Psyssa Trauma and Violence Division

15/05/2023

This week we are highlighting a recent qualitative meta-synthesis by Alessi & Khan: Toward a trauma-informed qualitative research approach: Guidelines for ensuring the safety and promoting the resilience of research participants.

Key Terms:
• Qualitative research: a type of research that aims to gather and analyse non-numerical data to gain an understanding of individuals' social reality, including understanding their attitudes, beliefs, and motivation.
• Trauma: the biopsychosocial response to actual or threatened death, serious injury, or sexual violence.

Background:
• Qualitative researchers frequently conduct studies with individuals who have experienced various types of trauma, including those who have been historically marginalized and oppressed.
• However, in-depth discussions of how to conduct trauma-informed qualitative research do not exist.

Key Findings:
This study has provided the groundwork for a trauma-informed qualitative approach and outlines five guidelines for conducting research:
1. Preparing for community entry
2. Preparing for the qualitative interview or focus group
3. Extending safety and trust into the qualitative interview or focus group
4. Knowing when to change course to avoid re-traumatization in the interview or focus group
5. Committing to regular and radical self-reflection and self-care in the research process.

The findings of this study have important implications for research being conducted in South Africa as most of our population and therefore participants are from vulnerable and/or marginalised groups. This offers researchers an opportunity to incorporate these guidelines into their study design and implementation to ensure participant safety as well as promote their resilience.

The full article can be accessed at:

Qualitative researchers frequently conduct studies with individuals who have experienced various types of trauma, including those who have been historically marginalized and oppressed. However, in-...

20/04/2023

This week we are highlighting a recent qualitative meta-synthesis by Green and colleagues on the Influence of Cultural Norms on Formal Service Engagement Among Survivors of Intimate Partner Violence.

Key Terms:
• Intimate Partner Violence: a set of behaviours conducted by a former or current intimate partner that causes physical, sexual, or psychological harm and is one of the most common forms of violence against women.
• Non-Anglo-Saxon: all ethnic groups other than Anglo-English-speaking majority groups.

Background:
• For victim-survivors of intimate partner violence (IPV), receiving help from formal services such as specialist family violence, health, or criminal justice services can be critical for their safety and well-being.
• Previous research has found cross-cultural differences in the rates of help-seeking behaviour, with women from non-Anglo-Saxon communities less likely to seek formal help than Anglo-Saxon populations.
• This may be a result of individual, practical, and cultural barriers which include limited language skills, social isolation, financial dependence on spouses, lack of knowledge of service availability, lack of culturally relevant services, and cultural norms that create a shame and stigma in seeking help.

Key Findings:
• Based on a thematic synthesis approach, this study found five key themes that captured specific cultural norms that influence formal service engagement: (1) gender roles and social expectations, (2) community recognition and acceptance of abuse, (3) honour-based society, (4) the role of religion, and (5) cultural beliefs and attitudes toward formal services.

The findings of this study have important implications for responses to family violence, particularly concerning family violence education for non-Anglo-Saxon ethnically diverse communities and best-practice strategies to improve the cultural relevancy of formal service providers. Given the vulnerability of women in South Africa to IPV, this study had important implications for clinical practice and advocacy.

The full article can be accessed at:

For victim-survivors of intimate partner violence (IPV), receiving help from formal services such as specialist family violence, health, or criminal justice ser...

20/03/2023

Join us for a webinar on World Head Injury Awareness Day (HIAD) on Friday 24 March 13:00 - 15:00, hosted by Netcare Rehabilitation Hospital.
Our VC, Sunitha Swanepoel will be speaking on: "Living your way into a new way of thinking."

Join Zoom Meeting
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/81112344886?pwd=QU4reURLMldrbDRscjBwRWRobXBGUT09
Meeting ID: 811 1234 4886
Passcode: 157218

Zoom is the leader in modern enterprise video communications, with an easy, reliable cloud platform for video and audio conferencing, chat, and webinars across mobile, desktop, and room systems. Zoom Rooms is the original software-based conference room solution used around the world in board, confer...

