{"id":{"repo_id":"cape-town","oai_identifier":"oai:open.uct.ac.za:11427/38027"},"canonical_url":"https://search.dev.ndltd.org/etd/cape-town/oai:open.uct.ac.za:11427/38027","repository":{"repo_id":"cape-town","name":"University of Cape Town","base_url":"https://open.uct.ac.za/oai/request"},"display":{"title":"An Exploration of How Working-Class Substance Users in the Western Cape Understand Their Addiction","abstract":"The study aims to explore how substance users from poor and working-class backgrounds in the Western Cape, South Africa, understand the development of their patterns of substance use. Using a mono-method qualitative research design under an intersectional theoretical framework, 11 face-to-face interviews were conducted. The interviews were transcribed and analysed using thematic analysis. Six themes were identified: addiction and agency; substance use as a coping mechanism; unmet attachment needs; societal factors influencing substance use; the psychology of active addiction; and recovery. The results of this study correspond to existing literature on substance abuse; however, this study is unique in that it relates problematic substance use to violence and poverty, through the mechanism of shame, in a South African context. Future research should aim to conduct interviews in participants' home languages to aid in capturing more nuanced narratives. Moreover, a more gender-balanced sample should be interviewed which would allow the female voice to come through more consistently.","abstract_html":"The study aims to explore how substance users from poor and working-class backgrounds in the Western Cape, South Africa, understand the development of their patterns of substance use. Using a mono-method qualitative research design under an intersectional theoretical framework, 11 face-to-face interviews were conducted. The interviews were transcribed and analysed using thematic analysis. Six themes were identified: addiction and agency; substance use as a coping mechanism; unmet attachment needs; societal factors influencing substance use; the psychology of active addiction; and recovery. The results of this study correspond to existing literature on substance abuse; however, this study is unique in that it relates problematic substance use to violence and poverty, through the mechanism of shame, in a South African context. Future research should aim to conduct interviews in participants' home languages to aid in capturing more nuanced narratives. Moreover, a more gender-balanced sample should be interviewed which would allow the female voice to come through more consistently.","abstract_has_math":false,"creators":["Kara, Tashmira"],"institution":"Department of Psychology","degree_name":null,"degree_level":null,"degree_discipline":null,"degree_department":null,"school":null,"contributors":[],"advisors":["Long, Wahbie"],"committee_chairs":[],"committee_members":[],"year":2023,"date_issued":"2023","date_published":"2023","updated_at":"2026-07-22T22:22:55Z","subjects":["Clinical Psychology"],"languages":[],"rights":[],"rights_urls":[],"identifier_entries":[]},"links":{"outbound_url":"http://hdl.handle.net/11427/38027","outbound_label":"Handle","outbound_source":"dc:identifier.uri"},"metadata_groups":[{"id":"people","label":"People","entries":[{"key":"dc:contributor.advisor","label":"Advisor","values":["Long, Wahbie"]},{"key":"dc:creator","label":"Author","values":["Kara, Tashmira"]}]},{"id":"academic_context","label":"Academic Context","entries":[{"key":"dc:date.accessioned","label":"Dc Date Accessioned","values":["2023-07-06T06:43:31Z"]},{"key":"dc:date.available","label":"Dc Date Available","values":["2023-07-06T06:43:31Z"]},{"key":"dc:date.issued","label":"Date","values":["2023"]},{"key":"dc:publisher.department","label":"Dc Publisher Department","values":["Department of Psychology"]},{"key":"dc:type","label":"Dc Type","values":["Master Thesis"]},{"key":"dc:type.qualificationlevel","label":"Dc Type Qualificationlevel","values":["Masters"]}]},{"id":"subjects_keywords","label":"Subjects and Keywords","entries":[{"key":"dc:subject","label":"Dc Subject","values":["Clinical Psychology"]}]},{"id":"identifiers","label":"Identifiers","entries":[{"key":"dc:identifier.uri","label":"Identifier URI","values":["http://hdl.handle.net/11427/38027"]}]},{"id":"additional","label":"Additional Metadata","entries":[{"key":"dc:description.abstract","label":"Abstract","values":["The study aims to explore how substance users from poor and working-class backgrounds in the Western Cape, South Africa, understand the development of their patterns of substance use. Using a mono-method qualitative research design under an intersectional theoretical framework, 11 face-to-face interviews were conducted. The interviews were transcribed and analysed using thematic analysis. Six themes were identified: addiction and agency; substance use as a coping mechanism; unmet attachment needs; societal factors influencing substance use; the psychology of active addiction; and recovery. The results of this study correspond to existing literature on substance abuse; however, this study is unique in that it relates problematic substance use to violence and poverty, through the mechanism of shame, in a South African context. Future research should aim to conduct interviews in participants' home languages to aid in capturing more nuanced narratives. Moreover, a more gender-balanced sample should be interviewed which would allow the female voice to come through more consistently."]},{"key":"dc:title","label":"Title","values":["An Exploration of How Working-Class Substance Users in the Western Cape Understand Their Addiction"]}]}],"canonical_facts":{"dc:contributor.advisor":["Long, Wahbie"],"dc:creator":["Kara, Tashmira"],"dc:date.accessioned":["2023-07-06T06:43:31Z"],"dc:date.available":["2023-07-06T06:43:31Z"],"dc:date.issued":["2023"],"dc:description.abstract":["The study aims to explore how substance users from poor and working-class backgrounds in the Western Cape, South Africa, understand the development of their patterns of substance use. Using a mono-method qualitative research design under an intersectional theoretical framework, 11 face-to-face interviews were conducted. The interviews were transcribed and analysed using thematic analysis. Six themes were identified: addiction and agency; substance use as a coping mechanism; unmet attachment needs; societal factors influencing substance use; the psychology of active addiction; and recovery. The results of this study correspond to existing literature on substance abuse; however, this study is unique in that it relates problematic substance use to violence and poverty, through the mechanism of shame, in a South African context. Future research should aim to conduct interviews in participants' home languages to aid in capturing more nuanced narratives. Moreover, a more gender-balanced sample should be interviewed which would allow the female voice to come through more consistently."],"dc:identifier.uri":["http://hdl.handle.net/11427/38027"],"dc:publisher.department":["Department of Psychology"],"dc:subject":["Clinical Psychology"],"dc:title":["An Exploration of How Working-Class Substance Users in the Western Cape Understand Their Addiction"],"dc:type":["Master Thesis"],"dc:type.qualificationlevel":["Masters"]},"updated_at":"2026-07-22T22:22:55Z"}