Sample Of South African Adolescents Research Articles

Toward a Contextually Sensitive Understanding of Polyvictimization: A Latent Class Analysis of Violence, Risks, and Protections Among South African Adolescents From Highly Deprived Settings.

South African adolescents experience a high prevalence of violence victimization alongside the health and economic burdens of HIV/AIDS and poverty. Polyvictimization is a useful theory and framework that allows for a nuanced understanding of lived adolescent experience patterns. Polyvictimization examinations are further enriched by person-centered analytical approaches. This study used latent class analysis to differentiate a sample of South African adolescents from highly deprived communities by their polyvictimization profiles and contextual violence risk and protective factors. Adolescents were sampled twice (2010/2011; 2011/2012), and data reflected their lifetime (sexual abuse) or recent (all other forms of assessed abuse/violence) violence victimizations, as well as individual, household, and community characteristics. Model fit indices supported a seven-class model with adolescents in high, moderate, and low polyvictimization classes. Adolescents in the high polyvictimization classes experienced a heavy burden of poverty and multiple forms of violence across contexts and were distinguished by HIV/AIDS and disability. Adolescents in the low polyvictimization class experienced relatively little violence, despite living in violent communities, and low household and individual burdens of HIV/AIDS and disability. Findings emphasize the importance of considering adolescent violence through a contextually sensitive polyvictimization lens to understand the complex web of violence that adolescents experience. This work supports previous research in low-resource South African settings highlighting the interconnected nature of violence, poverty, disability, and HIV/AIDS. Future research should explore these complex violence patterns and their effects, while program and policy actions must target and prevent adolescent violence especially for those impacted by poverty, disability, and HIV/AIDS.

Effectiveness of abbreviated trauma-focused cognitive behavioural therapy for South African adolescents: a randomized controlled trial

ABSTRACT Background: In low- and middle- income countries (LMICs) trauma exposure among youth is high, but mental health services are critically under-resourced. In such contexts, abbreviated trauma treatments are needed. Objective: To evaluate the efficacy of an abbreviated eight-session version of Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (TF-CBT) for improving posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and depression symptoms in a sample of South African adolescents. Method: 75 trauma-exposed adolescents (21 males, 54 females; mean age = 14.92, range = 11–19) with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms were randomly assigned to eight sessions of TF-CBT or to usual services. At baseline, post-treatment and three-month follow-up, participants completed the Child PTSD Symptom Scale for DSM 5 (CPSS-5) and the Beck Depression Inventory II (BDI-II). The trial is registered on the Pan African Trial Registry (PACTR202011506380839).6. Results: 95% of TF-CBT participants completed treatment while only 47% of TAU participants accessed treatment. Intention-to-treat analyses found that the TF-CBT group had a significantly greater reduction in CPSS-5 PTSD symptom severity at post-treatment (Cohen’s d = 0. 60, p < .01) and three-month follow-up (Cohen’s d = 0.62, p < . 01), and a greater reduction in the proportion of participants meeting the CPSS-5 clinical cut-off for PTSD at both time points (p = .02 and p = .03, respectively). There was also a significantly greater reduction in depression symptom severity in the TF-CBT group at post-treatment (Cohen’s d = 0.51, p = .03) and three-month follow-up (Cohen’s d = 0.41, p = .05), and a greater reduction in the proportion of TF-CBT participants meeting the BDI clinical cut-off for depression at both time points (p = .02 and p = .03, respectively). Conclusion: The findings provide preliminary evidence of the efficacy of an abbreviated eight-session version of TF-CBT for reducing PTSD and depression symptoms in a LMIC sample of adolescents with multiple trauma exposure.

Peer pressure and social acceptability between hookah pipe users and non-users among a sample of South African adolescents

Background. Hookah pipe smoking is a high-risk phenomenon which is widely seen as an acceptable social practice, but the extent of its acceptability is not very clear among South African youth, nor is the influence of peers very clear.Objective. To establish a link between social acceptability and peer pressure and to compare this relationship among hookah pipe users and non-users in a sample of South African adolescents.Methods. A cross-sectional comparative correlation study was conducted among Grade 9 adolescents attending secondary schools in the Metro East Education District in Cape Town. The final sample comprised 270 participants. A questionnaire was used to collect data which were analysed using SPSS.Results. No relationship was found between peer pressure and social acceptability, but a relationship was found between parental rules and monitoring around tobacco use for hookah pipe users. A significant difference was also found in attitudes towards hookah use among users and non-users.Conclusion. This descriptive study of hookah pipe users and non-users among Grade 9 adolescents is a further study in the quantitative research approach and may be helpful in gaining more insight into understanding how parental rules and monitoring are put in place and why users’ and non-users’ attitudes towards tobacco use differ significantly. The implications and significance of this study are further explained.

