MST-Department of Psychology

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Browsing MST-Department of Psychology by Author "Kathungu, B."

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    Effectiveness of drug rehabilitation programs on behavior modification of drug addicts in Nairobi County
    (Kenyatta University, 2013) Nzomo, Regina Nduku; Kathungu, B.; Sirera, A.
    According to the World Drug Report (2007), approximately 200 million people, about 5% of the world's population aged between 15 and 64 years have either been forced" or voluntarily sought help of rehabilitation centers for behavior modification. These rehabilitation centers over years have admitted drug addicts into their rehabilitation programs meant to bring about behavior change among the rehabilitees. However, little is known about the effectiveness of the programs offered. The purpose of the study was to investigate the effectiveness of drug rehabilitation programs on behavior modification of drug addicts in rehabilitation centers in Nairobi County and establish the existing rehabilitation programs put in place to help the drug addicts. The study design was cross sectional as methods of data collection. The study population was the staff and the rehabilitees of the purposively sampled ten (10) rehabilitation centers in Nairobi County. Questionnaires were used as tools for collecting data, one for the staff and questionnaire guided interview for clients. The study mainly found out that: Drug users' evaluation in terms of assessment emerges was the key program offered by rehabilitation centers in Nairobi County; staff members in rehabilitation centers in Nairobi County were sufficiently trained, with a good number of them holding degrees, diplomas and certificate from reputable institutions. They also posses proficiency in drug management and rehabilitation tasks; rrehabilitation centers in Nairobi County carried out continuing/after care services to their clients using psychological interventions, and personal empowerment of the rehabilitees; financl~1 impediments like lack of sufficient staff, medication and facilities as well as inconsistent follow ups are the major challenges facing rehabilitation centers in Nairobi County; these challenges can only be curbed by sufficient funding of these institutions to enable employment of adequate staff and acquisition of better infrastructure to enable enhanced individual attention to rehabilitees. The study recommended that: rehabilitation centers management should foster establishment and implementation of a comprehensive drug rehabilitation schedule that caters to the individual needs ofa rehabilitee and at the same time manages rehab time to avoid boredom among the patients; rehabilitation centers staff should gain insights on various needs of the rehabilitees to avoid unnecessary strife in the rehabs. They should also learn to handle the rehabilitees with professionalism to enable a successful rehabilitation process; rehabilitees in the rehabilitation program should also learn a number of personal management tips to help them adequately plan for and make the most out of the period they are in the rehab center; The Ministry of Special Programs should look into various problems encountered by staff and clients in rehabilitation centers. The ministry should then formulate policies on the funding and staffing of these centers to facilitate a sound drug rehabilitation process
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    Risk factors and coping strategies for occupational stress among prison officers in Nairobi county in Kenya
    (Kenyatta University, 2013) Gatebi, Sophia; Kathungu, B.; Olaly, W.
    Occupational stress has been considered a major problem in the service industry. It affects the health of employees and also reduces the work productivity of an organization. It is predicted that by the year 2020, stress will be a major cause of workplace ill health in the world if no precaution is taken against the problem. Statistics indicate that majority of prison. officers, like most other workers, go through major stress. Limited studies have been done on risk factors and coping strategies for occupational stress among male and female prison officers. The current study sought to. investigate whether there are male and female differences with regard to experiencing of work-related stress, risk factors for occupational stress and coping strategies among male and female prison officers in Nairobi County. The study was guided by the Effort-Reward Imbalance theory which forms the basis of the study.The study used descriptive survey design.The target population for the study were the prison officers in all the 6 prisons in Nairobi County. Multistage sampling approach, combining purposive sampling for prisons and stratified random sampling for prison officers was used to obtain the required sample of 114 respondents. A questionnaire was used to collect data which was analyzed using descriptive statistics. Frequencies, percentages and graphs were used to present the data. The study provided data on risk factors and coping strategies for occupational stress specific for male and female prison officers in Nairobi County prisons. The study found that majority of prison officers were stressed in the work place due to occupational stress or sand this affected their social life, health and productivity. Sharing of houses was highly reported by the prison officers as the major risk factor causing high occupational stress closely followed by housing conditions, working under pressure, availability of job promotions, risking being injured on the job, and working conditions. As much as positive coping strategies are used by majority of the prison officers, the study findings indicate that there are a large number of prison officers who use negative coping strategies for occupational stress such as taking a lot of alcohol, drug abuse and peddling, absenteeism from work while others are in perseverance of the stress. According to the study fmdings, majority of the officers felt that causes of occupational stress can be alleviated through several measures such as improving working conditions, increasing the number of houses, avoiding pressure to juniors, providing counselling services, and time management.The data may be useful to policy makers and implementers in the prisons department by providing evidence that may inform the development and implementation of policies focusing on the unique needs of both male and female prison officers with regard to prevention and reduction of stress.