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

Poverty, protests and pandemics: what can we learn from community resilience?

The destruction of property, theft and violence that occurred in South Africa, particularly in KZN and Gauteng in the week of 12 July 2021 had a significant impact on the national psyche. As we try to come to terms with the magnitude of the consequences on the political, economic, psychological and social levels, what are the lessons that we can draw from this adversity? This commentary draws on the notion of community resilience to understand what has happened, and how it may provide markers for the future. The commentary begins with a short overview of the notion of community resilience, followed by a discussion of its utility to explain the events as well as lessons for the future

Internet Addiction and Correlates Among Tertiary Students in a Sub-Saharan African Country – Case of KNUST, Ghana: A Follow Up Study

Background:  A major drawback of the revolutionary technology of the internet is the tendency for addiction. Internet addiction (IA) is a modern menace affecting mostly the youth. Preventive counseling (PC) is needed to deal with this growing public health concern, however empirical data as a basis in terms of prevalence and corelates are non – existent in Ghana. Objectives: This study aimed to assess the prevalence of IA and its psychological corelates among Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) students. Methods: Online cross-sectional method was used to survey one thousand, one hundred and sixty-five (1,165) students. Internet Addiction Test (IAT), Beck’s Depressive Inventory (BDI), Index of Self-Esteem (ISE), Revised UCLA Loneliness Scale (RULS) and Satisfaction with Life (SWL) measures were used for data collection. The data was analyzed using statistical package for social sciences (SPSS) version 25. Results: 36.2% of the study participants (SPs) were normal internet users and 39%, 19.0% and 1.1% were mildly, moderately and severely addicted to the internet respectively. Also, with higher scores indicating greater magnitude of problem, there were significant positive correlations between IAT and their Self-esteem (r = 0.288, N= 1165, p = 0.000), loneliness (r = 0.228, N= 1165, p = 0.000) and depression (r = 0.270, N= 1165, p = 0.000) scores. Moreover, there was a significant inverse relationship with their IAT and SWL (r = - 0.209, p = 0.000) scores. Conclusion: Approximately 1% of KNUST students sampled need addictive psychotherapeutic intervention. Also 58% (i.e. 39% mild plus 19.0% moderate prevalence of addiction) need preemptive counselling since they stand the chance of continuing to the severe end of IA continuum. Implications for policy, promotion of preventive health behaviors and clinical intervention at the institutional and national levels have been discussed

The position of Ghana on the progressive map of positive mental health: A critical perspective

According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), mental health is a state of well-being and not just the absence of diseases. With this definition, there has been a surge of mental health research, albeit still predominantly in Western countries, which is reflected in contemporary theories on positive mental health that include ‘flourishing mental health’, ‘salutogenesis’, and ‘fortigenesis’. However, in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), mental health research is slowly receiving scholarly attention. The aim of this paper was twofold: Firstly, to highlight progress that had been made in some LMICs, giving consideration to research across different settings and populations as a basis to argue for more research on positive mental health in the Ghanaian context. Secondly, to present a critical perspective on the current mental health research trends in Ghana, thus discussing important recommendations for future research