Full Text Available
Note: Clicking the button above will open the full text document at the original institutional repository in a new window.
Understanding self-care perceptions and behaviours of community care workers in Cape Town to develop and assess a self-care intervention
Community care workers (CCWs) play a crucial role in supporting disadvantaged populations, yet there is insufficient research on how these demands affect their well-being. Burnout among CCWs can lead to diminished performance, impacting their well-being as well as the well-being of the communities t...
Saved in:
| Main Author: | |
|---|---|
| Other Authors: | |
| Format: | Thesis |
| Language: | English English |
| Published: |
Department of Psychology
2026
|
| Subjects: | |
| Tags: |
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
|
| _version_ | 1867614163145064448 |
|---|---|
| access_status_str | Open Access |
| author | Singh, Laura |
| author2 | Kaminer, Debra |
| author_browse | Kaminer, Debra Singh, Laura |
| author_facet | Kaminer, Debra Singh, Laura |
| author_sort | Singh, Laura |
| collection | Thesis |
| description | Community care workers (CCWs) play a crucial role in supporting disadvantaged populations, yet there is insufficient research on how these demands affect their well-being. Burnout among CCWs can lead to diminished performance, impacting their well-being as well as the well-being of the communities they serve. This study used a multi-stage approach, with an interpretivist and constructivist qualitative lens, to explore the self-care needs of CCWs, develop a self-care intervention, and test the feasibility of this intervention. Community-based participatory research (CBPR) principles were employed throughout the study, conducted within an established community organisation, Outliers. Stage 1 involved interviews with 21 CCW team leaders and revealed six key themes that helped understand self-care behaviours and perceptions in CCWs: the demanding nature of community work, attitudinal and practical barriers to self-care, the importance of a personal understanding of self-care, and the need for routine and community support in establishing self-care habits. Based on these findings, a two-session WhatsApp group intervention was designed in collaboration with the team leaders. In Stage 2, the intervention was delivered to 16 CCWs from three organisations. Two post-intervention focus groups with 10 participants reported increased self-awareness, shifts in attitudinal barriers, changes in self-care behaviours, and several barriers to adopting self- care. The use of WhatsApp found to be effective for facilitating training, reflection, and peer support. The findings of this research support the potential of co-designed, community-based participatory approaches to create culturally relevant and impactful interventions for CCWs. |
| format | Thesis |
| id | oai:open.uct.ac.za:11427/42697 |
| institution | University of Cape Town (South Africa) |
| language | English eng |
| last_indexed | 2026-06-10T12:47:40.348Z |
| license_str | Not specified — see source repository |
| provenance_str_mv | Harvested via OAI-PMH from UCTD — University of Cape Town Open Access Repository |
| publishDate | 2026 |
| publishDateRange | 2026 |
| publishDateSort | 2026 |
| publisher | Department of Psychology |
| publisherStr | Department of Psychology |
| record_format | dspace |
| source_str | UCTD — University of Cape Town Open Access Repository |
| spelling | oai:open.uct.ac.za:11427/42697 Understanding self-care perceptions and behaviours of community care workers in Cape Town to develop and assess a self-care intervention Singh, Laura Kaminer, Debra community care workers community-based participatory research self-care WhatsApp intervention Community care workers (CCWs) play a crucial role in supporting disadvantaged populations, yet there is insufficient research on how these demands affect their well-being. Burnout among CCWs can lead to diminished performance, impacting their well-being as well as the well-being of the communities they serve. This study used a multi-stage approach, with an interpretivist and constructivist qualitative lens, to explore the self-care needs of CCWs, develop a self-care intervention, and test the feasibility of this intervention. Community-based participatory research (CBPR) principles were employed throughout the study, conducted within an established community organisation, Outliers. Stage 1 involved interviews with 21 CCW team leaders and revealed six key themes that helped understand self-care behaviours and perceptions in CCWs: the demanding nature of community work, attitudinal and practical barriers to self-care, the importance of a personal understanding of self-care, and the need for routine and community support in establishing self-care habits. Based on these findings, a two-session WhatsApp group intervention was designed in collaboration with the team leaders. In Stage 2, the intervention was delivered to 16 CCWs from three organisations. Two post-intervention focus groups with 10 participants reported increased self-awareness, shifts in attitudinal barriers, changes in self-care behaviours, and several barriers to adopting self- care. The use of WhatsApp found to be effective for facilitating training, reflection, and peer support. The findings of this research support the potential of co-designed, community-based participatory approaches to create culturally relevant and impactful interventions for CCWs. 2026-01-27T10:29:57Z 2026-01-27T10:29:57Z 2025 2026-01-27T10:18:08Z Thesis / Dissertation Masters Masters http://hdl.handle.net/11427/42697 en eng application/pdf Department of Psychology Faculty of Humanities University of Cape Town |
| spellingShingle | community care workers community-based participatory research self-care WhatsApp intervention Singh, Laura Understanding self-care perceptions and behaviours of community care workers in Cape Town to develop and assess a self-care intervention |
| thesis_degree_str | Master's |
| title | Understanding self-care perceptions and behaviours of community care workers in Cape Town to develop and assess a self-care intervention |
| title_full | Understanding self-care perceptions and behaviours of community care workers in Cape Town to develop and assess a self-care intervention |
| title_fullStr | Understanding self-care perceptions and behaviours of community care workers in Cape Town to develop and assess a self-care intervention |
| title_full_unstemmed | Understanding self-care perceptions and behaviours of community care workers in Cape Town to develop and assess a self-care intervention |
| title_short | Understanding self-care perceptions and behaviours of community care workers in Cape Town to develop and assess a self-care intervention |
| title_sort | understanding self care perceptions and behaviours of community care workers in cape town to develop and assess a self care intervention |
| topic | community care workers community-based participatory research self-care WhatsApp intervention |
| url | http://hdl.handle.net/11427/42697 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT singhlaura understandingselfcareperceptionsandbehavioursofcommunitycareworkersincapetowntodevelopandassessaselfcareintervention |