Repository logo
 

Theses and dissertations (Health Sciences)

Permanent URI for this collectionhttp://ir-dev.dut.ac.za/handle/10321/12

Browse

Has files: YesSubject: search.filters.subject.Depression

Search Results

Now showing 1 - 3 of 3
  • Thumbnail Image
    Item
    Experiences of patients with depression who are receiving psychotherapy in selected public hospitals in eThekwini District, KwaZulu-Natal
    (2020-11-30) Ndokweni, Ntokozo Pearl; Sibiya, M. N.; Nkosi, P. B.
    Background Psychotherapy is one of the methods used to treat patients diagnosed with depression. Results of quantitative research on psychotherapy supported the assumption that generally, there is insignificant progress in the outcome of psychotherapy. The question of the influence of psychotherapy orientation on treatment effectiveness has been long-standing and debated. There is a gap of knowledge on the effectiveness of psychotherapy from a patient’s point of view. Aim of the study The study aimed to explore and describe the experiences of patients with depression who are receiving psychotherapy in selected public hospitals in eThekwini District, KwaZulu-Natal (KZN), and to make recommendations to improve patients’ experiences of psychotherapy. Methodology A qualitative research design, with a descriptive phenomenological approach, was employed in the study. The study was conducted at three different public hospitals selected at eThekwini district in KZN. A minimum of 17 participants were selected from these hospitals, using a maximum variation sampling technique. This study utilised one-on-one, semi-structured in-depth interviews, using open-ended questions to collect data from participants. Colaizzi’s method of data analysis was used to identify themes. Findings Five themes emerged from the analysed data, namely an understanding of psychotherapy, benefits of psychotherapy sessions, challenges with consultation, socio-cultural taboos and beliefs and therapeutic outcomes. The findings of this study indicated that South Africa's government hospitals are still faced with the challenge of providing adequate mental health services. Nonetheless, participants also acknowledged the positive outcomes of their experiences of psychotherapy. Participants admitted that after psychotherapy, there were behavioral and attitude changes and that they had a more positive view of life, regardless of the challenges they encountered. Conclusion Although the findings indicated the significant impact of undergoing psychotherapy, there is still a need to address the gap of the imbalanced ratio of psychologists to patients in South Africa. It was recommended that the Department of Health should integrate mental health into primary health care facilities to balance the shortage of psychotherapy services. Additionally, a coordinating body is needed to oversee public education in South Africa on mental health and mental disorders to reduce the stigma of seeking psychotherapy interventions.
  • Thumbnail Image
    Item
    The prevalence of and risk factors for neck pain in first year Faculty of Health Science students at the Durban University of Technology
    (2018) Gevers, Giselle Lara; Maharaj, Praveena; Puckree, Threethambal
    INTRODUCTION: Neck pain is considered to be one of the most disabling conditions, with a universal prevalence among youth, adult and elderly populations. However, despite its disabling nature and its high prevalence there is still much uncertainty surrounding the aetiology of the pain and the extent to which the condition is influenced by the intrinsic and extrinsic characteristics of an individual. While there is growing evidence to support the notion that marked bio-psychosocial associations exist with neck pain, this literature is heavily weighted toward an adult and a developed nation context leaving developing nations and the student population largely under-researched in comparison. Moreover, while a high prevalence of neck pain and its associated risk factors exist in the student population among health sciences and non-health sciences programmes, across many levels of study, the literature is ambivalent about which faculty and level of study is more at risk, if any. The first year of university stands out among the rest in that the students undergo a significant transition and are required to adapt to a new environment and style of learning compared to what they have been used to. Furthermore, students have been observed to exit first year with higher levels of distress than were present in the beginning of the year, suggesting that this unique environment may influence the psychosocial well-being of students. The extent and strength of this relationship is yet to be determined in a South African tertiary educational context and this is even more true of the first year student population at the Durban University of Technology. Research on the unique bio-psychosocial factors of these students would provide a more holistic understanding of the extent to which these factors exist and the role they play in the general well-being of the students and in the