Rizwana Roomaney
Biographic Data
| ID | 379262 |
|---|---|
| NAME | Rizwana Roomaney |
| GIVEN NAMES | Rizwana |
| FAMILY NAME | Roomaney |
| SIGNATURE | ROOMANEY R |
| AFFILIATIONS | Stellenbosch University |
| ORCID | 0000-0002-3585-4992 |
| VERIFIED | Yes |
| TOTAL WORKS | 29 |
| TOTAL CITATIONS | 33 |
| AUTHOR COUNT | 29 |
| EDITOR COUNT | 0 |
| FIRST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2013 |
| LATEST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2025 |
| H-INDEX | 3 |
Being an outsider
Endometriosis is a chronic and painful disease that has a detrimental effect on people’s quality of life. Endometriosis is known as a lonely disease. Assigned female at birth transgender and non-binary people with endometriosis’ narratives are rare in literature. Cisgender women have reported experiencing support from online endometriosis community platforms. The aim of our international study was to explore transgender and non-binary people with…
If I don’t get the baby, just give me the body’
Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is one of the most common disorders affecting women of reproductive age worldwide. Existing research highlights negatively impacted self-image as a common experience among women with the condition. We explored these experiences, using body mapping as a tool to best facilitate reflection and narrative building. Body mapping, an arts-based data collection method, allows the participant to drive the process, best fac…
Transgender and non-binary people's experience of endometriosis
There is a lack of research on gender diverse people's experiences with endometriosis. We explored the experience of 11 transgender and non-binary people with endometriosis using phenomenology. We collected data through multiple interviews and diaries and constructed two themes using hermeneutic analysis: (1) Unhomelikeness of Living with Endometriosis and being Gender Diverse, and (2) Towards a Homelikeness of Living with Endometriosis as a Gend…
I just want to stay here and sleep forever”
Chronic fatigue is a distressing symptom for endometriosis patients but is not widely investigated in the literature. Our aim was to explore patients’ lived experiences of chronic fatigue and how they make meaning of it. We analysed a subset of data from seven severely fatigued endometriosis patients, drawn from a broader qualitative study in South Africa, using an interpretive phenomenological analysis. Three superordinate themes and eight subor…
Private practice was my second option’
The category of registered counsellor was created to service the mental health care needs of the South African population at primary health care level. However, a lack of employment opportunities for registered counsellors within primary health care settings resulted in many opting to work within private practice. In this study, we explored barriers and facilitators to the delivery of mental health care by registered counsellors. We employed purp…
Psychological Factors Associated With Mental Adjustment to Breast Cancer
This study examined mental adjustment to breast cancer, that is, coping strategies. Participants were 130 women undergoing breast cancer treatment in two medical settings in Accra, Ghana. They completed questionnaires assessing mental adjustment to cancer, psychological distress (anxiety and depression), negative religious coping, body change stress, and illness perceptions. Data were analyzed using hierarchical linear regression. Results showed …
Fertility preservation among women diagnosed with cancer in South Africa
There is a growing trend worldwide to offer fertility preservation to newly diagnosed cancer patients, but little research exploring the experience of fertility preservation among this population exists. Our aim was to explore fertility preservation among female cancer survivors in South Africa. We conducted interviews with 10 women who received fertility preservation at fertility clinics in Cape Town and Johannesburg, South Africa. Interviews la…
Re-visiting the relevance and importance of health psychology in South Africa
Health psychology as a discipline has existed for more than four decades and is primarily concerned with research, theory, and practice at the nexus of psychology and health. The discipline is well established across Europe, the United States, and Australia with health psychology societies, postgraduate programmes, conferences, and academic journals dedicated to the discipline in the majority of these countries. However, in South Africa, health p…
Psychosocial correlates of well-being among people who engage in online health-seeking behaviour
We examined the extent to which neuroticism, health anxiety, social anxiety, and social support predicted well-being in a sample of online users engaging in health-seeking behaviour. We used a cross-sectional online survey to recruit participants who engaged in online health-seeking behaviour. The study included 350 participants who were recruited online using social media platforms such as Reddit and Twitter. A multiple regression was conducted …
Experiences of Xhosa women providing Kangaroo mother care in a tertiary hospital in the Western Cape, South Africa