01/03/2023

26/01/2023

An outline of the TVD's mission which you can also find on our website https://lnkd.in/dsRTm2rU

The mission of the TVD is to promote the minimisation of violence in society and psychological harm due to exposure to potentially traumatic events.

The TVD addresses this mission through the advancement and appropriate dissemination of scientific research that informs good preventative and ameliorative practice and the implementation of specific initiatives that addresses particular needs related to the prevention of violence or treatment of traumatic stress and related phenomena.

The goals derived from this mission are to be achieved in cooperation with other PsySSA structures, other professional organisations, the general public, and governmental organisations.

26/01/2023

Thinking about joining the TVD?

Here are our annual membership fees:

Full members: R50 per year
Associate and affiliate members: R40 per year
Student members: R20 per year

26/01/2023

Just a reminder of some important emergency numbers, which you can also find on our website https://lnkd.in/dsRTm2rU

SAPS Emergency Services: 10111
Crime Stop: 08600 10111
Domestic violence Helpline: 0800 150 150
Childline: 116
Lifeline: 0861322322
The South African Depression and Anxiety Group (SADAG): 0112344837
Su***de Crisis Lifeline: 0800567567
Trauma Helpline: 0800205026

26/01/2023

After a break the TVD is back and ready for 2023!

Thank you to all our followers and members for your continued support and engagement. We look forward to working together in 2023 to strengthen and build the TVD.

We are excited to share that we are now on Twitter as well!
Follow us

A reminder that we also have a LinkedIn page where we share news and information. You can follow us there on: https://www.linkedin.com/company/psyssatvd/

You can also check out our website for any TVD related information and updates: https://www.psyssa.com/divisions/trauma-and-violence-division/

We hope you are as excited as we are about the new TVD activities for 2023!

PsySSA Trauma and Violence Division | 1,063 followers on LinkedIn. A division of the Psychological Society of South Africa (PsySSA) which promotes the minimization of Trauma and Violence. | The Trauma and Violence Division (TVD) aims to promote the minimisation of violence and psychological harm whi...

01/12/2022

16 Days of Activism for no Violence against Women and Children 2022
The following numbers can be contacted to get help if you have experienced violence or to report violence against women and children that you have witnessed:
SAPS Crime Stop Tel: 08600 10111
Gender –Based Violence Command Centre Tel: 0800 428 428/ 0800 GBV GBV
Stop Gender Violence Helpline Tel: 0800 150 150 or sms *120*7867 # from any cell phone
Family and Marriage Society of South Africa (FAMSA) Tel: (011) 975 7107
Childline Tel: 08000 55 555
National Crisis Line Tel: 086 132 2322
SA National Council for Child Welfare Tel: 011 339 5741

01/12/2022

16 Days of Activism for no Violence against Women and Children
Background
16 days is a worldwide campaign from 25 November to 10 December to oppose violence against women and children.
It aims to raise awareness of the negative impact that violence and abuse have on women and children and to rid society of abuse permanently.

Why is violence against women and children so prevalent in our society?
Often violence against women and children stems from the low status of women in the home and in society in general.
Violence against women and children most often take place when men abuse their power and positions of authority in order to control women and children.

What does violence against women and children look like?
This control and abuse can have many forms which includes: emotional abuse, physical abuse (causing bodily harm), r**e, financial abuse, sexual harassment, and child abuse.

What is our government doing to protect women and children against violence as well as prevent violence against women and children?
Parliament has passed laws to protect the rights of individuals against abuse. These include: The Domestic Violence Act of 1998, The Children's Act of 2005, The Maintenance Act of 1998, The Promotion of Equity and Prevention of Unfair Discrimination Act of 2000, and The Criminal Law (Sexual Offences and Related Matters Act) Amendment Act of 2007. These laws can be accessed at: https://www.parliament.gov.za/project-event-details/3
The vision of Parliament confirms Parliament as the institution that transforms the entire society to be based on democratic values, social justice and fundamental human rights, which include women’s and children’s rights.

