Browsing by Author "Gibson, L."

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    A practical theology of bereavement care : re-ritualization within a paradigm of comforting presence
    (Pieter de Waal Neethling Trust, 2018) Gibson, L.; Louw, D. J. (Daniel Johannes), 1944-
    The investigation focuses on a concern for the marginalization of bereaved human beings in the context of cultural shifts now shaping twenty-first century pastoral care. The article advocates for a practical theology of bereavement to aid in nurturing care and eudaimonic well-being (including both vocational pastors and funeral directors) within the paradigmatic framework of a theopaschitic understanding of compassion (oiktirmos). The investigation examines the growing threat of deritualization – a public openness to revise, replace, minimize the significance of, and even eliminate or avoid long-held funerary rituals to assist in the adaptation of loss. The notion of re-ritualization is operationalized as an intentional act of restoring and re-engaging in creative and meaningful ritual forms that give symbolic expression to significant thoughts and feelings of the bereaved within a social ethos that is no longer committed to a conventional or fixed approach to ritualization. In order to facilitate a process of re-ritualization, bereavement care is linked to the notion of “comforting presence”.
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    Prevalence and correlates of probable posttraumatic stress disorder and common mental disorders in a population with a high prevalence of HIV in Zimbabwe
    (Taylor & Francis Open, 2018) Verhey, R.; Gibson, L.; Brakarsh, J.; Chibanda, D.; Seedat, S.
    Background: We investigated the prevalence of and factors associated with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and common mental disorders (CMDs), which include depression and anxiety disorders, in a setting with a prevalence of high human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) within a primary care clinic, using the PTSD Checklist for DSM-5 and the 14-item Shona Symptom Questionnaire, both locally validated screening tools. Methods: A cross-sectional survey was carried out with adult patients (n = 204) from the largest primary care clinic facility in Harare, Zimbabwe, in June 2016. Results: A total of 83 patients (40.7%) met the criteria for probable PTSD, of whom 57 (69.5%) had comorbid CMDs. Among people living with HIV, 42 (55.3%) had PTSD. Probable PTSD was associated with having experienced a negative life event in the past 6 months [adjusted odds ratio (OR) 3.73, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.49–9.34] or screening positive for one or more CMD (adjusted OR 6.48, 95% CI 3.35–2.54). Conclusion: People living with HIV showed a high prevalence of PTSD and CMD comorbidity. PTSD screening should be considered when the CMD screen is positive and there is a history of negative life events.