Global Journal of Psychology Research: New Trends and Issues

‘Midlife Crisis’ and the scramble for fresh personal purposes amongst middle-aged men

Bothwell Matewe — Wed, 20 Sep 2023 00:00:00 +0300

The universality of the midlife crisis has cost so many middle-aged men, with so many men rebooting and restarting their lives in the scramble for a fresh personal purpose. The researcher’s inquisitiveness about the experiences of middle-aged men in an identified community in Masvingo, Zimbabwe ignited the study. However, little research has been carried out in this nation concerning the subject under study. The study aimed to understand the psychological and social experiences of middle-aged men and how midlife crises can facilitate marital instabilities and a drastic change in social life. A narrative biography was obtained from the seven men in-depth interviewed. The purposively selected participants were between the ages of 35 and 45. Confirmation of the different studies that have been carried out in the West, many middle-aged men experience a lot of psychological challenges, including depression, stress, insomnia, and others. The study discovered that the escalation of divorce rates is rooted in the challenges associated with the midlife crisis. Many middle-aged men are not aware of marriage counseling, with quite a number less or not knowledgeable about the existence of psychological services. The study exposed the need for educational campaigns and midlife crisis awareness to the populace.

Keywords: Crisis; death; middle age; midlife crisis; scramble; well-being.

Keeping on track: A case study of utilizing anecdotal checklist in clinical practice

Prospero Genosas, Orville Evardo — Wed, 20 Sep 2023 00:00:00 +0300

Anecdotal checklists are becoming more and more common in psychological practice nowadays, but they are not frequently employed in clinical psychology. This study focused on the use of anecdotal checklists in clinical practice and highlighted the experiences, perceptions, potential barriers, and challenges of the use of anecdotal checklists. A case study design was utilized in this study with one participant who utilized the anecdotal checklist during the intervention. The data was gathered through interviews and was analyzed using thematic analysis. Data revealed that the participant expressed improved session structure and overwhelming paperwork and forms management. The participant perceived that using the checklist results in an effective collaboration and intervention. Moreover, challenges involve establishing the psychometric soundness of the checklist. The study highlights the potential benefits of using anecdotal checklists in providing psychological services. Additionally, the study emphasizes the need for further research focusing on the establishment of the psychometric properties of the checklist.

Keywords: Anecdotal checklist; clinical practice; psychological services

Pandemic after pandemic: Adopting the multidimensional family therapy approach for youth drug abuse in Zimbabwe

Ashton Mudzingiri — Wed, 20 Sep 2023 00:00:00 +0300

Youth drug abuse in Zimbabwe has become a topical issue such that hardly a day passes without the mainstream media, social media, and other communication platforms mentioning drug abuse amongst youth and school children. The term new pandemic has been used to describe the drug abuse among Zimbabwe youth after the covid-19 pandemic. Several measures have been put in place by the Government of Zimbabwe to combat the ‘new pandemic’. The measures among them were criminalization of drug victims and suppliers of drugs, however, with limited success. The main objective of the study was to unpack the multidimensional factors that influence youth to indulge in drug abuse in Zimbabwe. The study adopted a qualitative desk research approach to unveil the topical problem. The study reveals the multidimensional influences of youth drug abuse and the multidimensional solutions to the problem. The study was underpinned by two theories: the bioecological and family systems theories. Research findings were that problems of youth drug abuse were a result of drugs being regarded as a business venture, rising urbanization without the corresponding industrialization, socio-economic challenges, social fabric breakdown, youth collective idleness, and unattended/unsupervised children. The study recommends that the nation should embark on a massive exercise to train adolescents, parents, families, communities, and the whole nation to deal with drug abuse among youths.

Keywords: Communities; drug abuse; multidimensional family therapy; youth; Zimbabwe

Comparing adolescent self-perceptions and anxiety levels in relation to dating violence

Eylem Atlas, Cebrail Kisa — Wed, 20 Sep 2023 00:00:00 +0300

The study aimed to compare the self-perceptions and anxiety levels of adolescent individuals according to dating violence. This research is a descriptive study and the relational scanning method, known as the general scanning model, was preferred. In research conducted for this purpose, studies are carried out by considering the whole universe or with a specific sample selected from the universe. Data were collected online (Facebook, Instagram, email) with the random assignment method of data tools. For this research, 104 adolescent individuals between the ages of 12-18 were included in the study. When the relationship between dating violence and gender was examined at the end of the research, it was concluded that there was no significant difference. It shows that there is no statistically significant relationship between the marital status of the parents of the adolescents participating in the study and the adolescents' relationship status. This indicated that the marital status of parents does not affect the relationship status of adolescents. Regardless of exposure to violence in childhood, adolescents' views on the Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale, Beck Anxiety Scale, and Dating Violence Attitude Scale are the same.

Keywords: Adolescent; anxiety; dating; self-esteem; self-perception; violence; youth.

Perceptions of Turkey and Germany’s young adults regarding the phenomenon of old age

Gulsah Yildirim, Dilek Yelda Kagnici — Wed, 20 Sep 2023 00:00:00 +0300

This study aims to examine young adults’ perceptions of aging through intercultural research. The participants of the study were 100 young adults living in Türkiye and Germany. In the study, the perceptions of the participants about aging were evaluated through metaphors, and the data was analyzed by content analysis. According to the results age was perceived as a process of physical change, illness, and health problems; experience, wise and respectable features; a process that continues to develop and learn; waiting for death, at the stage of death by participants living in Germany. For participants living in Türkiye old age was perceived as in need of care, weakness, and attention and that individuals are inadequate; with experience, wise and respectable features; childlike, emotional and fragile features, pessimistic, rigid, and prejudiced; waiting for death. The results of this study are presented and future directions are discussed in detail.

Keywords: Germany; metaphors; old age; Turkey