Rape culture and social media: Exploring how social media influences students’ opinions and perceptions of rape culture

Magister Artium (Psychology) - MA(Psych)In April 2016 students from South African universities launched the #Endrapeculture movement to protest their universities’ institutional policies towards sexual assault on campus, which was seen as perpetuating a rape culture. Through the use of social media, students from across South Africa were able to provide instrumental information and mobilise support for the protests. This thesis focused on exploring the rape culture discourse that emerged from the online debates following the #Endrapeculture protests, as well as the potential of social media as an accessible and affordable pedagogical tool to address rape culture on campus. An exploratory qualitative design was used and this was framed within a postmodern feminist framework. To address the aims of the study two methods of data collection were utilised. All ethics principles were adhered to for both forms of data collection. Firstly, natural observation of comment threads of Facebook relating to the April 2016 #Endrapeculture protests was conducted. A total of 590 comments from 8 Facebook posts were collected and analysed using qualitative content analysis. The findings indicate that rape culture discourses were prominent within these comment threads with Perpetuating Victim-blaming emerging as the most significant theme followed by Rape or Rape Culture, Patriarchy, Race and Culture, Sexualisation and Bodily Autonomy, Trivialising Rape Culture and Role of Universities and Law Enforcement. The second part of the data collection involved conducting online, asynchronous focus groups using the Facebook secret chat group application. Participants for the SFFG were recruited on Facebook through a process of snowball sampling. A total of three SFFG were conducted with 16 participants. Thematic decomposition analysis was used to analyse the data. The findings revealed three main themes namely; Defining Rape Culture, Learning about Rape Culture and The Role of Social Media. Based on the observations from the comment threads and the findings from the SFFGs, it is argued that social media can be used as a pedagogical tool to address rape culture on campus in two ways. Firstly, it is beneficial on a macro level by using social media platforms to provide instrumental information about rape culture. Secondly, it can be utilised on a micro level by using applications like the SFFG to provide a safe space where students can engage in small-scale interactive discussions

Measuring mental wellness among adolescents living with a physical chronic condition: A systematic review of the mental health and mental well-being instruments

Globally, promoting mental health and well-being among adolescents has become a public health priority, especially for adolescents living with a physical chronic condition (CC), as research suggests they may be more at risk of developing mental health co-morbidities. Valid and reliable instruments are needed to measure and better understand mental health and mental well-being among adolescents living with a CC. To this end, we reviewed studies reporting on mental health and well-being instruments used in adolescent populations living with a chronic physical condition/disease globally.We used a systematic review method guided by PRISMA to identify assess mental health and mental wellbeing instruments used in adolescents living with a CC. In this instance, mental health instruments were defned as those representing negative domains of mental health (i.e. depression and anxiety) while mental well-being instruments included positive aspects of mental health (i.e. self-concept and resilience)

Rethinking mental health wellness among adolescents living with HIV in the African context: An integrative review of mental wellness components

Adolescents living with HIV (ALHIV) are considered to be at heightened risk for developing mental health problems in comparison to their peers due to the burden of living with a stigmatized condition and managing a chronic condition. Poorer mental health outcomes among ALHIV are associated with lower rates of adherence to anti-retroviral therapy (ART). It is necessary to improve mental wellness among ALHIV as this acts as a buer against developing mental health problems which, if left untreated can evolve into mental health disorders. Research on mental wellness concepts among ALHIV is underdeveloped which is associated with a lack of appropriate measures of mental wellness. We conducted an integrative review to conceptualize mental wellness and consider the critical components for measuring mental wellness in ALHIV

A facility-based family support intervention to improve treatment outcomes for adolescents on antiretroviral therapy in the Cape Metropole, South Africa

Adolescents living with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) (ALHIV) globally, report worse treatment outcomes compared to adults and children on antiretroviral therapy (ART). We conducted a photovoice study with eighteen ALHIV to explore experiences and challenges of being on ART, and individual interviews with 5 health workers to describe the challenges in treating ALHIV. The facility implemented the Family club intervention to facilitate caregivers (parent/guardians) supporting ALHIV on treatment. The health workers revealed that “disclosing HIV status” to children was the biggest challenge for caregivers and health workers. Participating ALHIV reported that family support and having a positive mentality were instrumental for continued treatment adherence. However, disclosure of HIV status to friends remained a challenge due to pervasive community stigma. Treatment fatigue and side-effects were also barriers to adherence. Family support was instrumental in facilitating adherence support for ALHIV. However, this (intervention) should include peer support to improve positive mental well-being in ALHIV

Asking the experts: Using cognitive interview techniques to explore the face validity of the mental wellness measure for adolescents living with HIV

There has been an increased focus on the mental health of adolescents living with HIV (ALHIV), because evidence shows that poor mental health outcomes are associated with lower rates of adherence and retention in HIV care. However, the research to date has predominantly focused on addressing mental health problems and reducing symptoms of mental illness rather than strengthening mental wellness [positive mental health]. Consequently, little is known about the critical mental wellness indicators that should be targeted in services for ALHIV. There is a need for valid and appropriate measures of mental wellness to drive research and provide evidence on the mental wellness needs of ALHIV that would inform service delivery as well as the monitoring and evaluation of treatment outcomes. To this end, we developed the Mental Wellness Measure for Adolescents Living with HIV (MWM-ALHIV) for ALHIV in the South African context. In this paper, we report on the findings from a cognitive interview study with nine ALHIV aged 15–19 years receiving treatment at a public healthcare facility in the Cape Metropole, South Africa

