Ferdi Botha
Biographic Data
| ID | 340088 |
|---|---|
| NAME | Ferdi Botha |
| GIVEN NAMES | Ferdi |
| FAMILY NAME | Botha |
| SIGNATURE | BOTHA F |
| AFFILIATIONS | ARC Centre of Excellence for Children and Families over the Life Course |
| ORCID | 0000-0003-0856-0240 |
| VERIFIED | Yes |
| TOTAL WORKS | 16 |
| TOTAL CITATIONS | 65 |
| AUTHOR COUNT | 16 |
| EDITOR COUNT | 0 |
| FIRST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2014 |
| LATEST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2026 |
| H-INDEX | 5 |
The effects of commuting and working from home arrangements on mental health
In this study, we quantify the effects of commuting time and working from home (WFH) arrangements on the mental health of Australian men and women. Leveraging rich panel-data models together with home-job-spell fixed effects, we first show that adverse effects of commuting time are modest in magnitude and manifest only among men with poor levels of mental health (0.01 SD decrease per 10-minute increase of commuting time). Second, we show that WFH…
Predictors of male loneliness across life stages
The results emphasise the need to consider age-specific factors and societal expectations in understanding and addressing loneliness amongst men. Additionally, the findings underscore the importance of raising awareness about the impact of societal norms and expectations on men's mental health. The results offer valuable insights for policymakers, healthcare providers, and researchers to develop effective strategies and support systems to combat …
Towards the Next Fifty Years of Social Indicators Research
Locus of control, self-control, and health outcomes
We provide the first empirical evidence on the direct link between locus of control and self-control, and how they interact in explaining a range of health outcomes. Using rich Australian survey data, we find that, while the two traits are distinct constructs, a greater internal locus of control is associated with higher self-control. The association between locus of control and health is reduced once we control for self-control, suggesting that …
Vulnerability and recovery
Extreme weather and climate-related disaster events are associated with a range of adverse health outcomes. People are not equally vulnerable to the adversity, experiencing varied patterns of long-term health trajectories in recovery depending on their vulnerabilities, capacities, and resiliencies. This study aims to identify latent mental and physical health trajectories and their associations with person- and place-based pre-disaster predictors…
Intermarriage on Subjective Social Status and Spousal Dissimilarity in Life Satisfaction of Co-resident Heterosexual South African Couples
The aim of this study is to determine how intermarriage on subjective social status is associated with spousal dissimilarity in life satisfaction in co-resident heterosexual couples in South Africa. We apply fixed effect ordered logit regression models to a sample of 8652 married and cohabiting dyads constructed from the longitudinal and nationally representative South African National Income Dynamics Study. We find no spousal dissimilarity in ov…
Trajectories of psychological distress over multiple Covid-19 lockdowns in Australia
The impact of the global COVID-19 pandemic, including the indirect effect of policy responses, on psychological distress has been the subject of much research. However, there has been little consideration of how the prevalence of psychological distress changed with the duration and repetition of lockdowns, or the rate of resolution of psychological distress once lockdowns ended. This study describes the trajectories of psychological distress over…
Evaluating How Mental Health Changed in Australia through the Covid-19 Pandemic
The COVID-19 pandemic has had a significant impact on mental health at the level of the population. The current study adds to the evidence base by examining how the prevalence of psychological distress changed in Australia during the pandemic. The study also assesses the psychometric properties of a new single-item measure of mental distress included in a survey program conducted regularly throughout the pandemic. Data are from 1158 respondents i…
Protecting mental health during periods of financial stress
Opposite nonlinear effects of unemployment and sentiment on male and female suicide rates
Conceptual causal models of socioeconomic status, family structure, family functioning and their role in public health
Social determinants of health frameworks are standard tools in public health. These frameworks for the most part omit a crucial factor: the family. Socioeconomic status moreover is a prominent social determinant of health. Insofar as family functioning is poorer in poor families and family structure and functioning are linked to health, it is critical to consider the pathways between these four constructs. In this correspondence, we reflect on ho…
Implications of Covid-19 labour market shocks for inequality in financial wellbeing
Family Functioning and Socioeconomic Status in South African Families
The Good African Society Index
Family Functioning and Life Satisfaction and Happiness in South African Households
Life Satisfaction and Education in South Africa
Family Functioning and Life Satisfaction and Happiness in South African Households
Towards the Next Fifty Years of Social Indicators Research
Implications of Covid-19 labour market shocks for inequality in financial wellbeing
Family Functioning and Socioeconomic Status in South African Families
Life Satisfaction and Education in South Africa
Protecting mental health during periods of financial stress
