Stress and coping: considering the influence of Psychological strengths on the mental health of at-risk South African adolescents

In South Africa, many adolescents are affected by socio-economic adversity, which increases their susceptibility to experiencing stress that negatively affects their mental health. The synthesis of international literature has identified the psychological strengths (that include perceived social support, self-esteem and resilience) as having a protective effect on the mental health of at-risk adolescents who experience stress. Against this background, we argue that psychological strengths may assist South African adolescents in coping with stressors and may mediate the impact of stress on the mental health of adolescents living in conditions of socio-economic adversity. Given that this remains an under-researched area in the South African context, we also highlight the need for South African research that prioritizes the exploration of factors mitigating the experience of stress for adolescents. We also posit that such research should have significant implications for mental-health policy, practice, mental-health promotion and the prevention of mental disorders. We believe that such scholarly inquiries would be central to the intervention strategies aimed at preventing or “containing” the scourge of poverty-induced psychological distress in South African youth

The Youth Anxiety Measure for DSM-5 (YAM-5):Development and First Psychometric Evidence of a New Scale for Assessing Anxiety Disorders Symptoms of Children and Adolescents

The Youth Anxiety Measure for DSM-5 (YAM-5) is a new self- and parent-report questionnaire to assess anxiety disorder symptoms in children and adolescents in terms of the contemporary classification system. International panels of childhood anxiety researchers and clinicians were used to construct a scale consisting of two parts: part one consists of 28 items and measures the major anxiety disorders including separation anxiety disorder, selective mutism, social anxiety disorder, panic disorder, and generalized anxiety disorder, whereas part two contains 22 items that focus on specific phobias and (given its overlap with situational phobias) agoraphobia. In general, the face validity of the new scale was good; most of its items were successfully linked to the intended anxiety disorders. Notable exceptions were the selective mutism items, which were frequently considered as symptoms of social anxiety disorder, and some specific phobia items especially of the natural environment, situational and other type, that were regularly assigned to an incorrect category. A preliminary investigation of the YAM-5 in non-clinical (N = 132) and clinically referred (N = 64) children and adolescents indicated that the measure was easy to complete by youngsters. In addition, support was found for the psychometric qualities of the measure: that is, the internal consistency was good for both parts, as well as for most of the subscales, the parent-child agreement appeared satisfactory, and there was also evidence for the validity of the scale. The YAM-5 holds promise as a tool for assessing anxiety disorder symptoms in children and adolescents

Monsters in the dark and other scary things: preschoolers’ self-reports

Objective: This study attempted to obtain normative data regarding the content and  frequency of expressed fears of a culturally  diverse group of 152 South African preschool children (aged 5–7 years). Method: The study employed four measuring instruments: a biographical questionnaire, the Goodenough-Harris Drawing Test, and individual drawings of feared objects by participants in conjunction with semi-structured interviews. The data analysis included descriptive statistics based on the themes that emerged from the children’s  drawings and interviews. Results: Fear of animals was the most commonly expressed fear. Other high-frequency fear categories that emerged were fear of the dark, night and bad dreams; fantasy people; real people; and physical harm. For the group as a whole, the results largely support the existing body of literature. Participants expressed between one and nine fears (f = 429; mean = 2.8). Conclusions: This study contributed to a better  understanding of both an under-researched psychological phenomenon, fear, and of an under-researched target group of young children. This knowledge is important in order for significant others, such as parents and caregivers, to understand and effectively mediate potentially stressful experiences of young children in their respective capacities. Journal of Child and Adolescent Mental Health 2009, 21(1): 47–6

Fears, coping and perceived efficacy of coping mechanisms among South African children living in children\'s homes

Background: The present study examined common childhood fears, coping strategies and perceived efficacy of coping mechanisms among 8- to 13-year-old South African children (n = 141) living in four children\'s homes. Method: Fears were assessed by means of the Fear List Method (FLM) and the Fear Survey Schedule for Children Revised (FSSC-R). For both measures, the content and number of fears were determined. The FSSC-R was also used to establish the levels of fearfulness, as well as the pattern of fears. Coping strategies and the perceived efficacy of these strategies were assessed by means of open-ended questions. Results: The rank orders of fears as obtained with the FLM were quite different from those derived from the FSSC-R. Girls expressed more fears as well as higher levels of fears than boys. Secondary coping strategies (i.e. seeking social and/or spiritual support) were most often engaged in and were also perceived as most effective. Conclusions: A greater sensitivity to the emotional needs, especially with regard to fears, coping and perceived efficacy, of special populations is recommended.Journal of Child and Adolescent Mental Health 2008, 20(1): 1–1