Kangaroo mother care has been recognized as a credible intervention to improve preterm birth outcomes by the World Health Organization. Kangaroo mother care requires high user engagement and consists of continuous skin-to-skin contact between the mother and infant and exclusive breastfeeding. We conducted a qualitative study of Xhosa women ( n = 10) practicing Kangaroo mother care in a tertiary hospital in the Western Cape, South Africa. All inte…
Knowledge, misinformation, stigma, and disclosure hesitancy among women receiving curative treatment for cervical cancer at a tertiary hospital in South Africa
The high prevalence and burden of cervical cancer in low- and middle-income countries have spurred much research into preventing and screening for the disease. However, little research has focussed on the experience of living with the disease and undergoing treatment in South Africa. Our aim was to explore knowledge, misinformation, stigma, and disclosure hesitancy among women receiving curative treatment for cervical cancer at a tertiary hospita…
Delayed help-seeking for symptomatic breast cancer
We explored delayed help-seeking behaviour for symptomatic breast cancer among a sample of female patients attending an outpatient breast cancer clinic at a tertiary public hospital in the Western Cape. The objective of the research was to explore the perceived personal and structural barriers to help-seeking among women with breast cancer from this low-resource setting, as this information has not been documented. Purposive sampling was used to …
Depressive symptoms and socio-demographic correlates among adolescents in Kampala
The aim of this study was to investigate the prevalence of depressive symptoms in secondary school students in Kampala, Uganda, and assess associations with demographic characteristics and living arrangements. In this cross-sectional study, 14- to 17-year-olds were recruited from six randomly selected schools in Kampala. Participants completed a questionnaire, covering demographic questions and the affective problems subscale of the Youth Self-Re…
Fatigue-management strategies among women with endometriosis in South Africa
Fatigue is a common, secondary symptom of endometriosis that has not been qualitatively explored. We conducted individual, face-to-face interviews with 25 women in South Africa about their experiences of endometriosis-related fatigue. Participants were recruited at a public hospital in Cape Town and through several South African endometriosis organizations. Interviews were conducted in English and Afrikaans and ranged from 30 min to 1 hr 16 min i…
Understanding the subjective experiences of South African women with recurrent breast cancer
This study explored the subjective experiences of 12 South African women diagnosed with recurrent breast cancer. Women were invited to take part in unstructured narrative interviews, and to complete a diary in which they could reflect on their breast cancer experiences. Most responded to their recurrence with an optimistic stance. Religious beliefs and support structures were important coping strategies. Women's perceptions of their changed bodie…
Cognitive coping strategies of South African women in breast cancer care
In this qualitative study, we explored the cognitive strategies used by South African women with breast cancer to cope with their cancer experience. The themes that emerged were reappraisal, acceptance, relinquishing control, and benefit finding. Reappraisal involved downward comparison, normalising experiences, and positive self-talk. Acceptance included accepting unpleasantness, preparing for future challenges, acceptance for healing, and spiri…
Evaluation of an Advocacy Programme for Mental Health Care Users in South Africa
Moving Beyond Text-and-Talk in Qualitative Health Research
Qualitative researchers are increasingly making use of multiple media to collect data within a single study. Such approaches may have the potential to generate rich insights; however, there are also potential methodological challenges in simultaneously analyzing data from multiple media. Using three case studies from our work with women who had recurrent breast cancer in South Africa, we explore four challenges of using multiple media to collect …
Exploring the Barriers That Prevent Practitioners From Implementing Motivational Interviewing in Their Work With Clients
Motivational interviewing (MI) is an evidence-based counselling technique that is used by psychologists, doctors, nurses, midwives and social workers as an effective intervention aimed at behavioural change. Despite its efficacy, it is not commonly used in South Africa. Our aim was to explore the barriers that social and health practitioners who were trained in administering MI experienced in implementing MI in their work with clients. We used a …
Received and perceived support subscales of the Berlin Social Support Scales in women diagnosed with breast cancer attending the breast clinic at Tygerberg hospital
