Measuring Life Events in a Sample of South African Students: Comparison of the Life Experiences Survey and the Schedule of Recent Experiences

1998 ◽  
Vol 83 (3) ◽  
pp. 771-780 ◽  
Author(s):  
T. Brian Pretorius
Keyword(s):  
South African ◽  
Life Events ◽  
Life Experiences ◽  
Depression Scale ◽  
Family Satisfaction ◽  
Epidemiological Studies ◽  
Positive Events ◽  
African Students ◽  
Rural And Urban ◽  
African Context

This study compared the Life Experiences Survey and the Schedule of Recent Experiences for a sample of 213 students. Scores on the Life Experiences Survey–Negative discriminated between rural and urban students and between African language speakers and Afrikaans/English speakers. A small but significant correlation between Life Experiences Survey–Negative and scores on the Center for Epidemiological Studies–Depression scale was found, while there was no correlation between scores on the Schedule of Recent Experiences with depression. The Life Experiences Survey–Negative was the only significant predictor of Depression scores. The Life Experiences Survey–Negative interacted significantly with all the measures of social support (Friends, Family, Satisfaction, and Number of Supports) in predicting depression, while the Schedule of Recent Experiences only interacted significantly with support from Family and Number of Supports. The study also provides support for clearly distinguishing between desirable and undesirable events, since positive events moderated the correlation of negative events with depression. The Life Experiences Survey is a more promising measure of life events than the Schedule of Recent Experiences in the South African context.

Cross-Cultural Application of the Center for Epidemiological Studies Depression Scale: A Study of Black South African Students

1991 ◽  
Vol 69 (3_suppl) ◽  
pp. 1179-1185 ◽  
Author(s):  
T. Brian Pretorius
Keyword(s):  
South African ◽  
Undergraduate Students ◽  
Depression Scale ◽  
Epidemiological Studies ◽  
Demographic Variables ◽  
Cross Cultural ◽  
African Students ◽  
Black South African ◽  
Psychometric Data ◽  
Scale Scores

This article reports normative and psychometric data for the Center for Epidemiological Studies Depression Scale when used with black South African students. Subjects were 450 undergraduate students in psychology. The reliability, validity, and factor structure of the scale were consistent with previously reported findings. The correlations of CES-Depression Scale scores with certain demographic variables are also reported.

Stress and Depression in High School Students

1985 ◽  
Vol 57 (2) ◽  
pp. 535-541 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alexander Tolor ◽  
Vincent M. Murphy
Keyword(s):  
High School ◽  
High School Students ◽  
Life Events ◽  
Significant Relationship ◽  
Stressful Life Events ◽  
Depression Scale ◽  
Epidemiological Studies ◽  
Self Report ◽  
Stressful Life ◽  
School Students

The High School Social Readjustment Scale, a measure of stressful life events, and the center for Epidemiological Studies Depression Scale, a short self-report scale measuring depressive symptomatologies, were administered twice to 285 high school students over a 6-mo. interval. Both measures were statistically reliable. On both test administrations girls, but not boys, displayed a significant relationship between stress and depression.

scholarly journals Age and Daily Positive Events Moderate the Link Between Depressive Symptoms and Inflammation

2020 ◽  
Vol 4 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. 502-502
Author(s):  
Jin Wen ◽  
David Almeida ◽  
Nancy Sin
Keyword(s):  
Depressive Symptoms ◽  
Depression Scale ◽  
The United States ◽  
Epidemiological Studies ◽  
Positive Events ◽  
Younger Adults ◽  
Adult Lifespan ◽  
Reactive Protein ◽  
Day Range ◽  
Age Variations

Abstract Inflammation is a pathway underlying numerous aging-related conditions. Depression is related to elevated inflammation, whereas daily positive events have been linked to lower inflammation; these psychological experiences may interact with age to predict inflammation. The purpose of this study was to examine whether daily positive events moderate the association between depressive symptoms and inflammation in an adult lifespan sample. A sample of 343 adults ages 25-75 (55% women, 83% white) in the Midlife in the United States Refresher Study completed daily diary interviews for 8 evenings about their daily positive events. Depressive symptoms were assessed with the 20-item Center for Epidemiological Studies Depression scale, and blood samples were assayed for inflammatory markers interleukin-6 (IL-6) and C-reactive protein (CRP). On average, depression scores ranged from 0 to 44 (mean = 9.31, SD = 7.80), and participants reported 1.25 (SD = .70) positive events per day (range = 0–5). Depressive symptoms and daily positive events were separately associated with higher and lower log IL-6 and CRP, respectively. Depressive symptoms, daily positive events, and age interacted such that daily positive events predicted lower IL-6 (but not CRP) among midlife and older adults who reported lower depressive symptoms, whereas positive events were not related to inflammation among younger adults. Thus, these findings suggest that the protective association between daily positive events and inflammation was blunted when depressive symptoms were elevated and for younger adults. This work has implications for understanding age variations in the role of positive experiences in depression and inflammation.