What can you do to prevent and stop violence against women and children?
Break the cycle of violence by breaking the silence and acting against abuse. Report abuse that you are experiencing yourself or abuse of women and children that you have witnessed.
Seek help, care and treatment for yourself after experiencing abuse or assist others who have experienced abuse to do the same. This can include consulting with primary care physicians, nurses, social workers, and psychologists.
Seek social support from friends, family, and other loved ones for yourself after experiencing abuse or assist others who have experienced abuse to do the same.

What are the key dates observed during this period?
25 November: International Day of No Violence Against Women
29 November: International Women Human Rights Defenders Day
1 December: World Aids Day
3 December: International Day for the Disabled
10 December: International Human Rights Day

15/11/2022

As we approach 16 days of activism for no violence against women and children from 25 November to 10 December, we would like to highlight a recent article by Engel and colleagues: Violence against adolescents: prevention must cross the divide between children and women
Key terms:
• Violence against women: any act of gender based violence that results in, or is likely to result in, physical, sexual, or psychological harm or suffering to women, including threats of such acts, coercion or arbitrary deprivation of liberty, whether occurring in public or private life.
• Violence against children: all forms of physical, sexual, and emotional violence, neglect, negligent treatment, and exploitation against children at home or in the community.

Key findings:
• Vulnerability to violence is high in adolescence and poses a considerable threat to adolescents’ safety and wellbeing over the course of their lives. Gender and age put adolescent girls at a double disadvantage based on intersectional systems of oppression, exclusion, and discrimination.
• Adolescence represents a critical period of development where interventions can pre-empt key drivers of violence in their present and future lives. Interventions, programmes, and policies aimed at tackling violence are generally limited to protection approaches dealing with violence against children and survivor centred approaches dealing with violence against women
• As adolescence is very much a transformation life period, there must be greater collaboration when developing these interventions targeted at adolescents, which includes: preparing service providers to tackle multiple forms of violence, better coordination between services, school based strategies, parenting programmes, and a common research agenda.

This study has highlighted how adolescents are biologically and socially different from younger children and older women. Therefore separate interventions to prevent violence in children and in women are neccessary which adapt to adolescents’ specific needs and priorities. These are important considerations to take into account in our clinical work with adolescents as well as policy design and implementation.

Check back on our pages throughout the 16 days of activism for no violence against women and children from 25 November to 10 December where we will be sharing more information, articles and resources.

The full article can be accessed at:

Danielle Engel and colleagues call for an increased focus on adolescents in scaled up programmes for child protection and gender based violence prevention Growing up in a safe and supportive environment is the inherent right of every adolescent and is enshrined in international human rights treaties...

13/09/2022

This week, we would like to highlight a recent study by Kim and colleagues: Psychological legacies of intergenerational trauma under South African apartheid: Prenatal stress predicts greater vulnerability to the psychological impacts of future stress exposure during late adolescence and early adulthood in Soweto, South Africa

Key terms:
Prenatal stress: collection of adverse events, physical and psychosocial stress, and trauma that mothers are exposed to during pregnancy
Psychiatric morbidity: a wide range of mental health conditions, including disorders that affect your mood, thinking and behaviour
Intergenerational trauma: the collection of adverse events, psychosocial stress, and trauma that individuals are exposed to across the life course and then pass down to subsequent generations

Background:
South Africa’s rates of psychiatric morbidity, including mental, neurological, and substance use disorders, are among the highest in sub-Saharan Africa and are foregrounded by the country’s long history of political violence during apartheid.
Growing evidence suggests that in utero stress exposure is a potent developmental risk factor for future mental illness risk across the life course as the long-term impacts of prenatal stress exposure alters the development, function, sensitivity of human stress physiological systems, which in turn may elevate one’s risk for a psychopathological presentation.

