IMPACT OF THE MEDIATIONAL INTERVENTION FOR SENSITIZING CAREGIVERS ON SOCIAL COGNITION IN ORPHANS AND VULNERABLE CHILDREN IN SOUTH AFRICA

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dc.contributor.advisorSharp, Carla
dc.contributor.committeeMemberVenta, Amanda C.
dc.contributor.committeeMemberKulesz, Paulina A.
dc.creatorAllman, Madeleine Elise
dc.creator.orcid0000-0002-3454-0836
dc.date.accessioned2022-08-09T02:24:55Z
dc.date.available2022-08-09T02:24:55Z
dc.date.createdMay 2022
dc.date.issued2022-05
dc.date.updated2022-08-09T02:24:56Z
dc.description.abstractOrphans and vulnerable children (OVC) in South Africa have high rates of attachment trauma and are at increased risk of a multitude of adverse psychosocial outcomes, including disrupted social cognitive development (resulting in diminished mentalization capacity) and mental health difficulties. The Mediational Intervention for Sensitizing Caregivers (MISC) is an intervention aimed at improving child outcomes by increasing sensitive and responsive caregiving using operationalized mentalization-based behavioral components. MISC has demonstrated positive treatment effects on mental health and cognitive outcomes. However, no mentalization-based caregiver intervention’s impact on child mentalizing capacity has yet been evaluated. The present study had an overall aim of examining social cognition (mentalizing capacity) of OVC and evaluating MISC’s impact on social cognition (mentalizing capacity) compared with a TAU control group (Treatment as Usual). Social cognition was assessed using a culturally adapted version of the Affect Task at baseline and after 12 months of MISC with community-based organization (CBO) careworkers. Results of the study revealed a statistically significant treatment effect of MISC on social cognition when compared to the TAU group. However, when controlling for mental health difficulties at baseline, the treatment effect of MISC was not statistically significant. This study represents the first demonstrated increase in child mentalizing capacity by a mentalization-based caregiver intervention and adds to the MISC evidence base for children with attachment trauma. However, important future directions of research are also discussed, including the need to further assess how improvements in social cognition may represent a mechanism of change in improving mental health outcomes.
dc.description.departmentPsychology, Department of
dc.format.digitalOriginborn digital
dc.format.mimetypeapplication/pdf
dc.identifier.urihttps://hdl.handle.net/10657/10743
dc.language.isoeng
dc.rightsThe author of this work is the copyright owner. UH Libraries and the Texas Digital Library have their permission to store and provide access to this work. Further transmission, reproduction, or presentation of this work is prohibited except with permission of the author(s).
dc.subjectSocial cognition
dc.subjectMediational Intervention for Sensitizing Caregivers
dc.subjectOrphans and Vulnerable Children
dc.titleIMPACT OF THE MEDIATIONAL INTERVENTION FOR SENSITIZING CAREGIVERS ON SOCIAL COGNITION IN ORPHANS AND VULNERABLE CHILDREN IN SOUTH AFRICA
dc.type.dcmiText
dc.type.genreThesis
thesis.degree.collegeCollege of Liberal Arts and Social Sciences
thesis.degree.departmentPsychology, Department of
thesis.degree.disciplinePsychology, Clinical
thesis.degree.grantorUniversity of Houston
thesis.degree.levelMasters
thesis.degree.nameMaster of Arts

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