Displaced, Homeless and Abused: The Dynamics of Gender-Based Sexual and Physical Abuses of Homeless Zimbabweans in South Africa

The aim of this paper is to assess the nature of sexual/physical and gender-based abuse (SPGBV) experienced by displaced Zimbabwean refugees, perpetrators of such abuses and the gender of perpetrators in South Africa. Refugee and Internally displaced persons are interchangeably used in this study. Through in-depth interviews using a questionnaire, data were collected from 125 randomly selected homeless Zimbabwean refugees in Polokwane, Limpopo Province, South Africa. Age of participants ranged from 18 years to 48 years with a mean age of 28.3 years (SD = 6.27). Participants were assessed on demographic variables and sexual and physical abuses measured with the post-migration difficulties checklists developed by the author. The study showed that rape and sexual  harassments were common and perpetrators were mainly border and police officers. Sexes of perpetrators were mainly single men. The study also found other forms of abuse including physical. The findings have significant practical implications for refugees in South Africa where  xenophobic feelings are high and on the increase. Recommendations are discussed based on the findings of the study including a need for culturally relevant programmes to help refugees cope and deal with traumas they encounter.Key words: Zimbabwean Refugees, Homeless, Sexual/Physical  Abuse/South Afric

Sex And Propinquity As Predictors Of Attitudes Towards Spouse Abuse Among South Africans

This study examines the influence of sex and propinquity on attitudes towards spouse abuse among South Africans. It is hypothesized that females would have a more negative attitude than males and that people with a high degree of contact with the abused (relatives and professionals working with the abused) (high propinquity group) would have a more favourable therefore negative attitude toward spouse-abuser than those with low degree of personal contact (low propinquity group). Through in-depth interviews using a questionnaire, data were collected from 120 randomly selected participants in Gauteng and Limpopo provinces. Age of participants 18 to 50 years with a mean age of 32.2 (SD=8.27). Spouse-abuse as used in this study is defined “women and men who have been emotionally abused (nagging, sexual and emotion deprivation) and or physically beaten by their spouses with blows, slapped, kicked and have experienced these over three times in a single relationshipA 2 X 2 ANOVA of data collected from 120 participants reveals that females have a more negative attitude towards spouse abuse than males and the high propinquity participants have a more negative attitude than low propinquity group.These findings have significant practical implications for intimate partner violence or Gender-based violence and the health and psychological outcomes for battered spouses. It is suggested that females should be encouraged to take up careers as caregivers and the need for culturally relevant programmes to help spouses particularly women in abusive relationships and in addition a need for more research in this direction to help deal with myths that have cultural relevance to factors maintaining battering

Perceived living Conditions and Reported Feelings of Wellbeing among Africans In Germany.

The aim of this paper is to describe how Africans in Germany perceived their living conditions and how this affect psychological distress among them. Thispaper is based on the core assumption that culture contact is inherently stressful and that induced stress due to negative living conditions can berelated to psychopathology.Keywords: Living conditions/perceptions/Wellbeing/African

Gender, Life experiences and Reported Feelings of Wellbeing Among African Migrants in Germany

Objective: The aim of this paper is to describe how male and female African migrants in Germany perceive general life experiences and how this perception affects their wellbeing. Method: This paper is part of a large cross sectional study of African migrants in Germany. Data was collected from seventy nine (79) African migrants consisting of 58 (73%) males and 21 (26%) females with age in years ranging from 15 to 46 with a mean age of 31.6 (SD) =7.34. Through the snowballing approach participants were reached in the following cities: Bremen, Hamburg, Bonn, Düsseldorf, Köln, Bayreuth, Frankfurt, Stuttgart, and Munich. Results: Results showed that males experienced more racism and reported more negative life experiences than females. However, females reported more psychological dysfunctions than males on the following measures: anxiety, depression, bizarre mentation, self esteem and negative treatment. There were no significant difference for males and females on health concerns, anger, social discomfort, family problems and work interface. Conclusion: These results have far reaching implication for mental health potential of migrants and international migration. The results were discussed within the framework of male-female vulnerability and recommendations made in accordance with findings of the study. Keywords: Gender\' Life experiences; Wellbeing; African migrantsGender & Behaviour Vol. 6 (2) 2008: pp. 1702-171

Psychological predictors of perceived quality of life among people living with HIV and AIDS in South West Nigeria

This study examined the dynamics of perceived social support and self-esteem in predicting perception of quality of life among People Living with HIV/AIDS (PLWHA) in South West Nigeria. One hundred and fifty nine (159) PLWHA selected using the purposive sampling technique participated in the study; the sample was made up of 46 males and 113 females, aged between 19 and 72 years. Data were collected using a structured questionnaire. The result of the multipleregression analysis showed that perceived social support and selfesteem significantly jointly predicted perceived quality of life among  PLWHA (p< .05). Self-esteem significantly independently predicted perceived quality of life(p< .05) while perceived social support did not significantly predict perceived quality of life. A t-test indicated no gender differences in perception of quality of life. The study therefore concluded that  psychological interventions are required to shore-up the self-esteem of PLWHA alongside social support to enable  them to cope better and be more optimistic and positive in their perception of quality of life.Keywords: Social support, self-esteem, perceived quality of life, PLWHA, Nigeria, psychological