Key findings:
This study evaluated the intergenerational effects of prenatal stress experienced by mothers during apartheid on psychiatric morbidity among their children at ages 17–18 and also assessed the moderating effects of maternal age, social support, and past household adversity.
They found that maternal prenatal stress during apartheid was not directly associated with greater psychiatric morbidity during at ages 17–18. However, maternal age and past household adversity moderated the intergenerational mental health effects of prenatal stress, such that children born to younger mothers and late adolescent/young adult children experiencing greater household adversity exhibited worse psychiatric morbidity at ages 17–18.
Prenatal stress may affect adolescent mental health, have stress-sensitising effects, and represent possible intergenerational effects of trauma experienced under apartheid.

This study has found that the degree, frequency, and timing of gestational trauma exposure may increase future psychopathological risk. Therefore, underlying stress physiological processes are potential candidate mechanisms for intervention and should be a focus of clinical trauma work within the South African context, especially when considering improving access to mental health care treatment and closing the treatment gap faced by many South Africans.

The full article can be accessed at: https://doi.org/10.1111/jcpp.13672

Background South Africa's rates of psychiatric morbidity are among the highest in sub-Saharan Africa and are foregrounded by the country's long history of political violence during apartheid. Growin...

08/08/2022

As tomorrow is national women’s day, we would like to highlight a recent study by Ranganathan and colleagues: Associations Between Women’s Economic and Social Empowerment and Intimate Partner Violence: Findings From a Microfinance Plus Program in Rural North West Province, South Africa.

Key terms:
Female/women’s empowerment: promoting women’s sense of self-worth, their ability to determine their own choices, and their right to influence social change for themselves and others. It also includes improving the ability of women to access health, education, earning opportunities, rights, and political participation.
Intimate partner violence (IPV): the perpetration of physical and/or sexual violence against partners (most often male’s perpetration of violence against their female partners).
Microfinance: an approach using group-lending to increase people’s ability to generate income and secure livelihoods. It has been identified as a poverty reduction and empowerment tool, particularly among rural women.

Key findings:
This study explored the relationship between women’s empowerment and IPV risk. In South Africa, risk factors associated with IPV include women’s poverty, low education level, gender inequitable attitudes, and acceptability of IPV.
The authors interviewed married women from the Intervention with Microfinance and Gender Equity (IMAGE) longitudinal study which combines a poverty-focused microfinance program with a gender-training curriculum.
It was found that economic stress and aspects of women’s empowerment (self and interpersonal), alongside established gender normative roles within marital relationships is associated with IPV risk in rural South Africa. However, improved economic conditions for women via both economic and social empowerment appears to be protective against physical and sexual IPV to a certain extent.
As IPV remains complex and context-specific, social empowerment programs should complement economic empowerment programs and include both men and couples in interventions to ensure sustained IPV prevention with households and relationships.

This women’s day let’s continue not only to reflect on female empowerment and gender equality, but actively work to incorporate social and economic empowerment in our research, interventions/practice and policy-decisions with female clients/patients and their partners who are experiencing IPV.

The full article can be accessed at: https://doi.org/10.1177/0886260519836952

Given the mixed evidence on whether women’s economic and social empowerment is beneficial or not for reducing intimate partner violence (IPV), we explored the r...

12/07/2022

This week we would like to highlight a study by Wiebesiek & Treffry-Goatley: Using participatory visual research to explore resilience with girls and young women in rural South Africa.

Key terms:
Participatory visual methodologies (PVM) – this research as intervention approach recognises research participants as co-researchers and co-constructors of knowledge. It has a built-in “research as social change” orientation and is not just the process of creating the visual artefacts that can stimulate this change, but includes the artefacts themselves, which can be used as tools for advocacy.
Sexual violence – any sexual act or attempt to obtain a sexual act by violence or coercion, act to traffic a person, or act directed against a person's sexuality, regardless of the relationship to the victim.
Resilience - the ways in which human beings cope with adversity in order to thrive, not just survive.

