Jade Witten | University of Cape Town (original) (raw)

Papers by Jade Witten

Research paper thumbnail of “Talk and Chalk”: An emotion regulation intervention for anger after acquired brain injury

Applied Neuropsychology: Adult

Research paper thumbnail of Cognitive and Behavioral Contributions to Depression Severity, Quality of Life, and Functioning Among People Living With HIV in South Africa

Research paper thumbnail of Shades of Rage: Applying the Process Model of Emotion Regulation to Managing Anger After Brain Injury

Frontiers in Psychology, 2022

Uncontrollable anger is common following an acquired brain injury (ABI), with impaired emotion re... more Uncontrollable anger is common following an acquired brain injury (ABI), with impaired emotion regulation (ER) being one of the main contributors. Existing psychological interventions appear moderately effective, though studies typically include limitations such as small sample sizes, issues of long-term efficacy, and standardization of content. While ER has been a popular research field, the study of ER for anger management after ABI is less well investigated, and contains few interventions based on the widely used Process Model of ER. This review surveys the efficacy of ER strategies in individuals with ABI, and proposes a novel research design for future interventions. Recommendations are made about: strategy number and type, shared decision-making, approaches to data analysis, and mode of delivery.

Research paper thumbnail of Validation of the CAT rapid: a smartphone screening tool for HIV-associated neurocognitive disorders in South Africa

Jade Witten-WTTJAD001 A minor dissertation submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements f... more Jade Witten-WTTJAD001 A minor dissertation submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the award of the degree of Master of Arts (MA) of Neuropsychology Faculty of the Humanities University of Cape Town 2015 COMPULSORY DECLARATION This work has not been previously submitted in whole, or in part, for the award of any degree. It is my own work. Each significant contribution to, and quotation in, this dissertation from the work, or works, of other people has been attributed, and has been cited and referenced.

Research paper thumbnail of Improving Detection of Depression in People Living with HIV: Psychometric Properties of the South African Depression Scale (SADS)

AIDS and Behavior, 2021

Most measures developed in high income countries to screen for major depressive disorder (MDD) am... more Most measures developed in high income countries to screen for major depressive disorder (MDD) among people living with HIV (PWH) demonstrate suboptimal psychometric properties when utilized in non-western, resource limited settings due to their high false positive rates. For

Research paper thumbnail of Executive Dyscontrol of Learning and Memory: Findings from a Clade C HIV-positive South African Sample

The Clinical neuropsychologist, Jan 9, 2015

Although pre-clinical work suggests there might be differences in neurovirulence across HIV-1 cla... more Although pre-clinical work suggests there might be differences in neurovirulence across HIV-1 clades, few studies investigate neuropsychological deficits in the globally predominant clade C infection. The purpose of this study was to investigate verbal learning and memory performance in HIV-positive individuals in Cape Town, South Africa, where clade C is the most prevalent subtype of the virus. Using a case-control design, we recruited 53 isiXhosa-speaking, cART-naïve HIV-positive adults and 53 demographically matched HIV-negative controls. Participants were administered a comprehensive neuropsychological test battery. The test of interest was the Hopkins Verbal Learning Test-Revised (HVLT-R); previous studies have used that instrument to identify executive dyscontrol of verbal learning and memory processes in clade B HIV-positive participants. HIV-positive participants showed only partial impairment on the HVLT-R's learning/memory components (e.g., they recalled significantly ...

Research paper thumbnail of Poor organisational strategy differentiates cognitively impaired and unimpaired HIV-positive adults

South African Journal of Psychology, 2015

Many HIV-positive individuals manifest symptoms indicative of central nervous system injury. Freq... more Many HIV-positive individuals manifest symptoms indicative of central nervous system injury. Frequently, those symptoms include cognitive impairment in domains supported by cortical and/or subcortical processing (e.g., executive functioning). The present study investigated one aspect of executive functioning, namely, organisational strategy (i.e., the strategy a person uses when attempting to complete a complex task efficiently). The Rey Complex Figure Test was administered to a group of HIV-positive individuals (n = 63) and a matched group of HIV-negative individuals (n = 63). Organisational strategy in completing the task was measured using the Rey Complex Figure Organizational Strategy Score system, which is a quantitative capture of the quality of the approach taken to the task. There were no significant between-group differences in Rey Complex Figure Organizational Strategy Scores, but within the HIV-positive group, increased level of overall cognitive impairment was associated with increasingly poor organisational strategy. These findings suggest that assessment of organisational strategy (and, more generally, assessment of executive functioning) in completing complex tasks may be a valuable component of neuropsychological batteries that attempt to describe the degree of cognitive impairment (and, by implication, the extent of functional impairment) experienced by people living with HIV.

Research paper thumbnail of Psychological Intervention to Address Hypertension in South Africa’s Peri-Urban Settlements

Online Readings in Psychology and Culture, 2013

Hypertension is a chronic health condition affecting the lives of almost a billion people globall... more Hypertension is a chronic health condition affecting the lives of almost a billion people globally. Managing diet is crucial for controlling high blood pressure. Peri-urban communities in South Africa face multiple barriers that make the consumption of a healthy diet particularly difficult. These barriers include: residence in informal settlement areas, long distance commutes, low socioeconomic status, poor health awareness and knowledge, lack of food availability, poverty, low levels of education, high stress levels, the impact of HIV/AIDS, and cultural perceptions of food types. Psychological intervention techniques, such as motivational interviewing (MI) and cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), can assist necessary behavior change by challenging thought processes around healthy eating and hypertension, whilst aiding the implementation and maintenance of healthier eating regimes.

Research paper thumbnail of Poor Organisational Strategy Differentiates Cognitively Impaired and Unimpaired HIV-positive adults.