development of neck pain. AIMS AND OBJECTIVES: This study aimed, firstly, to determine the prevalence and psychosocial risk factors of neck pain in registered first year Faculty of Health Sciences students at the Durban University of Technology and, secondly, to determine the association between neck pain presentation, demographic characteristics, socio-demographic and psychosocial risk factors. The outcomes of this study could possibly have a threefold benefit (for the student, the institution, and the chiropractic profession at large). RESEARCH DESIGN: A quantitative, descriptive, cross-sectional survey design was adopted in this research. This design was chosen as it was believed to be the best suited to achieving the aims and objectives of the study. RESEARCH METHODOLOGY: Neck pain questionnaires were administered to the first year Faculty of Health Sciences students at the Durban University of Technology towards the end of the academic year in order to determine the prevalence of neck pain and its associated demographic, socio-demographic, and psychosocial risk factors. There was a final sample size of 135 participants achieving a response rate of 54.7% for the study. Data was captured by the researcher and sent to a statistician for statistical analysis. RESULTS: A high prevalence of neck pain was found among the students (72%) with symptoms of depression (59.8%), anxiety (68.1%), and stress (53.6%) also being highly prevalent among this group. However, when neck pain was quantified by its characteristics the related impact was comparatively low. There was a common theme observed in the results highlighting the association between stress and neck pain, with stress furthermore being determined as an independent risk factor for neck pain (p = 0.023) with an odds ratio of 1.1. This result was not surprising, however, considering the stressors which emerged in the results highlighting factors such as transport protests, student protests, upcoming tests and financial aid as stress causing factors among the participants. The results provided valuable insight which enabled recommendations to be made about the direction of future research as well as recommendations for the Institution and the Chiropractic profession in the approach and management of students enrolled in tertiary education and with neck pain.
  • Thumbnail Image
    Item
    Comparison of the effectiveness of group interventions on Indian women diagnosed with mild to moderate depression at an urban psychiatric clinic in KwaZulu–Natal
    (2004) Chetty, Dayanithee; Brooks, Heidi
    The aim of this quasi-experimental study was to compare the effectiveness of a Nurse-facilitated cognitive group intervention, a Volunteer-led support group intervention and a standard treatment Control group on mild to moderately depressed Indian women at an urban community psychiatric clinic in KwaZulu-Natal in terms of their levels of depression and self-esteem over a three-month period. Since antidepressants alone are ineffective in the treatment of depression, the study evaluated group interventions as adjunctive treatments. The first intervention involved 15 group sessions based on Gordon’s teachings (1988a and 1988b), whilst the second intervention consisted of 15 craft-making group sessions. A purposive sample of 45 depressed women was selected and randomly allocated to the three groups. Sample selection criteria included a Beck Depression Inventory score between 9 and 29, being aged between 25 and 65 years and using antidepressant medication. For ethical reasons, all participants continued with their “standard” antidepressant treatment throughout the study. The Personal Profile Questionnaire (PPQ), the Beck Depression Inventory Scale (BDI) 1978, the Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale (RSE) 1965, the Life-Experience Survey (LES) 1977 questionnaire and a question on exercise were used to assess the effectiveness of the group interventions. Pre-test (prior to the introduction of the intervention) and two sequential Post-test scoring (after 6 and 12 weeks of interventions) were undertaken using the above-named instruments. The Kruskal Willis and Friedman’s test were used to detect changes in levels of depression and self-esteem between and within the three groups respectively, at the p = 0.05 levels of significance. The intergroup comparison showed statistically significant improvements in the BDI score of Experimental groups 1 and 2, with p = 0.00. There were no changes in the Control group. The intra-group comparison showed statistical significant improvements during the study within the intervention groups (p = 0.00 in both cases) but not in the Control group. No statistically significant change in the RSE amongst or within the three group was detected. The study has shown that group interventions as an adjunct to antidepressant treatment are beneficial as rehabilitation programmes for depressed women. Furthermore, volunteers and psychiatric nurses with training in using group interventions may be useful in assisting depressed patients to enhance their quality of life.