Exploring how a genetic attribution to disease relates to internalised stigma experiences of Xhosa people with schizophrenia and rheumatic heart disease in South Africa
type: CreativeWork
description: Advances in genomics research have brought forth a number of psychosocial concerns. In Africa, in particular, one of the concerns relates to the potential impact of genomics research on stigma experienced by specific population groups. Using a mixed-methods approach, this study sought to explore how genetic causal explanation relates to the internalised stigma experiences of a sample of South African Xhosa people with schizophrenia (n= 36) and rheumatic heart disease (n= 46). Additionally, a pilot study was conducted with another sample of schizophrenia (n= 65) and rheumatic heart disease (n= 55) patients to translate and adapt an internalised stigma of mental illness scale into isiXhosa. The aim of the study was operationalised into three research questions, namely; 1. What causal attribution models do Xhosa people with schizophrenia and rheumatic heart disease employ to explain their illness and to what extent do genetic explanations play a role in these causal models? 2. What are the internalised stigma experiences of Xhosa people with schizophrenia and rheumatic heart disease? 3. How do the genetic causal explanations of Xhosa people with schizophrenia and rheumatic heart relate to their internalised stigma experiences, if at all? Through focus-group discussions participants were introduced to non-genetic and genetic causal explanations and then asked a series of open-ended questions eliciting their perceptions of disease causation, genetic causation and the possible implications these perceptions may have on internalised stigma they may have experienced. Next, an internalised stigma of mental illness scale (ISMI) was translated through a mixed-methods translation approach into Xhosa and adapted for use in both disease groups. Insights from this translation were used to gain an understanding of how the Xhosa language supports particular descriptions and conceptualisations of stigma experiences. Psychometric results provided further insights into particularly rel…
abstract: Advances in genomics research have brought forth a number of psychosocial concerns. In Africa, in particular, one of the concerns relates to the potential impact of genomics research on stigma experienced by specific population groups. Using a mixed-methods approach, this study sought to explore how genetic causal explanation relates to the internalised stigma experiences of a sample of South African Xhosa people with schizophrenia (n= 36) and rheumatic heart disease (n= 46). Additionally, a pilot study was conducted with another sample of schizophrenia (n= 65) and rheumatic heart disease (n= 55) patients to translate and adapt an internalised stigma of mental illness scale into isiXhosa. The aim of the study was operationalised into three research questions, namely; 1. What causal attribution models do Xhosa people with schizophrenia and rheumatic heart disease employ to explain their illness and to what extent do genetic explanations play a role in these causal models? 2. What are the internalised stigma experiences of Xhosa people with schizophrenia and rheumatic heart disease? 3. How do the genetic causal explanations of Xhosa people with schizophrenia and rheumatic heart relate to their internalised stigma experiences, if at all? Through focus-group discussions participants were introduced to non-genetic and genetic causal explanations and then asked a series of open-ended questions eliciting their perceptions of disease causation, genetic causation and the possible implications these perceptions may have on internalised stigma they may have experienced. Next, an internalised stigma of mental illness scale (ISMI) was translated through a mixed-methods translation approach into Xhosa and adapted for use in both disease groups. Insights from this translation were used to gain an understanding of how the Xhosa language supports particular descriptions and conceptualisations of stigma experiences. Psychometric results provided further insights into particularly rel…
author: Matshabane, Olivia Precious
keywords: medicine
date published: 2019
date modified: 2026-07-22T22:23:16Z
provider: University of Cape Town
publisher: Networked Digital Library of Theses and Dissertations
type: WebPage
source organization: Department of Medicine

PropertyValue
property ID: Handle
value: http://hdl.handle.net/11427/31179