Rethinking mental wellness among adolescents: An integrative review protocol of mental health components

Background: Adolescents have been overlooked in global public health initiatives as this period is generally considered to be the healthiest in an individual’s life course. However, the growth of the global adolescent population and their changing health profiles have called attention to the diverse health needs of adolescents. The increased attention toward adolescent health has accentuated existing gaps as global health reports have emphasised that there is a continued need for valid and reliable health data. In this context, evidence has shown that mental health issues constitute one of the greatest burdens of disease for adolescents. This integrative review aims to unpack the meaning of mental wellness among adolescents and its associated constructs by analysing and synthesising empirical and theoretical research on adolescent mental wellness. In doing this, we will develop a working definition of adolescent mental wellness that can be used to develop an instrument aimed at measuring adolescent mental wellness. Methods: The integrative review is guided by the five steps described by Whittemore and Knafl. A comprehensive search strategy which will include carefully selected terms that correspond to the domains of interest (positive mental health/mental wellness) will be used to search for relevant literature on electronic databases, grey literature and government or non-governmental organisations (NGO) websites. Studies will be included if they describe and/or define general mental wellness in adolescent populations aged 10–19. The screening and reporting of the review will be conducted following the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines. Data from the integrative review will be analysed using narrative framework synthesis for qualitative and quantitative studies. Discussion: This integrative review aims to search for and synthesise current research regarding adolescent mental wellness to identify how wellness is being described and conceptualised. We aim to identify gaps and to contribute to a more comprehensive definition of mental wellness which can aid in the development of an age- and culturally appropriate measure of adolescent mental wellness. © 2022, The Author(s)

“These women are making a statement against rape and yet the only thing y’all can focus on is ‘eww they’re naked’”: Exploring rape culture on Facebook in South Africa

Sexual assault on campuses has been identifed as a pervasive public health problem. In April 2016, students across South African universities launched the #Endrapeculture campaign to express their frustration against university policies which served to perpetuate a rape culture. The use of hashtag activism during the protest served to spark online public debates and mobilize support for the protests. This article describes the public reactions to the South African #Endrapeculture protests on the Facebook social media platform. Data was collected through natural observations of comment threads on news articles and public posts on the student protests, and subjected to content analysis. The fndings suggest that the #nakedprotest was successful in initiating public conversations concerning the issue of rape culture. However, the reactions towards the #nakedprotest were divided with some perpetuating a mainstream public discourse which perpetuates rape culture, and others (re)presenting a counter-public that challenged current dominant views about rape culture. Two related main themes emerged: Victim-blaming and Trivialising Rape Culture. Victim-blaming narratives emerged from the commenters and suggested that the protesters were increasing their chances of being sexually assaulted by marching topless

Measuring Mental Wellness of Adolescents: A Systematic Review of Instruments

Objective: Mental health is critical to the healthy development of adolescents. However, mental health encompasses more than the absence of mental illness; and should include indicators of mental wellness. A critical review of available mental wellness instruments for adolescents were conducted to identify operational definitions of mental wellness concepts for this population group. Method: A systematic review of literature published between 2000 and 2020 was done to identify mental wellness instruments for adolescent populations. The review followed the PRISMA operational steps. Results: We identified 2,543 articles from the search strategy and screened titles and abstracts for eligibility. After appraisal, 97 studies were included in the qualitative synthesis; of which, 79 mental wellness instruments were identified. Most studies did not provide a definition for mental wellness. We identified thirteen mental wellness concepts from 97 studies, namely: life satisfaction, mental wellbeing [general], resilience, self-efficacy, self- esteem, connectedness, coping, self-control, mindfulness/spiritual, hope, sense of coherence, happiness, and life purpose

Psychosocial support interventions for improved adherence and retention in ART care for young people living with HIV (10–24 years): a scoping review

Mental health disorders such as high levels of anxiety, isolation, depression and suicide ideation reported among young people living with HIV (10–24 years;YPLHIV) contribute significantly to poor medication adherence and retention in care. While there is evidence supporting the role of psychosocial support interventions in promoting adherence and retention in antiretroviral treatment (ART) among adults living with HIV, there is little evidence on the role of psychosocial support on medication adherence among YPLHIV. This scoping review was designed to identify and classify the types and effects of psychosocial support interventions designed to improve adherence and retention in ART among YPLHIV globally

Applying qualitative methods to investigate social actions for justice using social media: Illustrations from Facebook

Social media is becoming a valuable resource for hosting activism as illustrated in the rise of the hashtag movements, such as #MeToo and #Endrapeculture, used to speak out against rape culture. In this article, we discuss the use of social media as the source and object of research, using the case of the 2016 South African #nakedprotest. We used naturalistic observation on Facebook comment threads and followed these up with online Facebook focus groups. Qualitative content analysis and thematic decomposition analysis were used, respectively, to explore online discourses of rape culture. We found that the use of social media as a medium for data collection is valuable for exploring trending social issues such as the rape culture #nakedprotest