“I have grown with it”: Experiences of Spiritual Identity Development in a Group of South African Adolescents

This qualitative phenomenological study aimed to capture experiences of spiritual identity development in a purposive sample of South African adolescents, using semi-structured interviews and reflective writing exercises. Participants confirmed the prominence of religiosity and spirituality, as intertwined concepts central to their sense of purpose and identity. Consistent with the ideas expressed in psychosocial theories and lifespan development approaches, these adolescents valued the importance of choice when confronted with contradiction. They prioritized personal commitment and authenticity in their spiritual journeys toward finding a sense of self. It is clear that spiritual identity development unfolds as a lifelong process, driven by an interplay between cognitive development, psychosocial experiences, and the religiocultural context. The findings of this study reiterates that, as adolescents mature into emerging adulthood and their lives and meaning-making abilities become more complex, spirituality is critical in answering intricate questions about the self, others, and purpose of life.

Context as co-creator in spiritual life stories: the contextual nature of South African adolescents’ spiritual identity development

ABSTRACT This study explored spiritual identity development in a sample of South African adolescents, by considering how the participants perceived and experienced their spirituality, as well as how these meaning-making experiences contributed to their identity development. Twelve adolescent participants were purposively sampled and participated in semi-structured interviews and reflective writing exercises. The themes that emerged from the analysis alluded to the importance of relationships and context. The roles of parents, peers, the educational environment, and geographical location were emphasised. Participants explored and committed to their spiritual identities through processes of personal reflection, discussion, and modelling. Spiritual development is thus a reciprocal and bidirectional process between the unique individual and context. Spiritual identity development is a fluid process that evolves and grows in connections and relationships with others. Personal, cultural, and contextual factors are thus important in the co-creation of individuals’ spiritual life stories.

Mental health in South African adolescents living with HIV: correlates of internalising and externalising symptoms

ABSTRACTAlthough declining in all other age groups, AIDS-related deaths among adolescents are increasing. In the context of HIV, mental health problems are associated with negative health outcomes, including non-adherence to life-saving ART. For effective programming it is essential to identify factors associated with psychological outcomes in this population. Adopting a socioecological perspective, we aimed to identify correlates of internalising and externalising symptoms in a large, representative sample of South African adolescents living with HIV. HIV-positive adolescents (n = 1060), who received care in public health facilities in South Africa’s Eastern Cape, completed measures of internalising and externalising symptoms. Hypothesised correlates included HIV and health-related factors (physical health, mode of infection, medication side-effects, disclosure, stigma), health-service related factors (negative interactions with clinic staff, clinic support group), interpersonal factors (abuse, bullying victimisation, social support), parenting-related factors (orphanhood, positive parenting, parental monitoring, parent communication), as well as individual and demographic-related factors (self-efficacy, age, gender, urban/rural location, poverty). Correlates operating across a variety of contexts were identified. Bullying victimisation, self-efficacy, and positive parenting may be particularly salient intervention targets as they were associated with better outcomes on most or all mental health measures, can be addressed without directly targeting adolescents living with HIV (reducing the chances of accidental exposure and stigma), and are associated with better adolescent mental health in South Africa more generally.

The PANAS-C: A cross-cultural examination among South African adolescents

The presence of positive affect (PA) and negative affect (NA) is important to adolescent developmental trajectories and their well-being. While the Positive and Negative Affect Schedule for Children (PANAS-S) has been widely implemented to measure affect among adolescents, measurement equivalence of the scale has rarely been addressed. This study investigated measurement equivalence of the PANAS-C across gender and ethnicity (Black and White) among a sample of South African adolescents. It also examined group differences in PA and NA between males and females, and between the two ethnic groups. Data was available for 1062 adolescents with a mean age of 15.9 years. Results from a uniform differential item analysis suggested that the items on both the PA and NA subscales function largely similarly across gender and ethnicity. Using Bayesian analyses to investigate group differences in PA and NA, boys scored higher on positive affect, and girls higher on negative affect. There were no differences in either PA or NA among Black and White adolescents. The significance and implications of the results are discussed.

