Browsing by Author "Sunjeevan, Kershia."
Now showing 1 - 5 of 5
- Results Per Page
- Sort Options
Item Being a ‘good mother’: examining the discourse of first-time breastfeeding mothers.(2023) Bloch, Jennifer Leigh.; Sunjeevan, Kershia.; Van der Riet, Mary Boudine.This study employs a qualitative research design, using a social constructionist approach to examine how first-time South African mothers position breastfeeding as an imperative of good mothering. Six first-time mothers participated in the study using purposive sampling from a private baby clinic site in KwaZulu-Natal. They were interviewed online due to the COVID-19 Pandemic. The interviews were transcribed in detail and analysed using discourse analysis. The research findings examined how mothers demonstrated good mothering through their commitment to breastfeeding. The mothers constructed breastfeeding as a project and positioned their bodies as sites that they needed to manage, to work to attain these good mothering standards. The findings showed that the mothers positioned experts as fundamental for breastfeeding success to receive advice, guidance, and reassurance, especially when they experienced difficulties. In the sample, three of the mothers introduced formula, which was positioned as the alternative to breastfeeding. This was accompanied by mothers constructing their failure to fulfil an exclusive breastfeeding ideal and they experienced feelings of guilt, shame, and inadequacy. These three mothers re-negotiated the standard of breastfeeding as an imperative of good mothering by drawing on a counter-discourse that positioned their babies as happy and healthy when using formula. The research concludes that the mothers in the study defined their motherhood identity through their socially constructed successes and failures in breastfeeding. Breastfeeding ideals considerably influenced them, and they constantly measured themselves against these medical and social standards. The impact is that these sociocultural norms position breastfeeding as an essential act of good mothering and contribute to a state of intensive mothering that renders mothers vulnerable to shame and guilt. The findings recommend challenging sociocultural infant feeding constructs and the discourses shaping modern-day motherhood.Item Exploring how Black African children respond during the administration of the ADOS : a pilot study.(2014) Sunjeevan, Kershia.; Killian, Beverley Janet.; Lachenicht, Lance Gary.Abstract available in print copy.Item The influence of grandparent-headed households on grade repetition in children aged 6-18 years in South Africa.(2018) Van Heerden, Ashley.; Sunjeevan, Kershia.Abstract availalbe in pdf.Item Investigating the psychometric properties of the Vanderbilt-Attention-Deficit-Hyperactivity-Disorder diagnostic rating scale (VADRS) within the South African context.(2021) Khambule, Nana Nokuphila.; Sunjeevan, Kershia.Assessment of Attention-Deficit/hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) typically involves gathering information through a screening process using rating scales consisting of both teacher and parent forms. Such scales have become a prominent device for detecting ADHD symptoms used within diagnostic clinical interviews. Among these scales is the Vanderbilt Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder diagnostic rating scales (VADRS) for use in screening for ADHD. In this study, the psychometric properties of the VADRS within the South African context was investigated. The cross-sectional study sample consisted of 100 alongside teachers of children between the ages of 6 and 12 from two Pietermaritzburg-based primary schools (one in an urban setting and the other in a rural setting). The parents and teachers both screened the children on the VADRS. The parents were also provided with a demographic questionnaire to assist in gathering important background information. Results based on data in the study show acceptable reliability of the VADRS with all subscale alphas above 0.7. These results confirmed that each of the subscales within the VADRS measures ADHD constructs as highlighted in the DSM-5. The study also found that contextual impacts significantly impact how the child scores when screened for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) using the Vanderbilt ADHD Rating Scale (VADRS) within this KZN, South African Sample. Overall, this study's data supports the use of the VADRS to screen for ADHD within this KZN South African Sample; however, contextual factors must be considered when interpreting the findings.Item A quantitative analysis of the influence of a household’s income, access to food and education level on the prevalence of diabetes in adults: a secondary analysis of data from the South African General Household Survey of 2014.(2018) Van Harmelen, Mandy.; Sunjeevan, Kershia.As diabetes mellitus is becoming a burgeoning epidemic in South Africa, preventative measures are required to stop its prevalence in adults. Hence, the aim of this study is to explore the South African General Household Survey data to try and understand the influence of a household’s average per capita income, access to food and the head of the household’s average educational level on the prevalence of diabetes in adults. It specifically looks at the data from a household level and not an individual level and uses literature to support and give meaning to the results. Furthermore, this study used bivariate analysis to determine if there is a difference between adult residents who have diabetes and adult residents who do not have diabetes. In addition to this, a multiple logistic regression was conducted to explain any significant effect of the three key variables under study. Results indicate that there is a difference in all three variables between households with adult residents with diabetes and households without adult residents with diabetes. Furthermore, only the head of the household’s average education level had a significant effect on the prevalence of diabetes. These findings suggest that there is some influence on the prevalence of diabetes for individuals who have higher levels of education. This entry level study tried to make sense of these findings in terms of literature to inform future and more direct in-depth research which is urgently required to understand and combat the increasing prevalence of diabetes in South Africa. Significantly, the conclusion of this study suggests that the General Household Survey incorporates both type I diabetes mellitus and type II diabetes mellitus in their questionnaire, as these are unique diseases with their own risk factors and which require different preventative measures.