Die rol van die kerk as ondersteuningsnetwerk: Die verwantskap tussen psigo-sosiale klimaat, kerklike betrokkenheid en sielkundige welsyn

The role of the church as a supportive network: The relationship between psycho-social climate, church involvement, and psychological well-being. The aim of the present study was to determine whether mere involvement in church activities is enough to perceive the church as supportive, or whether the church should possess certain qualities before it is experienced as being supportive. The concept of psycho-social climate was used as a conceptual frame of reference to study the characteristics of the church. Two hundred and fourteen members of 10 different congregations completed a battery of questionnaires designed to measure their involvement in the church, their perception of the psycho-social climate of the church, and their level of psychological well-being. No relationship between church involvement and psychological well-being could be found. On the other hand, the analysis of the relationship between the dimensions of church climate and psychological well-being produced a number of significant correlations. Step-wise multiple regression analysis confirmed that the psycho-social dimensions of order/clarity, social concern, stability, and activity were significant predictors of the level of psychological well-being. The obtained relationship was interpreted as confirmation of the impact that the psycho-social environment has on individual functioning

Evaluating outcomes of therapies offered by occupational therapists in adult mental health

Background: Attitudes towards the use of outcome measures by professionals working in mental health have been shown to be variable. Occupational therapists appear to have difficulty specifying goals and measuring the outcomes of interventions. Aims: To measure the outcomes of therapies offered by occupational therapists and to assess concurrent validity of the Van du Toit Model of Creative Ability (VdT MoCA) assessment. Method: The Global Assessment of Functioning (GAF), VdT MoCA assessment and Canadian Occupational Performance Measure (COPM) were used. Changes in mean scores on the measures were assessed using appropriate tests. Correlations between measures were assessed using Spearman's non-parametric test. Results: Mean post-therapy scores were significantly higher than pre-therapy scores on all three measures. VdT MoCA assessment scores pre- and post-therapy were highly correlated with GAF scores. The COPM outcome scores were uncorrelated with VdT MoCA assessment and GAF scores. Conclusions: The results offer a promising indication that occupational therapy interventions may increase functioning and thus aid clients' recovery. The VdT MoCA assessment is promising as a measure of improvement in functioning. Further research is needed to confirm these results and to further explore issues around occupational therapists' use of outcome measures