Multilingualism and social cohesion: insights from South African students (1998, 2010, 2015)

2016 ◽  
Vol 2016 (242) ◽  
Author(s):  
Susan Coetzee-Van Rooy
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
South African ◽  
Social Cohesion ◽  
Home Language ◽  
African Students ◽  
African Context ◽  
Vaal Triangle ◽  
Complex Settings ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
Over Time

AbstractThe relationship between nations (or states), languages and social cohesion have been studied over time. Contexts like Africa and India challenge the conceived Western notion of “one-nation-one-language”. Insights about multilingualism and social cohesion from complex sociolinguistic contexts like South Africa could provide a deeper understanding helpful for promoting social cohesion in emerging “super-diverse” situations across the globe. This article reports on selected data from a longitudinal language repertoire survey conducted over three periods (1998, 2010 and 2015) in the Vaal Triangle region in South Africa. It discusses the views of multilingual urban students (N=1900+) about the relationship between multilingualism and social cohesion. The main findings are that the multilingual African home language participants believe that being multilingual is related to social cohesion, while this is not a prominent finding for Afrikaans home language users (who are mainly bilingual). The data from the South African context indicate the importance of multilingual repertoires as instruments that support the fostering of social cohesion in complex settings. Multilingual repertoires facilitate communication that enhances the building of better relationships and a deeper understanding between people in diverse settings. The implications of the findings for emerging “super-diverse” global societies are discussed.

Problem-Solving Appraisal in the Association of Life Stress and Depression: A South African Study

1992 ◽  
Vol 71 (3) ◽  
pp. 855-862 ◽  
Author(s):  
T. Brian Pretorius
Keyword(s):  
Problem Solving ◽  
South African ◽  
Life Stress ◽  
Depression Scale ◽  
Epidemiological Studies ◽  
Problem Solving Skills ◽  
Stress Buffering ◽  
Black South African ◽  
Relationship Of ◽  
The Relationship

This study focuses on the role that appraisal of problem-solving skills plays in the relationship of stress to distress. 450 black South African university students completed the Life Experiences Survey, the Problem Solving Inventory, and the Centre for Epidemiological Studies Depression Scale. Multiple regression analysis indicated a direct effect for problem-solving appraisal on depression, but no support could be found for the stress-buffering effects of problem-solving appraisal.

scholarly journals Servqual: Students’ perception and satisfaction with regards to quality of service provided by student administration departments within tertiary institutions

2014 ◽  
Vol 11 (4) ◽  
pp. 242-249
Author(s):  
Corinne E. Nell ◽  
Michael Colin Cant
Keyword(s):  
South African ◽  
Level Of Service ◽  
Success Factor ◽  
Tertiary Institution ◽  
African Students ◽  
Tertiary Institutions ◽  
Negative Effect ◽  
African Context ◽  
Students Attitudes

To deliver quality service can be regarded as a key success factor for any tertiary institution that wants to be successful and profitable. It is evident that many tertiary institutions are ignorant towards the level of service they provide to their students. This can have either a positive or a negative effect on their students’ attitudes towards the institution. As a result of this a study was conducted among South African students that were registered at a tertiary institution. It is believed that the issues identified in a South African context will be applicable to students on an international scale, as there are huge similarities of this nature between universities in different countries. The aim of this study was to determine students’ perceptions and their satisfaction with the quality of services provided by Student Administration departments within the tertiary institution. Their perception and satisfaction was measured based on the SERVQUAL elements - empathy and assurance. The results obtained from this study can be used by the Student Administration departments of all universities to improve their level of service to students by gaining a better understanding of their needs. Quantitative survey research was implemented and 200 structured questionnaires were distributed among students. The results indicated that students’ perception about the quality of the service, as well as the overall level of satisfaction of the service in terms of assurance and empathy, are slightly above average, but that considerable improvements can be made on this

Optimism Development Across Adulthood and Associations With Positive and Negative Life Events

2019 ◽  
Vol 10 (8) ◽  
pp. 1092-1101 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ted Schwaba ◽  
Richard W. Robins ◽  
Priyanka H. Sanghavi ◽  
Wiebke Bleidorn
Keyword(s):  
Life Events ◽  
Life Experiences ◽  
Negative Life Events ◽  
Latent Growth Curve ◽  
Mexican Origin ◽  
Physical And Mental Health ◽  
Latent Growth ◽  
Positive Events ◽  
Men And Women

Numerous studies have demonstrated long-term benefits of optimism for physical and mental health. However, little research has examined how optimism develops across the life span and how it is shaped by positive and negative life experiences. In this study, we examined the normative trajectory of optimism development from ages 26 to 71 in a longitudinal sample ( N = 1,169) of Mexican-origin couples assessed 4 times across 7 years. Latent growth curve analyses indicated that optimism increased throughout early and middle adulthood before plateauing at age 55, with significant individual differences in change. Furthermore, the experience of positive events was associated with optimism development across adulthood, but negative life events were not associated with development. Men and women developed similarly in optimism, while U.S.-born participants developed differently from Mexican-born participants. We discuss how these findings inform our understanding of optimism as a dynamic, adaptive construct.

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