Research paper thumbnail of “Talk and Chalk”: An emotion regulation intervention for anger after acquired brain injury

Applied Neuropsychology: Adult

Research paper thumbnail of Cognitive and Behavioral Contributions to Depression Severity, Quality of Life, and Functioning Among People Living With HIV in South Africa

Research paper thumbnail of Shades of Rage: Applying the Process Model of Emotion Regulation to Managing Anger After Brain Injury

Frontiers in Psychology, 2022

Uncontrollable anger is common following an acquired brain injury (ABI), with impaired emotion re... more Uncontrollable anger is common following an acquired brain injury (ABI), with impaired emotion regulation (ER) being one of the main contributors. Existing psychological interventions appear moderately effective, though studies typically include limitations such as small sample sizes, issues of long-term efficacy, and standardization of content. While ER has been a popular research field, the study of ER for anger management after ABI is less well investigated, and contains few interventions based on the widely used Process Model of ER. This review surveys the efficacy of ER strategies in individuals with ABI, and proposes a novel research design for future interventions. Recommendations are made about: strategy number and type, shared decision-making, approaches to data analysis, and mode of delivery.

Research paper thumbnail of Validation of the CAT rapid: a smartphone screening tool for HIV-associated neurocognitive disorders in South Africa

Jade Witten-WTTJAD001 A minor dissertation submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements f... more Jade Witten-WTTJAD001 A minor dissertation submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the award of the degree of Master of Arts (MA) of Neuropsychology Faculty of the Humanities University of Cape Town 2015 COMPULSORY DECLARATION This work has not been previously submitted in whole, or in part, for the award of any degree. It is my own work. Each significant contribution to, and quotation in, this dissertation from the work, or works, of other people has been attributed, and has been cited and referenced.

Research paper thumbnail of Improving Detection of Depression in People Living with HIV: Psychometric Properties of the South African Depression Scale (SADS)

AIDS and Behavior, 2021

Most measures developed in high income countries to screen for major depressive disorder (MDD) am... more Most measures developed in high income countries to screen for major depressive disorder (MDD) among people living with HIV (PWH) demonstrate suboptimal psychometric properties when utilized in non-western, resource limited settings due to their high false positive rates. For

Research paper thumbnail of Executive Dyscontrol of Learning and Memory: Findings from a Clade C HIV-positive South African Sample

The Clinical neuropsychologist, Jan 9, 2015

Although pre-clinical work suggests there might be differences in neurovirulence across HIV-1 cla... more Although pre-clinical work suggests there might be differences in neurovirulence across HIV-1 clades, few studies investigate neuropsychological deficits in the globally predominant clade C infection. The purpose of this study was to investigate verbal learning and memory performance in HIV-positive individuals in Cape Town, South Africa, where clade C is the most prevalent subtype of the virus. Using a case-control design, we recruited 53 isiXhosa-speaking, cART-naïve HIV-positive adults and 53 demographically matched HIV-negative controls. Participants were administered a comprehensive neuropsychological test battery. The test of interest was the Hopkins Verbal Learning Test-Revised (HVLT-R); previous studies have used that instrument to identify executive dyscontrol of verbal learning and memory processes in clade B HIV-positive participants. HIV-positive participants showed only partial impairment on the HVLT-R's learning/memory components (e.g., they recalled significantly ...

Research paper thumbnail of Poor organisational strategy differentiates cognitively impaired and unimpaired HIV-positive adults

South African Journal of Psychology, 2015

Many HIV-positive individuals manifest symptoms indicative of central nervous system injury. Freq... more Many HIV-positive individuals manifest symptoms indicative of central nervous system injury. Frequently, those symptoms include cognitive impairment in domains supported by cortical and/or subcortical processing (e.g., executive functioning). The present study investigated one aspect of executive functioning, namely, organisational strategy (i.e., the strategy a person uses when attempting to complete a complex task efficiently). The Rey Complex Figure Test was administered to a group of HIV-positive individuals (n = 63) and a matched group of HIV-negative individuals (n = 63). Organisational strategy in completing the task was measured using the Rey Complex Figure Organizational Strategy Score system, which is a quantitative capture of the quality of the approach taken to the task. There were no significant between-group differences in Rey Complex Figure Organizational Strategy Scores, but within the HIV-positive group, increased level of overall cognitive impairment was associated with increasingly poor organisational strategy. These findings suggest that assessment of organisational strategy (and, more generally, assessment of executive functioning) in completing complex tasks may be a valuable component of neuropsychological batteries that attempt to describe the degree of cognitive impairment (and, by implication, the extent of functional impairment) experienced by people living with HIV.

Research paper thumbnail of Psychological Intervention to Address Hypertension in South Africa’s Peri-Urban Settlements

Online Readings in Psychology and Culture, 2013

Hypertension is a chronic health condition affecting the lives of almost a billion people globall... more Hypertension is a chronic health condition affecting the lives of almost a billion people globally. Managing diet is crucial for controlling high blood pressure. Peri-urban communities in South Africa face multiple barriers that make the consumption of a healthy diet particularly difficult. These barriers include: residence in informal settlement areas, long distance commutes, low socioeconomic status, poor health awareness and knowledge, lack of food availability, poverty, low levels of education, high stress levels, the impact of HIV/AIDS, and cultural perceptions of food types. Psychological intervention techniques, such as motivational interviewing (MI) and cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), can assist necessary behavior change by challenging thought processes around healthy eating and hypertension, whilst aiding the implementation and maintenance of healthier eating regimes.

Research paper thumbnail of Poor Organisational Strategy Differentiates Cognitively Impaired and Unimpaired HIV-positive adults.