Research in the field of psycho-oncology in South Africa is increasing, and there is a need for validated measures that assess factors associated with cancer, such as social support. The Berlin Social Support Scales are a battery of instruments that measure various types and functions of social support. The measure was originally developed for use among adult cancer patients, and their partners but has also been used among other clinical populati…
Exploring breast cancer diagnosis and treatment experience among a sample of South African women who access primary health care
Despite the known impact of a cancer diagnosis and related treatments on quality of life, and the complexity of patient journeys in low-resource settings, there has been little published research into the relevant issues faced by South African women living with breast cancer. In this study, we aimed to understand the experiences of breast cancer diagnosis and treatment among a sample of South African women who access primary health care. A conven…
Biopsychosocial predictors of symptoms of depression in a sample of South African women diagnosed with endometriosis
We examined biopsychosocial predictors of symptoms of depression in women with endometriosis. The sample consisted of 202 women with endometriosis who completed a battery of measures including a demographic questionnaire, Beck Depression Inventory, Stellenbosch Endometriosis Quality of life Menstrual characteristics subscale, Short form health survey Physical functioning subscale, and three modular components of the Endometriosis Health Profile 3…
Women's stories of living with breast cancer
The construction and validation of the Stellenbosch Endometriosis Quality of life measure (Seqol)
In this paper, we describe the process of construction and validation of a health-related quality of life (HRQOL) measure for patients with endometriosis. The items in the measure were initially constructed, edited and reduced using a consultative process with endometriosis experts. We then determined the test reliability, validity and factor structure of the measure by administering the measure and several other measures to 203 patients with end…
Salient aspects of quality of life among women diagnosed with endometriosis
This study examined health-related quality of life among a sample of South African women diagnosed with endometriosis. Semistructured interviews were conducted with 25 participants in South Africa. Participants discussed the ways in which endometriosis affected their health-related quality of life. A total of 10 categories emerged from the data, namely, (1) medical factors, (2) physical functioning, (3) psychological functioning, (4) sexual funct…
Salient aspects of quality of life among women diagnosed with endometriosis
This study examined health-related quality of life among a sample of South African women diagnosed with endometriosis. Semistructured interviews were conducted with 25 participants in South Africa. Participants discussed the ways in which endometriosis affected their health-related quality of life. A total of 10 categories emerged from the data, namely, (1) medical factors, (2) physical functioning, (3) psychological functioning, (4) sexual funct…
Moving Beyond Text-and-Talk in Qualitative Health Research
Qualitative researchers are increasingly making use of multiple media to collect data within a single study. Such approaches may have the potential to generate rich insights; however, there are also potential methodological challenges in simultaneously analyzing data from multiple media. Using three case studies from our work with women who had recurrent breast cancer in South Africa, we explore four challenges of using multiple media to collect …
Coping strategies employed by women with endometriosis in a public health-care setting
This study explored how South African patients attending public health facilities reported coping with endometriosis. A total of 16 women with endometriosis were interviewed, and we explored how participants coped with endometriosis. All interviews were audio-recorded and transcribed. Thematic analysis was used to identify themes. Participants reported employing both problem-focused and emotion-focused strategies to cope with endometriosis. Probl…
Transgender and non-binary people's experience of endometriosis
There is a lack of research on gender diverse people's experiences with endometriosis. We explored the experience of 11 transgender and non-binary people with endometriosis using phenomenology. We collected data through multiple interviews and diaries and constructed two themes using hermeneutic analysis: (1) Unhomelikeness of Living with Endometriosis and being Gender Diverse, and (2) Towards a Homelikeness of Living with Endometriosis as a Gend…
Exploring breast cancer diagnosis and treatment experience among a sample of South African women who access primary health care
Despite the known impact of a cancer diagnosis and related treatments on quality of life, and the complexity of patient journeys in low-resource settings, there has been little published research into the relevant issues faced by South African women living with breast cancer. In this study, we aimed to understand the experiences of breast cancer diagnosis and treatment among a sample of South African women who access primary health care. A conven…
If I don’t get the baby, just give me the body’
Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is one of the most common disorders affecting women of reproductive age worldwide. Existing research highlights negatively impacted self-image as a common experience among women with the condition. We explored these experiences, using body mapping as a tool to best facilitate reflection and narrative building. Body mapping, an arts-based data collection method, allows the participant to drive the process, best fac…
Private practice was my second option’
The category of registered counsellor was created to service the mental health care needs of the South African population at primary health care level. However, a lack of employment opportunities for registered counsellors within primary health care settings resulted in many opting to work within private practice. In this study, we explored barriers and facilitators to the delivery of mental health care by registered counsellors. We employed purp…
Fatigue-management strategies among women with endometriosis in South Africa
Fatigue is a common, secondary symptom of endometriosis that has not been qualitatively explored. We conducted individual, face-to-face interviews with 25 women in South Africa about their experiences of endometriosis-related fatigue. Participants were recruited at a public hospital in Cape Town and through several South African endometriosis organizations. Interviews were conducted in English and Afrikaans and ranged from 30 min to 1 hr 16 min i…
Received and perceived support subscales of the Berlin Social Support Scales in women diagnosed with breast cancer attending the breast clinic at Tygerberg hospital
Research in the field of psycho-oncology in South Africa is increasing, and there is a need for validated measures that assess factors associated with cancer, such as social support. The Berlin Social Support Scales are a battery of instruments that measure various types and functions of social support. The measure was originally developed for use among adult cancer patients, and their partners but has also been used among other clinical populati…
The relationship between worldview, self-efficacy, psychological distress, and a health-promoting lifestyle among a South African undergraduate university sample
This study examined the relationship between worldview, self-efficacy, psychological distress, and health-promoting lifestyle among an undergraduate South African student sample. We recruited a sample of 211 participants who responded to an online questionnaire consisting of the Health-Promoting Lifestyle Inventory, the Organicism-Mechanism Lifestyle Profile, the Hopkins Symptom Checklist, and checklists on nutrition, exercise, and alcohol use se…
An item and construct bias analysis of two language versions of a verbal analogies scale
The Woodcock Muñoz Language Survey is a test of cognitive academic language proficiency that has been adapted from English into Xhosa by a South African team of researchers. This study was primarily concerned with the Verbal Analogies Scale of the Woodcock Muñoz Language Survey and aimed to extend previous research on the equivalence of the two language versions of the scale. The study employed a monolingual two-group design consisting of 150 mai…
The relationship between worldview, self-efficacy, psychological distress, and a health-promoting lifestyle among a South African undergraduate university sample
This study examined the relationship between worldview, self-efficacy, psychological distress, and health-promoting lifestyle among an undergraduate South African student sample. We recruited a sample of 211 participants who responded to an online questionnaire consisting of the Health-Promoting Lifestyle Inventory, the Organicism-Mechanism Lifestyle Profile, the Hopkins Symptom Checklist, and checklists on nutrition, exercise, and alcohol use se…
Coping strategies employed by women with endometriosis in a public health-care setting
This study explored how South African patients attending public health facilities reported coping with endometriosis. A total of 16 women with endometriosis were interviewed, and we explored how participants coped with endometriosis. All interviews were audio-recorded and transcribed. Thematic analysis was used to identify themes. Participants reported employing both problem-focused and emotion-focused strategies to cope with endometriosis. Probl…
The factor structure of the Health-Promoting Lifestyle Profile II among a South African student sample
This study aimed to determine the factor structure of the Health-Promoting Lifestyle Profile II scale in a South African sample. The sample consisted of 211 students at a university. Students completed an online survey that included the 52-item Health-Promoting Lifestyle Profile II. Confirmatory factor analysis, items analysis, and exploratory factor analysis were used to determine the factor structure of the Health-Promoting Lifestyle Profile II…
The construction and validation of the Stellenbosch Endometriosis Quality of life measure (Seqol)
