Is Geropsychology "Forever Young" on the Mother Continent? Addressing the Limited Research on Psychology of Aging in Africa.

OBJECTIVES: Our paper highlights areas of interest to psychologists studying aging in Africa and what has already been learned about aspects of psychological aging from studies done in the African context. We also considered whether there are issues that are unique about aging in the African context that might challenge how aging is typically considered in psychology research. METHODS: We reviewed articles recently published in major gerontology journals focusing on African older adults, with the goal of identifying key themes of current geropsychology in Africa. RESULTS: We identified a number of dominant themes including: subjective aging, psychosocial impact of widowhood at old age, aging in place, stress and caregiving, cognitive aging, interrelations between HIV and aging, and successful aging. DISCUSSION: The themes of psychological aging research identified as especially relevant in Africa provide a starting point for psychological aging researchers in general to engage with the African context. Many African countries may be facing common challenges, but the existing studies are not fully representative of the aging population in the continent. Creating a framework for organizing and coordinating funding will help to address the limited research on geropsychology in Africa. Collaborative research projects/programs, joint classrooms, and fellowships that support African geropsychology scholars will be helpful. Geropsychology will benefit from more engagement with the African context by applying innovative approaches such as the adoption of longitudinal designs, mixed-method research, Experience Sampling Methods, translation of measures into indigenous languages, involvement of rural samples, and implementation science and community-engaged research.

Efficacy of deep brain stimulation of the anterior-medial globus pallidus internus in tic and non-tic related symptomatology in refractory Tourette syndrome.

Introduction: Although refractory Tourette Syndrome (TS) is rare, it poses great challenges in clinical practice. Co-morbid psychiatric symptoms often occur, negatively impacting quality of life. Deep brain stimulation (DBS) targeting different brain structures seems effective for tics, but specific literature regarding response of psychiatric symptoms is more limited.This study aimed to assess the outcome of tics and non-tic related symptomatology in refractory TS treated with antero-medial globus pallidus interna (amGPi) DBS. Methods: We included all patients with refractory TS (January 2013-August 2020) from the Brain Nerve Centre and Steve Biko Academic Hospital, Pretoria, South Africa, treated with bilateral amGPi DBS; retrospective baseline, early (up to 3 months) post-DBS follow-up assessment data, as well as prospective data from the latest follow-up (mean 37.4 months) were collected using standardised scoring tools and scales. Results: Five patients were identified. Tics decreased by 63,9% (p = 0,002); quality of life improved by 39,8% (p = 0,015); self-injurious behaviour ceased; obsessive-compulsive symptoms resolved in all but one. The number of different chronic medications used more than halved. Transient stimulation-related adverse events occurred in four patients. Conclusion: This study contributes to the data of the efficacy of amGPi-targeted DBS in refractory TS, showing improvement in quality of life and both tic- and non-tic-related symptomatology..

Longitudinal neuropsychological outcomes in treatment-resistant depression following bed nucleus of the stria terminalis-area deep brain stimulation: a case review.

Studies have demonstrated the effectiveness of deep brain stimulation (DBS) as a treatment modality for psychiatric conditions. We present a case reviewing the longitudinal neuropsychological performance outcomes following bed nucleus of the stria terminalis-area (BNST) DBS in a patient with treatment-resistant depression (TRD). The cognitive safety of DBS is well documented for various targets, however cognitive outcomes of BNST-area DBS have not been extensively reported for patients with TRD. Neuropsychological assessment was conducted pre- and post-DBS. Twelve months following DBS, augmented general cognitive performance was observed with significant changes in specific domains.

Personality of South African police trainees.

There have been efforts to identify a "police personality" based on dispositional and socialization models. Personality traits of successful police applicants at the Police College in Pretoria, South Africa (N = 1,145 police trainees), with regard to sex, ethnic group, and English language reading skills, were described in terms of scores on the Temperament and Character Inventory. South African police trainees generally evaluated themselves as substantially lower in Novelty Seeking and Harm Avoidance combined with lower Cooperativeness, but they scored much higher on Self-Directedness, Persistence, and Self-Transcendence compared to South African university students from the same area. These are characteristics expected from future police officers, which supports the dispositional model.

Psychological characteristics of FMS patients.

This research is a pilot study that explores the psychological profiles of fibromyalgia (FMS) patients. Data were collected from 29 subjects. The variables investigated were attachment style, sense of coherence (SOC), attribution style and depression. The prevalence of secure attachment amongst the group was 51.7%. Significant differences were found amongst the secure and insecure groups with relation to SOC, depression and five subscales of attribution style. The small sample size and cross-sectional nature of the study limit the strength of the conclusions drawn, but the results question the existence of a single discreet FMS-prone psychological profile.