Page 22 - SESSION 1 (Graduation e-BOOK)(3 October 2023)

School of Allied Health Sciences
FACULTY OF HEALTH SCIENCES &
VETERINARY MEDICINE

DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY
IN PSYCHOLOGY

CANDIDATE: VAN DER MERWE Altus A

CANDIDATE’S DISSERTATION
THE DEVELOPMENT OF AN AFFECTIVE SCREENING
QUESTIONNAIRE FOR UNIVERSITY STUDENTS IN
NAMIBIA.

The doctoral study was undertaken and completed under the
supervision of Prof. P Dhaka of the University of Namibia as a main-
supervisor and Dr M Janik of the University of Namibia as a co-supervisor.

There is no standardized psychometric assessment instrument to
screen for affective disturbances amongst university students in
Namibia. An Affective Screening Questionnaire (ASQ) was developed
from identifying 56 affective descriptive words accessible to the
vocabulary of Namibian students and corresponded with the
dimensional theoretical framework. With statistical analyses, 29
affective descriptive words were identified as a valid representation
of affective states in the dimensional framework to construct the ASQ.
The ASQ was completed with the Zung self-rating scales and Institute
of Work Psychology Multi-Affect Indicator for validation and reliability
purposes. The ASQ showed statistically significant correlation with
these instruments at a 1% confidence interval. Reliability was indicated
with Cronbach’s Alpha of .916 and Guttman Split-Half Coefficient at
.897. The ASQ showed good specificity and moderate sensitivity and
was considered a valid and reliable instrument measuring affect. The
prevalence rate could be estimated for both anxiety and depression
at 13.32%, with a comorbid prevalence rate of 16.67%.
The study recommended the development of intervention programs
to treat psychopathology among university students in Namibia.
Furthermore, an in-depth analysis is needed with diagnostic tests
and clinical interviews to serve as a Gold Standard when developing
affective screening questionnaires. A culturally contextualized
understanding is needed to conceptualize affective phenomena
amongst students in Namibia.

22