Following a decision to take out an additional subscale, the instrument was tested for factorial validity (Study 2). A CFA model with 10 subscales provided good fit (RMSEA = 0.03; CFI = 0.92 and TLI = 0.90). The reliability of subscales was lower than in Study 1. Convergent validity with nutrition status was found with two subscales. Conclusions The two studies provide evidence of acceptable psychometric properties for 10 subscales from tested instruments to measure PCFP in Indonesia. This provides the first evidence of the validity of these measures in a LMIC setting. Some shortcomings, such in the reliability of some subscales and further tests of predictive validity, require further investigation