In this paper, we describe the process of construction and validation of a health-related quality of life (HRQOL) measure for patients with endometriosis. The items in the measure were initially constructed, edited and reduced using a consultative process with endometriosis experts. We then determined the test reliability, validity and factor structure of the measure by administering the measure and several other measures to 203 patients with end…
Salient aspects of quality of life among women diagnosed with endometriosis
This study examined health-related quality of life among a sample of South African women diagnosed with endometriosis. Semistructured interviews were conducted with 25 participants in South Africa. Participants discussed the ways in which endometriosis affected their health-related quality of life. A total of 10 categories emerged from the data, namely, (1) medical factors, (2) physical functioning, (3) psychological functioning, (4) sexual funct…
Biopsychosocial predictors of symptoms of depression in a sample of South African women diagnosed with endometriosis
We examined biopsychosocial predictors of symptoms of depression in women with endometriosis. The sample consisted of 202 women with endometriosis who completed a battery of measures including a demographic questionnaire, Beck Depression Inventory, Stellenbosch Endometriosis Quality of life Menstrual characteristics subscale, Short form health survey Physical functioning subscale, and three modular components of the Endometriosis Health Profile 3…
Women's stories of living with breast cancer
Exploring the Barriers That Prevent Practitioners From Implementing Motivational Interviewing in Their Work With Clients
Motivational interviewing (MI) is an evidence-based counselling technique that is used by psychologists, doctors, nurses, midwives and social workers as an effective intervention aimed at behavioural change. Despite its efficacy, it is not commonly used in South Africa. Our aim was to explore the barriers that social and health practitioners who were trained in administering MI experienced in implementing MI in their work with clients. We used a …
Received and perceived support subscales of the Berlin Social Support Scales in women diagnosed with breast cancer attending the breast clinic at Tygerberg hospital
Research in the field of psycho-oncology in South Africa is increasing, and there is a need for validated measures that assess factors associated with cancer, such as social support. The Berlin Social Support Scales are a battery of instruments that measure various types and functions of social support. The measure was originally developed for use among adult cancer patients, and their partners but has also been used among other clinical populati…
Exploring breast cancer diagnosis and treatment experience among a sample of South African women who access primary health care
Despite the known impact of a cancer diagnosis and related treatments on quality of life, and the complexity of patient journeys in low-resource settings, there has been little published research into the relevant issues faced by South African women living with breast cancer. In this study, we aimed to understand the experiences of breast cancer diagnosis and treatment among a sample of South African women who access primary health care. A conven…
Cognitive coping strategies of South African women in breast cancer care
In this qualitative study, we explored the cognitive strategies used by South African women with breast cancer to cope with their cancer experience. The themes that emerged were reappraisal, acceptance, relinquishing control, and benefit finding. Reappraisal involved downward comparison, normalising experiences, and positive self-talk. Acceptance included accepting unpleasantness, preparing for future challenges, acceptance for healing, and spiri…
Evaluation of an Advocacy Programme for Mental Health Care Users in South Africa
Moving Beyond Text-and-Talk in Qualitative Health Research
Qualitative researchers are increasingly making use of multiple media to collect data within a single study. Such approaches may have the potential to generate rich insights; however, there are also potential methodological challenges in simultaneously analyzing data from multiple media. Using three case studies from our work with women who had recurrent breast cancer in South Africa, we explore four challenges of using multiple media to collect …
Delayed help-seeking for symptomatic breast cancer
We explored delayed help-seeking behaviour for symptomatic breast cancer among a sample of female patients attending an outpatient breast cancer clinic at a tertiary public hospital in the Western Cape. The objective of the research was to explore the perceived personal and structural barriers to help-seeking among women with breast cancer from this low-resource setting, as this information has not been documented. Purposive sampling was used to …
Depressive symptoms and socio-demographic correlates among adolescents in Kampala
The aim of this study was to investigate the prevalence of depressive symptoms in secondary school students in Kampala, Uganda, and assess associations with demographic characteristics and living arrangements. In this cross-sectional study, 14- to 17-year-olds were recruited from six randomly selected schools in Kampala. Participants completed a questionnaire, covering demographic questions and the affective problems subscale of the Youth Self-Re…