Psychometric properties of the Motivation for Solitude Scale–Short Form in a sample of South African adolescents

With expanding interest in the role of solitude in healthy psychological development during adolescence, there is a need for psychometrically sound solitude measures. The aim of this study was to examine the psychometric properties of the Motivation for Solitude Scale–Short Form by evaluating its internal consistency, factor structure, and convergent and discriminant validity using a group of South African adolescents ( n = 818). Results revealed satisfactory internal consistency for each of the two subscales, as well as good convergent and discriminant validity. Confirmatory factor analysis supported a two-factor higher order model as providing the best fit. The Motivation for Solitude Scale–Short Form seems to be a valid measure of motivation for solitude among South African adolescents and provides an avenue for further research on the role of solitude in adolescent well-being.

Validation of the child and youth resilience measure among South African adolescents.

Resilience is a dynamic, interactive process between resources that contribute to safeguarding a person and the adversities they experience. Within this promotional framework of resilience, this study sought to validate the Child and Youth Resilience Measure (CYRM-28) among a sample of South African adolescents (N = 1854). Confirmatory factor analysis supported a superior level of fit for a 24-item, three-factor model (i.e., individual/social, familial, and community/spiritual). Internal consistency and test-retest reliability estimates at a 12-month interval (N = 648) supported the reliability of the scales. Higher scores on the scales were associated with feeling more connected at school, greater parental monitoring perceptions, and lower sexual risk, confirming the convergent and criterion validity of the instrument. Partial discriminative power was evidenced based on selected scale distinctions according to age and sex groupings. Collectively, the findings suggest the 24-item CYRM is a valid and reliable self-report measure to assess the availability of resources associated with resilience in South African youth.

Poverty moderates the association between gender and school dropout in South African adolescents

ABSTRACTThis study examined prospective associations between poverty, gender, and school dropout in a large community sample of South African adolescents (baseline: n = 3515, follow-up: n = 3401, 57% female, age range at baseline: 10–17 years, mean age at baseline = 13.45). School dropout was defined as being enrolled in school at baseline assessment but no longer enrolled in school at follow-up assessment. Poverty was measured at baseline assessment using an index of access to the eight highest socially perceived necessities for South African children and adolescents. Demographic characteristics including child gender and age, province, and urban versus rural location were recorded at baseline assessment and controlled for in the analysis. As predicted, higher poverty scores (AOR = 2.01, p < .001) were associated with increased odds of school dropout 1 year later. Gender was not a significant predictor of school dropout (AOR = 1.56, p = .07) but did interact with poverty (AOR = 0.66, p = .04) in predicting school dropout. However, our initial hypothesis that the impact of poverty on school dropout would be stronger for girls than boys was not supported. Instead, results indicated that while girls were at elevated risk of school dropout at low and mean levels of poverty, at high levels of poverty this gender difference was no longer evident. Findings suggest that vulnerable boys should not be neglected in policies to improve retention in education in contexts of extreme poverty.

Towards a comprehensive test specification for normative adolescent fears: a conservation of resources perspective

Objective: This study assessed the extent to which the primary tenets of Conservation of Resources theory provide an adequate basis for categorising and conceptualising normative adolescent fears.Method: Initial descriptive research, using data obtained from a sample of South African adolescents (n = 163), used systematic emergent content analysis to develop a test specification (i.e., content domains and manifestations of content domains) relevant to measures of normative adolescent fears, with subsequent a priori content analyses being used to explore the content validity of the test specification with respect to the item-content of selected normative childhood and adolescent fear schedules. Results: Analyses suggest that content domains proposed by Conservation of Resources theory provide an adequate (exhaustive and mutually exclusive) basis for reliably conceptualising and categorising normative adolescent fears and for predicting the valence of specific adolescent fears. Conclusions: A Conservation of Resources perspective was found to be of heuristic value in exploring content domains relevant to normative adolescent fears, and would appear to hold promise as a useful conceptual framework for future research in the field.

Trajectories of adolescent substance use development and the influence of healthy leisure: A growth mixture modeling approach

Considerable heterogeneity exists in adolescent substance use development. To most effectively prevent use, distinct trajectories of use must be identified as well as differential associations with predictors of use, such as leisure experience. The current study used a person-centered approach to identify distinct substance use trajectories and how leisure is associated with trajectory classes. Data came from a larger efficacy trial of 2.249 South African high school students who reported substance use at any time across 8 waves. Growth mixture modeling was used to identify developmental trajectories of substance use and the influence of healthy leisure. Results identified three increasing and one stable substance use trajectory and subjective healthy leisure served to protect against use. This study is the first of its kind to focus on a sample of South African adolescents and serves to develop a richer understanding of substance use development and the role of healthy leisure.

