Browsing by Author "Shishane, Kwanele"

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    An investigation of the relationship between mental health and recidivism among incarcerated youth offenders in South Africa: the role of substance use
    Shishane, Kwanele; John-Langba, Johannes
    Theoretical models of crime underlying the deterrent approach to crime control often fail to account for the role of mental health in mediating deviance. Nor does this approach account for the role of system responses, unique to a post-apartheid context. There is paucity in the literature on the role of mental health on recidivism in South Africa. This study was therefore designed to determine the relationship between mental health and recidivism among incarcerated youth offenders in South Africa and the role of substance use. The Ecological Systems Theory and the Theory of Planned Behaviour provided the theoretical frameworks for this study. A cross-sectional quantitative exploratory research design was used. 280 youth offenders (male and female, aged 18-35) incarcerated at a Durban Maximum Correctional Service in KwaZulu-Natal who do not have a known psychiatric diagnosis were sampled, using multi-stage random sampling. A self-administered structured questionnaire was used to collect the data. The final instrument consisted of six sections. Section 1 consisted of socio-demographic data. Section 2, measured the history of imprisonment. Section 3, is the Hopkins symptoms checklist (HSCL-25), which measures depression and anxiety disorder. Section 4, measures youth offenders' attraction to crime using an adapted version of the appetitive aggression scale. Section 5, is a measure of substance use using the CRAFFT measure (Car, Relax, Alone, Forget, Friends, Trouble). Finally, section 6 was an adapted version of the Measure of Criminal Attitudes and Associates scale (MCAA). Data were analyzed using SPSS. Several statistical analyses were used in this study to include, descriptive analysis, multiple regression, binary logistic regression, factor analysis, cluster analysis and chi-square analysis. The minimum age for participants was 19 and maximum age is 35, the majority of participants were aged 32 and the average age is 30. The majority of participants have secondary school education (65.8%, n=171), and participants who have not received any formal education are (3.5%, n=9). The majority of participants are black (91.4%, n=245), and Coloured (6.3%, n=17), male (93.0%, n=251) and from KwaZulu-Natal (87.1% n=237). Descriptive analysis also showed that the rate of recidivism (re-offending) among this offender population is 32.4% (n=82), while 67.6% (n=171) of the participants have not recidivated. This study promotes social change by highlighting the need for the further exploration of combined factors that increase recidivism. Findings from this study are helpful to health and criminal justice organizations as they indicate the need for strengthening the provision of programs that address mental health screening, diagnosis and treatment as well as programs that address appetitive aggression issues in efforts to curb recidivism.
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    Predictors of condoms use behaviour and intentions of African migrant youth in South Africa
    (2016) Shishane, Kwanele; John-Langba, Johannes
    Although the prognosticators of condom use among youth in South Africa have been extensively studied, very little is known about the attitudes and subjective norms influencing sexual behaviours that could influence safe sex intentions among the population of migrant youth in South Africa. This study aims to investigate the predictors of condom use behaviour and intentions among migrant youth in South Africa and examines the influences of acculturation on the relationship between condom use intention and behaviour among this population. This was done through the exploration of the nature and extent of condom use; condom use behaviour; acculturation and condom use behaviour; association between acculturation and intentions to use condom use; association between intention and condom use behaviour; and perceived behavioural control and condom use behaviour among African migrant youth. Ajzen's theory of planned behaviour (TPB) and Berry's model of acculturation provided the theoretical framework for the empirical investigation of the study. The current study utilized a sexually active sample (N=91) of youth African migrants residing in Cape Town, with ages ranging 18-35 years. Age proportion by percentage was 18-25 at 46.2%, 26-3 at 30.8% and 32-35 years at 20.8%. A cross sectional quantitative research design was utilized and a time location non-probability sampling procedure was assumed in this study. Participants were recruited through a non-profit organisations working with African migrants in Cape Town. The instrument used was an anonymous semi-structured questionnaire consisting of five measures that assess the central study variables and a demographic section. Results indicate that attitudes had an insignificant relationship with condom use behaviour. Referent group norms had a .378 correlation (significant at 0.01 level) which indicate that peer norms had an influence on condom use behavior. Hierarchical multiple analyses were conducted, attitudes and subjective norms were entered in the first step explaining 15% of the variance on condom use behaviour. After entry of perceived behavioral control and intentions at step 2 the total variance explained by the model as whole was 22.7%. The two control measures explained an additional 7.7%, this means that perceived behavioral control and intentions explain an additional 7.7% (.077x100) of the variance in condom use behaviour of variance on condom use behaviour, even when the effects of attitudes and subjective norms are statistically controlled for. With respect to gender differences, females reported less condom use compared to males. This study concludes that, the central study variables did not have a highly significant correlation with condom use behaviour, with attitudes having the least significance. This study identified barriers to condom use such as culture and religion emphasize the need for future interventions to target popular opinion leaders (POL's) so as to influence cultural and religious beliefs that might have an impact on condom use.