Opposite nonlinear effects of unemployment and sentiment on male and female suicide rates
Vulnerability and recovery
Extreme weather and climate-related disaster events are associated with a range of adverse health outcomes. People are not equally vulnerable to the adversity, experiencing varied patterns of long-term health trajectories in recovery depending on their vulnerabilities, capacities, and resiliencies. This study aims to identify latent mental and physical health trajectories and their associations with person- and place-based pre-disaster predictors…
The Good African Society Index
Family Functioning and Life Satisfaction and Happiness in South African Households
Life Satisfaction and Education in South Africa
The Good African Society Index
Family Functioning and Socioeconomic Status in South African Families
Conceptual causal models of socioeconomic status, family structure, family functioning and their role in public health
Social determinants of health frameworks are standard tools in public health. These frameworks for the most part omit a crucial factor: the family. Socioeconomic status moreover is a prominent social determinant of health. Insofar as family functioning is poorer in poor families and family structure and functioning are linked to health, it is critical to consider the pathways between these four constructs. In this correspondence, we reflect on ho…
Implications of Covid-19 labour market shocks for inequality in financial wellbeing
Intermarriage on Subjective Social Status and Spousal Dissimilarity in Life Satisfaction of Co-resident Heterosexual South African Couples
The aim of this study is to determine how intermarriage on subjective social status is associated with spousal dissimilarity in life satisfaction in co-resident heterosexual couples in South Africa. We apply fixed effect ordered logit regression models to a sample of 8652 married and cohabiting dyads constructed from the longitudinal and nationally representative South African National Income Dynamics Study. We find no spousal dissimilarity in ov…
Trajectories of psychological distress over multiple Covid-19 lockdowns in Australia
The impact of the global COVID-19 pandemic, including the indirect effect of policy responses, on psychological distress has been the subject of much research. However, there has been little consideration of how the prevalence of psychological distress changed with the duration and repetition of lockdowns, or the rate of resolution of psychological distress once lockdowns ended. This study describes the trajectories of psychological distress over…
Evaluating How Mental Health Changed in Australia through the Covid-19 Pandemic
The COVID-19 pandemic has had a significant impact on mental health at the level of the population. The current study adds to the evidence base by examining how the prevalence of psychological distress changed in Australia during the pandemic. The study also assesses the psychometric properties of a new single-item measure of mental distress included in a survey program conducted regularly throughout the pandemic. Data are from 1158 respondents i…
Protecting mental health during periods of financial stress
Opposite nonlinear effects of unemployment and sentiment on male and female suicide rates
Locus of control, self-control, and health outcomes
We provide the first empirical evidence on the direct link between locus of control and self-control, and how they interact in explaining a range of health outcomes. Using rich Australian survey data, we find that, while the two traits are distinct constructs, a greater internal locus of control is associated with higher self-control. The association between locus of control and health is reduced once we control for self-control, suggesting that …
Vulnerability and recovery
Extreme weather and climate-related disaster events are associated with a range of adverse health outcomes. People are not equally vulnerable to the adversity, experiencing varied patterns of long-term health trajectories in recovery depending on their vulnerabilities, capacities, and resiliencies. This study aims to identify latent mental and physical health trajectories and their associations with person- and place-based pre-disaster predictors…
Predictors of male loneliness across life stages
The results emphasise the need to consider age-specific factors and societal expectations in understanding and addressing loneliness amongst men. Additionally, the findings underscore the importance of raising awareness about the impact of societal norms and expectations on men's mental health. The results offer valuable insights for policymakers, healthcare providers, and researchers to develop effective strategies and support systems to combat …
Towards the Next Fifty Years of Social Indicators Research
The effects of commuting and working from home arrangements on mental health
In this study, we quantify the effects of commuting time and working from home (WFH) arrangements on the mental health of Australian men and women. Leveraging rich panel-data models together with home-job-spell fixed effects, we first show that adverse effects of commuting time are modest in magnitude and manifest only among men with poor levels of mental health (0.01 SD decrease per 10-minute increase of commuting time). Second, we show that WFH…
Medicine (11 works) · Psychology (11 works) · Public health (9 works) · Sociology (8 works) · Demography (7 works) · Demography (6 works) · Employment and Welfare Studies (6 works) · Psychiatry (6 works) · Psychological Well-being and Life Satisfaction (6 works) · Social Psychology (6 works)