Validation of the Children’s Hope Scale in a Sample of South African Adolescents

The aim of this study was to examine the validity of the Children’s Hope Scale (CHS) (Snyder et al. 1997) among South African adolescents. Participants (n = 1062) in the greater Johannesburg area completed the CHS as well as measures of psychological well-being, coping self-efficacy, positive affect and negative affect. The CHS total score showed satisfactory reliability for research purposes (Cronbach’s α = .73). Criterion related validity was demonstrated as evident from statistically significant correlations between the CHS, its subscales (agency and pathways) and the criterion measures. Snyder’s two-factor model of hope was supported through confirmatory factor analysis. In accord with previous studies, results showed that item 5 loaded the pathways factor rather than the hypothesized agency factor. The results indicate that the CHS has satisfactory psychometric properties and can be implemented as measure of hope among South African adolescents using the total score rather than interpreting the subscale scores. The findings extend the application and measurement of constructs from the field of positive psychology to the African context.

Perpetration, Revictimization, and Self-Injury: Traumatic Reenactments of Child Sexual Abuse in a Nonclinical Sample of South African Adolescents

Risk factors for traumatic reenactments of child sexual abuse experiences (perpetration, revictimization, and self-injury) were examined in a sample of 718 South African secondary school adolescents. Logistic regression analyses indicated that the most consistent predictors of reenactments were a history of child sexual abuse (rape and/or indecent assault) and respondents’ gender, with males being significantly more likely than females to report perpetration (OR = 13.5) and females being more likely to report revictimization (OR = 3.2) and self-injury (OR = 2.5). An analysis restricted to respondents with a history of child sexual abuse indicated that negative abuse-related cognitions were the most consistent predictor of all forms of traumatic reenactment.

Concurrent validity of the Structured Interview for Disorders of Extreme Stress (SIDES-SR) in a non-clinical sample of South African adolescents

The concurrent criterion-related validity of the Structured Interview for Disorders of Extreme Stress (SIDES-SR) was examined in a cross-sectional study of 719 secondary school students attending a high school in Durban, South Africa. For purposes of analysis, exposure to complex developmental trauma was defined as exposure to either chronic (&gt;1 month) and/or multiple incidents (5+ types) of interpersonal victimisation prior to the age of 18 years. A series of discriminant analyses indicated that 12 of the 45 items on the SIDES-SR (27%) did not significantly discriminate individuals who had been exposed to complex developmental trauma from those who had not, with the removal of these 12 items from the scale having no significant impact on estimates of the concurrent validity, sensitivity, or specificity of the SIDES-SR. These findings suggest that the SIDES-SR may be characterised by some degree of construct over-representation when applied to South African samples, with further research being indicated in order to not only replicate the present findings but also address the issue of construct under-representation in the South African context.

Evaluating the Construct Validity of the Kidscreen-52 Quality of Life Questionnaire within a South African Context

The absence of a suitable measure to assess the health-related quality of life (HRQoL) of children and adolescents in South Africa, led to the use of the KIDSCREEN-52 questionnaire, which was developed and standardised in Europe. The current study is part of a broader study conducted in the Western Cape, which used the KIDSCREEN-52 to explore the influence of exposure to community violence on the subjective HRQoL of a sample of South African adolescents. This study aimed to investigate the reliability and construct validity of the KIDSCREEN-52 in a South African context. The broader study employed stratified interval criterion sampling to select 565 Grade 9 learners, aged 14–18. Participants were selected from six public schools in areas specified by the South African government as comprising key nodal areas in terms of crime in the Western Cape. The dataset for the current study comprised all participants (N = 565) of the primary study. As the initial step in validation of the KIDSCREEN-52 in South Africa, the current study examined its factor structure by means of exploratory factor analysis, using principal component analysis with oblimin rotations. It also assessed the internal consistency reliability of each of the scales, using Cronbach's alpha. Exploratory factor analysis extracted 10 factors as identified by previous studies, with some deviation in the loadings of the last three factors. Items of two scales (“Feelings” and “About Yourself”) divided into three scales, and “Bullying” items were not sufficiently presented in the factor solution. Internal consistency of the measure was shown to be acceptable to good, with Cronbach's alpha values ranging from 0.76 to 0.81 for the 10 scales.

