Department of Psychiatry

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Browsing Department of Psychiatry by Subject "Adolescent psychology -- Delft (South Africa)"

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    Associations between exposure to community violence, symptoms of psychological distress, and school performance in high-risk peri-urban communities
    (Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University, 2024-03-01) Smith, Matthew James; Naidoo, Anthony Vernon; Rabie, Stephan; Stellenbosch University. Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences. Department of Psychology.
    ENGLISH ABSTRACT: Research has shown that masculinities are socially and culturally constructed. How one particular social group constructs what it means to be a man varies depending on changing cultural values and beliefs. By unpacking how individuals understand their own masculinity as well as the masculinity of those around them, more can be learned about these cultural values and beliefs. This is important as these beliefs and norms that are tied to masculine identity can influence behaviour. There is considerable evidence finding that strict adherence to masculine norms results in limited help-seeking behaviour and poorer mental health outcomes. There is limited research in the South African context regarding young adolescent men’s mental health and help-seeking behaviours. Adolescence is a formative development period as this is when internalised masculine norms become entrenched within their masculine identity and can have long term impacts on their behaviour. By exploring personal constructions and understandings of masculinity by adolescent males, more can be learnt about the masculine norms that are endorsed and internalised by young men within the geographical location of the Stellenbosch district. The extent to which these norms influence help-seeking behaviour will allow for the identification of social norms that have a detrimental impact on health behaviours and can be targeted in future interventions. This qualitative study adopted a constructivist approach to meaning making, framing the research question, analysing the data, and reporting the research findings. A combined grounded theory and narrative inquiry methodology and case study design were used. The combined grounded theory and narrative inquiry approach worked well given the research aims of making sense of the participants’ personal understandings of masculinity, while still respecting their unique story and situation. The case study design was necessary given the sample size of the study. Qualitative data that were collected from individual interviews and a focus group were transcribed analysed using Braun and Clarke’s (2006) six phase framework for conducting a thematic analysis. Data from the individual interviews were presented separately from the data from the focus groups, as the focus group data was used to back up and validate the themes identified during the individual interviews. Findings indicated that traditional masculine gender norms associated with hegemonic masculinity were present and endorsed within this sample of young men. The participants stated that these masculine norms manifested as expectations on themselves, and they felt a great deal of pressure to meet these expectations. This pressure to maintain what they perceived as the norm for men would influence behaviour. For instance, practicing stoicism, crying in private, and emphasising emotional control were all behaviours undertaken by the participants so as to not jeopardise their status as a man. Help-seeking behaviour was viewed as a gendered behaviour, being seen as feminine. Other factors, such as perceived financial inaccessibility of therapy and lack of mental health knowledge were identified as playing a role in limited help-seeking behaviour. This research serves as a good snapshot of the masculine norms that are endorsed by young men in the Stellenbosch district, as well as how these masculine norms influence help-seeking behaviour.