Adolescent Boys' Talk about Absent Fathers

The objective of this study was to explore how adolescent boys talk about absent fathers in Alexandra Township, a historically working-class and black community in Gauteng, South Africa. Individual and group interviews were conducted with 30 adolescent boys between the age of 14 and 18 years in two high schools in Alexandra Township. The results reveal that many of the adolescent boys in the study did not know their fathers or their fathers had separated with their mothers. Despite this, some of the boys were able to construct positive male identities that were not risk-taking. This process involved certain psychical and defensive manoeuvres such as fantasy and an idealized self representation of wanting to become ‘different’ fathers as compared to their own biological fathers. Young adolescent boys' positive voices about future fathering and fatherhood could be supported.     

Experiences of supervising postgraduate community psychology students at Wits university,South Africa

In this article, the authors discuss problems and challenges of supervising postgraduate community psychology students at the University of the Witwatersrand, South Africa. As part of their community work, students developed community projects in schools in Alexandra Township, aimed at dealing with social ills such as HIV/AIDS, gangs, violence, substance abuse and teenage pregnancy. Students found community work to be extremely exhausting, stressful and demanding. Therefore, community psychology supervision became an important space in helping students to reflect on the experiences, anxieties and frustrations. This article discusses key themes that have emerged in community supervision, including gender, race and class issues. In conclusion, recommendations are provided on how to improve community psychology supervision based our experiences. Supervisors need to be proactive in helping students to reflect on their experiences and actively engage with some of the theoretical and practical issues that emerge in community work. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Factorial invariance and latent mean differences of the Beck Depression Inventory – second edition (BDI-II) across gender in South African university students

This study examined the measurement invariance of scores from the BDI-II as well as the differences in latent mean scores by gender. Participants were 919 South African university students (females = 72%). They completed the BDI-II, which is a measure of Negative Attitude (NA), Performance Difficulty (PD), Somatic Complaints (S) and Depression (D). The data were analysed utilising multigroup confirmatory factor analyses (MCFA). Evidence of factorial invariance was established at the level of configural, metric and scalar invariance, across gender groups. Females scored significantly higher latent means on measures of NA and S compared to males.     

The relation between low self-esteem and depressive mood in a non-clinical sample: The role of gender and negative life events

The suggestion that self-esteem is both a protective and a risk factor for depression is well documented. However, this association is not consistently observed by empirical research. The current study investigated the main and interactive effects of low self-esteem and stressful life events on depressive mood in a sample of university students (N = 862; female = 72%; black = 67%; mean age = 21.70, SD = 13.51). The students completed the Hopkins Symptom Checklist, the Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale, and the Perceived Stress Scale. Data were analysed using structural equation modelling (SEM); with stressful life events scores as a mediator, and gender as a moderator, of the relation between low self-esteem and depression. Results indicate that low self-esteem significantly predicted depression, and that stressful life events partially mediated that relationship. Support emerged for the vulnerability effects of low self-esteem on depression and they held across gender groups. Low self-esteem may be a significant indicator of individuals who are at risk for developing depressive mood.     

Merging Professional Training and Community Engagement Agendas: A Case Study

This case study explored the emancipatory foundations of community work through a schools-based peer support intervention. We use a case study approach to describe the context in which the intervention was developed, its emancipatory theoretical foundations, and the project's implementation components and process. The findings suggest that reflexivity is a useful tool for community engagement and for articulating tensions that arise in the enactment of community participation, empowerment and conscientisation. The intervention presented a unique opportunity to reflect on the operationalisation of theoretical concepts in community psychology, and to train professional psychologists for reflexive community work.     

“A boy cannot marry another boy”: adolescent boys' talk about ‘gay’ boys at school

This study explored how black South African adolescent boys talk about ‘gay’¹1 The term ‘gay’ is put in inverted commas to acknowledge that as an identity category it is a social construct. The author in this article is aware that the term ‘gay’ implies a more liberated or liberatory form of identity, but the boys in the study were using it pejoratively. in schools. Thirty two boys (age ranged from 13–18 years old) attending two high schools in a historically black South African township took part. Data on their understanding of being gay were gathered using individual interviews and focus group discussions. The data were analysed using Edley and Wetherell's (2001 Edley, N., & Wetherell, M. (2001). Jekyll and Hyde: Men's constructions of feminism and feminists. Feminism & Psychology, 11(4), 439–457. http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/0959353501011004002 doi: 10.1177/0959353501011004002[Crossref], [Web of Science ®] , [Google Scholar]) discursive interpretive framework. Findings suggest negative bias in the boys' attitudes towards ‘gay’ boys. The boys considered being ‘gay’ as ‘deviant’, ‘abnormal’, ‘un-Christian’ and ‘un-African’. Furthermore, ‘straight’²2 The term ‘straight’ is also put in inverted commas initially to acknowledge that this is also a social construct the participants used in the study to categorise and label each other. boys reported isolating themselves from ‘gay’ boys and avoiding practices stereotypically associated with being ‘gay’, such as wearing colorful pink clothes. Social constructions of hegemonic masculinity and homophobia appear present within an ordinary South African school setting.     

Latent structure of the Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) Checklist for DSM-5 (PCL-5) in South African mortuary workers

This study applied confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) to determine the dimensionality of PTSD symptoms as measured by the Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder Checklist for DSM-5 (PCL-5, Weathers et al., 2013). Participants were 150 trauma-exposed mortuary workers. Six alternative factor solutions resulted from the CFA; including Dysphoria model (four-factor), Dysphoric Arousal model (five-factor), Anhedonia model (six-factor), Externalising model (six-factor), and Hybrid model (seven-factor). Compared to the other models, the five-factor Dysphoric Arousal model had superior fit to the data. Overall, the current results provide evidence for the factorial validity and reliability of scores for the PCL-5 for research use in the South African context.     

Exposure to domestic violence and identity development among adolescent university students in South Africa

This study examined the relationship between exposure to domestic violence and identity development in a sample of 108 undergraduate students with an average age of 18.7 yr. from University of Limpopo in South Africa. There were more women (n = 64; 58.7%) in the study than men (n = 45; 41.3%). Participants were classified into high and low domestic violence exposure groups on the basis of a median split in physical violence scores from the Child Exposure to Domestic Violence Scale (CEDV). Exposure was then compared with identity development as measured by the Ochse and Plug Erikson scale. The results indicated a significant mean difference between the two groups on identity development. Furthermore, exposure to domestic violence was significantly associated with lower scores for identity development as represented by subscales measuring trust, autonomy, initiative and other Eriksonian constructs. Implications and limitations of the study are discussed.     

Psychological validation of the Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale (RSES) in South Africa: Method effects and dimensionality in black African and white university students

The study examined the factor structure and cross-cultural validity of the Rosenberg Self-esteem Scale (RSES) in a sample of South African students (N = 862; black African = 67%, female = 71.5%). Alternative a priori CFA models (unidimensional, bi-dimensional and unidimensional models comprising either latent method factor or correlated residuals) were evaluated. Results indicated that the RSES in black and white South African university students is represented by a unidimensional model with correlated residuals of negatively and positively phrased items. Findings also suggested method effects on black African students to be significantly associated with negatively worded items compared to white students. Method bias effects appear to show for some RSES items and this may have important implications for the cross-cultural utility of the RSES in South Africa.