Factor Analysis of the Spiritual Well-being Questionnaire Using a Sample of South African Adolescents

AbstractIn 2003 Gomez and Fisher developed the Spiritual Well-being Questionnaire (SWBQ) based on a theoretical model of spiritual well-being proposed by Fisher. According to Fisher, spiritual well-being comprises the personal, communal, environmental and transcendental domains, which are interrelated and cohere to create a global spiritual well-being dimension. Their study showed that the SWBQ was reliable and valid. A further study in 2005 using item response theory analysis of the SWBQ suggested general support for the psychometric properties of the SWBQ. However, there were indications that certain items in the questionnaire needed to be improved. The present study was undertaken to do a factor analysis of the SWBQ using a sample of South African adolescents to gauge its suitability. Gomez and Fisher’s recommendation was considered and certain items were added to the SWBQ for factor analysis with the aim of replacing some of the original items. The factor structure that was found in this study corresponds with that in Gomez and Fisher’s study. Acceptable coefficients of internal consistency for the different subscales (factors) and for the global score of the SWBQ were found. Moreover, in line with Gomez and Fisher’s recommendation, this revised SWBQ scale seems to have been improved in terms of its psychometric properties and appears to be a reliable instrument in measuring the spiritual well-being of adolescents.

Inculcating Safe Sex Attitudes in South African Adolescents: A Directive for the Government's Anti-HIV/AIDS Policy

South Africa has one of the highest rates of HIV/AIDS in the world. Much blame for this has been laid on the apathy of the South African government and the cultural traits of South Africans. AIDS prevention research calls for early childhood education to raise awareness of the causes, dangers, and prevention of HIV/AIDS. This study involved surveys among a select sample of South African adolescents to determine their sexual attitudes before and after a cognitive-behavioral intervention. Overall, the results did not make a significant difference in their attitudes, suggesting pre-adolescent sex education might prove to be a more useful tool in anti-HIV/AIDS education. Risky sexual behavior, under the influence of alcohol, also serves as a warning to educate young consumers of alcohol.

Environmental stressors, low well-being, smoking, and alcohol use among South African adolescents

This is the first study to examine the pathways from environmental stressors to substance use among a sample of South African adolescents ( N = 2195). The study objective was to assess how environmental stressors might affect cigarette smoking and alcohol use among South African adolescents, and to focus on one mechanism, low well-being, which might mediate this association. Participants consisted of 2195 Black, mixed ancestry ("Colored"), Indian, and White youth, aged 12–17 years old (mean age = 14.6; SD = 1.8), recruited via a multi-stage stratified sampling procedure in Durban, Cape Town, and Johannesburg, South Africa. Data were collected via individual in-person structured interviews, administered by trained interviewers in the participant’s preferred language. Structural equation modeling was used to analyze the interrelationships of environmental stressors (violent victimisation, legal and illegal drug availability) and low well-being (depressive symptoms, low self-esteem, health problems) with respect to adolescent cigarette smoking and alcohol use. The results supported our hypotheses: Environmental stressors were related to low well-being which, in turn, was linked to both adolescent smoking and alcohol use. There were also direct pathways from environmental stressors to both adolescent smoking and alcohol use. Smoking and alcohol use were significantly correlated. The findings suggest that environmental stressors may be associated with diminished psychological and physical well-being, as well as smoking and alcohol use, among South African adolescents. Longitudinal research is warranted to further understand the interrelationship of environmental stressors, low well-being, and adolescent substance use, so that these issues may be addressed by South African programmes and policies.

The relationship between affect, uses of music, and music preferences in a sample of South African adolescents

The current study examined the relationship between individual differences in uses of music (i.e. motives for listening to music), music preferences (for different genres), and positive affect (PA) and negative affect (NA), thus linking two areas of past research into a more comprehensive model. A sample of 193 South African adolescents (ages 12–17) completed measures of the above constructs and data were analyzed via correlations and structural equation modeling (SEM). Significant correlations between affect and uses of music were tested using SEM; a model whereby PA influenced background and cognitive uses of music, NA influenced emotional use of music, and higher uses of music led to increased preferences for music styles was supported. Future research for uses of music and music preferences are discussed.