Gender difference, exposure to domestic violence and adolescents’ identity development

Domestic abuse is a kind of violence common in South Africa which for most part focuses on women. Children and adolescents who witnessthese abuses are hardly the focus of domestic abuse research. Hence the need to understand the relationship between gender, exposure to domesticviolence and identity development of adolescents. Based on a cross-sectional design, a questionnaire with three sections A, B and C was used to collect data from 109 randomly selected adolescent young men and girls from the University of Limpopo (Turfloop Campus), Limpopo Province in South Africa. Age of participants ranged from 15-20 years with a mean age of 18.7 years (SD = .946). The child exposure to domestic violence scale (CEDV) was used to dichotomize exposed and non exposedgroups while gender was defined as male/female. Two hypotheses were stated within a 2-way factorial ANOVA. Results showed a significantmain effect for group exposure, (F (1,109) =9.395,

Can gender, religion, education, age and personality predict willingness to forgive?

The aim of this paper is to describe whether gender, age, religion, education and personality variables (Psychoticism, Extroversion andNeuroticism) can predict willingness to forgive among a sample of Mafikeng Residents in North West Province, South Africa. Data was collected from two hundred and twenty (220) residents in Mafikeng households consisting of 132 (60%) females and 88 (40%) males. Age in years ranged from 18 to 68 with a mean age of 28.7 (SD) = 11.9.Through a multi-staged sampling of streets and households, participants were reached in Mafikeng municipality area of the North West Province,South Africa. Using hierarchical multiple regression (stepwise method), results showed that the overall model was significant: Adjusted R Square = 089, F (2, 211) = 11.460, P < .001. Of all the variables included inthe study (gender, age, Christian, Muslim, Married, Single, Below Matric, Matric, Post Matric, Psychoticism, Extraversion, and Neuroticism), onlyExtraversion (ß = .27, p = .001) and Post-matric level of education (ß = .16, p = .001) explained 8% of the total variance on willingness to forgive.Psychoticism, Neuroticism, gender, age, Christian, Muslim, Married, Single, Below Matric, Matric, were excluded from the model. These findings havesignificant practical implications for forgiveness as a psychological concept. The authors acknowledges that the study is new and therefore suggests the need for more research in this direction and a need for cultural focus and relevant programmes on forgiveness

Street children in Mafikeng, North-West Province: A qualitative study of social experiences

The general perception, on the part of South African society, is that street children are a major social menace. Yet the reality is that, street children are a vulnerable group that suffer both psychological and physical violence including sexual abuse. This qualitative study investigated the social experiences of street children in Mafikeng, North-West Province in South Africa. Data were collected using focus group discussions made up of a total of 20 participants aged 10-19 years, and selected using convenience sampling. Three themes were extracted using the consensual qualitative method and constant comparison to establish credibility and  trustworthiness. The results of the study revealed three major themes (i.e. reasons for abandoning home; life in the streets, and the desire to go  back home), and three sub-themes (risks and challenges encountered, regrets, and the desire for rehabilitation and schooling). Recommendations included the need for psychological interventions among this group, the need further for research, and the need to use probability sampling techniques in future studies, as this might provide a more comprehensive picture of the situation.Keywords: Street children, social experiences, Mafikeng, Africa, vulnerable, psychological interventio

Gender Differences in Responsible Sexual Behaviour of In-School Adolescents

There are indications that gender influences involvement in risky activities including sexually risky behaviour. The present study therefore sought to explore gender differences in responsible sexual behaviour among in-school adolescents. Using a cross-sectional survey design, two hundred and fifty In-School adolescents drawn from Secondary Schools in Ondo State, South West Nigeria participated in the study. Participants were made up of 97 (38.8%) males and 153 (61.2%) females, with ages ranging from 11 to 23 years with a mean of 15.5 and standard deviation of 2.7. A structured questionnaire containing two sections was utilized for data collection. Section A tapped demographical information such as age, sex, an religion while Section B is the sexual behaviour scale developed by Oluwatelure, (2011). The Cronbach alpha of the scale in the present study was .90. T-test of independent means was used to test the hypothesis. Result revealed significant gender difference in responsible sexual behaviour ( t (246) = -4.08; p&lt;.05). Female adolescents were found to show significantly higher positive disposition to responsible sexual behaviour than male adolescents. It is thus recommended that intervention be put in place to infuse the virtue and values of responsible sexual behaviour in males while effort should be made to sustain and improve on responsible sexual behaviour among females.Key words: Responsible, sexual, behaviour, adolescents, Nigeri