Key findings:
Sexual violence is deeply embedded in historical and structural inequalities and is driven by unequal gender power relations.
Research suggests that girls and women from resource-poor rural communities are particularly susceptible to sexual violence due to the dominance of gendered cultural practices and belief systems in these contexts.
This study found that poverty, substance abuse, lack of personal agency and unequal gender norms, practices and belief systems exacerbate and are exacerbated by adverse circumstances that contribute to social ecologies which prevent girls and women from accessing resources that are available to them to build and support resilience.

As we approach women’s month and continue to reflect on, and search for solutions to, sexual violence against women and girls, this article sheds light on a possible unique approach to healing and change, by making use of participatory visual methods to advance knowledge-production, policy-making and communication in relation to sexual violence against girls and women in South Africa.

The full article can be accessed at: https://doi.org/10.1080/10130950.2017.1362898

Sexual violence is deeply embedded in historical and structural inequalities and is driven by unequal gender power relations. These unequal power relations give rise to gendered norms and practices...

23/06/2022

PsySSA 2022 CPD Workshop Series: The Complexities of Trauma: Conceptual Considerations and Treatment Realities for Practitioners in South Africa - https://mailchi.mp/psyssa/psyssa-workshop-3-the-complexities-of-trauma-7-days

22/06/2022

This week we would like to highlight a recent study Gibbs and colleagues: New learnings on drivers of men’s physical and/or sexual violence against their female partners, and women’s experiences of this, and the implications for prevention interventions.

Key terms:
Intimate partner violence (IPV): the perpetration of physical and/or sexual violence against partners (most often male’s perpetration of violence against their female partners).

Key findings:
The authors provide an updated framework for understanding the drivers of IPV where IPV refers to men’s violence against their female partners in mixed-gender relationships, and women’s experiences of this, where it is generally assumed that both partners are cis-gender.
The framework outlines both structural as well as individual and relationship factors as drivers of IPV. These include: gender inequality in the form of patriarchal privilege and the disempowerment of women, the normalization and acceptability of violence in social relationships, poverty, poor mental health, substance misuse, poor communication and relationship conflict, childhood abuse and neglect, disability and armed conflict.
Key implications are that quantitative research needs to move from cross-sectional models of ‘risk factors for IPV’ to focus on developing theoretically driven models, which can test hypotheses about the drivers of, and the pathways to, IPV.

This framework points to the important implication that focused and effective interventions to eliminate violence against women and girls and achieve gender equality need to be developed.

For more on this modality and intervention, the full article can be accessed at: https://doi.org/10.1080/16549716.2020.1739845

Background: Understanding the drivers of intimate partner violence (IPV), perpetrated by men and experienced by women, is a critical task for developing effective prevention programmes.Objectives: ...

20/06/2022

PsySSA is pleased to present the third workshop of our 2022 workshop series: The Complexities of Trauma: Conceptual Considerations and Treatment Realities for Practitioners in South Africa.

This workshop aims to assist psychologists to think about complicated forms of trauma exposure and intervene at individual and systemic levels, with a particular focus on continuous traumatic stress and intergenerational and collective traumatization. You do not want to miss out! Register today! - https://mailchi.mp/psyssa/2022-workshop-3-complexities-of-trauma-copy-5910343

06/06/2022

Traumatic stress diagnoses like posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) have clinical utility, but do not always fit neatly with the complex treatment realities of the South African context. This workshop aims to assist psychologists to think about complicated forms of trauma exposure, with a particular focus on continuous traumatic stress and intergenerational and collective traumatization. It will be demonstrated that it is important to understand traumatic stress through a complex lens that takes account of the interaction of individual, relational, contextual, cultural, socio-political, and institutional features. Some proposals for intervention at individual and systemic levels will be offered, including how psychologists may work to assist in clinical, community and public health care settings. It is hoped that the workshop will provide guidelines for South African mental health care practitioners who are faced with complex trauma cases arising from the specific historical and contemporary features of South African society.

Click here for more info and to register:
https://www.psyssa.com/psyssa-workshop-series-2022-workshop-3-the-complexities-of-trauma-conceptual-considerations-and-treatment-realities-for-practitioners-in-south-africa/