Fatigue-management strategies among women with endometriosis in South Africa
Fatigue is a common, secondary symptom of endometriosis that has not been qualitatively explored. We conducted individual, face-to-face interviews with 25 women in South Africa about their experiences of endometriosis-related fatigue. Participants were recruited at a public hospital in Cape Town and through several South African endometriosis organizations. Interviews were conducted in English and Afrikaans and ranged from 30 min to 1 hr 16 min i…
Understanding the subjective experiences of South African women with recurrent breast cancer
This study explored the subjective experiences of 12 South African women diagnosed with recurrent breast cancer. Women were invited to take part in unstructured narrative interviews, and to complete a diary in which they could reflect on their breast cancer experiences. Most responded to their recurrence with an optimistic stance. Religious beliefs and support structures were important coping strategies. Women's perceptions of their changed bodie…
Fertility preservation among women diagnosed with cancer in South Africa
There is a growing trend worldwide to offer fertility preservation to newly diagnosed cancer patients, but little research exploring the experience of fertility preservation among this population exists. Our aim was to explore fertility preservation among female cancer survivors in South Africa. We conducted interviews with 10 women who received fertility preservation at fertility clinics in Cape Town and Johannesburg, South Africa. Interviews la…
Re-visiting the relevance and importance of health psychology in South Africa
Health psychology as a discipline has existed for more than four decades and is primarily concerned with research, theory, and practice at the nexus of psychology and health. The discipline is well established across Europe, the United States, and Australia with health psychology societies, postgraduate programmes, conferences, and academic journals dedicated to the discipline in the majority of these countries. However, in South Africa, health p…
Psychosocial correlates of well-being among people who engage in online health-seeking behaviour
We examined the extent to which neuroticism, health anxiety, social anxiety, and social support predicted well-being in a sample of online users engaging in health-seeking behaviour. We used a cross-sectional online survey to recruit participants who engaged in online health-seeking behaviour. The study included 350 participants who were recruited online using social media platforms such as Reddit and Twitter. A multiple regression was conducted …
Experiences of Xhosa women providing Kangaroo mother care in a tertiary hospital in the Western Cape, South Africa
Kangaroo mother care has been recognized as a credible intervention to improve preterm birth outcomes by the World Health Organization. Kangaroo mother care requires high user engagement and consists of continuous skin-to-skin contact between the mother and infant and exclusive breastfeeding. We conducted a qualitative study of Xhosa women ( n = 10) practicing Kangaroo mother care in a tertiary hospital in the Western Cape, South Africa. All inte…
Knowledge, misinformation, stigma, and disclosure hesitancy among women receiving curative treatment for cervical cancer at a tertiary hospital in South Africa
The high prevalence and burden of cervical cancer in low- and middle-income countries have spurred much research into preventing and screening for the disease. However, little research has focussed on the experience of living with the disease and undergoing treatment in South Africa. Our aim was to explore knowledge, misinformation, stigma, and disclosure hesitancy among women receiving curative treatment for cervical cancer at a tertiary hospita…
I just want to stay here and sleep forever”
Chronic fatigue is a distressing symptom for endometriosis patients but is not widely investigated in the literature. Our aim was to explore patients’ lived experiences of chronic fatigue and how they make meaning of it. We analysed a subset of data from seven severely fatigued endometriosis patients, drawn from a broader qualitative study in South Africa, using an interpretive phenomenological analysis. Three superordinate themes and eight subor…
Private practice was my second option’
The category of registered counsellor was created to service the mental health care needs of the South African population at primary health care level. However, a lack of employment opportunities for registered counsellors within primary health care settings resulted in many opting to work within private practice. In this study, we explored barriers and facilitators to the delivery of mental health care by registered counsellors. We employed purp…
Psychology (26 works) · Medicine (24 works) · Clinical Psychology (13 works) · Psychiatry (13 works) · Qualitative research (12 works) · Social Psychology (10 works) · Nursing (9 works) · Sociology (9 works) · Endometriosis (8 works) · Endometriosis Research and Treatment (8 works)