Students’ self-reported fears and the perceived origins thereof

The objective of this study was to explore the five most frequently reported fears in a sample of university students, and investigate the origins of these fears. The study employed a cross-sectional design with convenience sampling. Data were collected using a self-report questionnaire and analysed using a combination of descriptive statistics and content analysis. Participants consisted of 544 first-year psychology students. This study identified academic failure, animals, general failure, losing loved ones to death, and violence/crime as the top five fears among a sample of university students. ‘Conditioning experiences’ was one of the most prominent pathways in the acquisition of all these fears. ‘Negative information transmission’ was also a dominant pathway relating to the origin of fear such as academic failure and violence/crime. However, ‘modelling experiences’ was not identified as a prominent pathway in the present study. These findings contribute to identifying the origins of first-year students’ self-reported fears by using the three pathways theory. These findings may contribute meaningfully to the development and implementation of prevention and intervention programmes at higher education institutions

Research protocol : development, implementation and evaluation of a cognitive behavioural therapy-based intervention programme for the management of anxiety symptoms in South African children with visual impairments

CITATION: Visagie, L., Loxton, H. & Silverman, W. K. 2015. Research protocol : development, implementation and evaluation of a cognitive behavioural therapy-based intervention programme for the management of anxiety symptoms in South African children with visual impairments. African Journal of Disability, 4(1):1-10, doi:10.4102/ajod.v4i1.160.The original publication is available at http://www.ajod.orgBackground: Childhood anxiety presents a serious mental health problem, and it is one of the most common forms of psychological distress reported by youth worldwide. The prevalence of anxiety symptoms amongst South African youth is reported to be significantly higher than in other parts of the world. These high prevalence rates become even more significant when viewed in terms of children with visual impairments, as it is suggested that children with physical disabilities may be more prone, than their non-disabled peers, for the development of psychological difficulties. Objectives: The main aim of this study is to develop, implement and evaluate a specifically tailored anxiety intervention programme for use with South African children with visual impairments. Method: A specifically tailored cognitive-behavioural therapy-based anxiety intervention, for 9–13 year old South African children with visual impairments, will be evaluated in two special schools. The study will employ a randomised wait-list control group design with pre- postand follow-up intervention measures, with two groups each receiving a 10 session anxiety intervention programme. The main outcome measure relates to the participants’ symptoms of anxiety as indicated on the Revised Child Anxiety and Depression Scale. Conclusion: If the anxiety intervention programme is found to be effective in reducing symptoms of anxiety, this universal intervention will lay down the foundation upon which future contextually sensitive (South African) anxiety intervention programmes can be built.http://www.ajod.org/index.php/ajod/article/view/160Publisher's versio

Cognitive behaviour therapy-based early intervention and prevention programme for anxiety in South African children with visual impairments

CITATION: Visagie, L., et al. 2019. Cognitive behaviour therapy-based early intervention and prevention programme for anxiety in South African children with visual impairments. African Journal of Disability, 10:a796, doi:10.4102/ajod.v10i0.796.The original publication is available at https://ajod.orgPublication of this article was funded by the Stellenbosch University Open Access FundBackground: Anxiety is the most common psychological difficulty reported by youth worldwide and may also be a significant problem for children with visual impairments. Cognitive behaviour therapy (CBT) interventions have proven to be successful in treating childhood anxiety; however, mostly these are not suitable for children with visual impairments, as the materials used are not sufficiently accessible to this population. Objectives: The present study was motivated by the dearth of research on this topic and aimed to examine the effects of a specifically tailored, group-based, universally delivered, CBT intervention for anxiety in children with visual impairments and to examine the influence of three predictor variables (i.e. age, gender and level of visual impairment) on prevention effects. Method: A randomised wait-list control group design with pre-, post- and follow-up intervention measures was employed. The final sample of 52 children (aged 9–14) with varying degrees of visual impairment received the anxiety intervention. Participants were followed over a course of 10 months during which their anxiety symptoms were assessed quantitatively at four time points (T1–T4). Results: The results indicated that the anxiety intervention did not significantly decrease symptoms of anxiety within the intervention groups. However, the intervention appeared beneficial for girls, younger children and legally blind participants. Conclusion: This study demonstrated how CBT interventions can be adapted for use in children with visual impairments. Results obtained provide a foundation upon which future updated anxiety intervention programmes can be built, meeting the need for further research in this area.https://ajod.org/index.php/ajod/article/view/796Publisher's versio