International Journal of Research in Business and Social Science

Adolescents living with HIV and AIDS experience difficulties when they transition from pediatric clinics to adult clinics. People living with HIV and AIDS have been judged and stigmatized as promiscuous. Since adolescence is a challenging milestone with all the physical and emotional changes, adolescents become vulnerable to defaulting care and treatment at the clinic. In some health facilities, youth-friendly services are still not well implemented, despite the program being advocated for by the World Health Organization to reduce HIV. The study aimed to explore the barriers to the provision of youth-friendly services for adolescents living with HIV and AIDS in clinics in Gauteng Province, South Africa. An explorative descriptive and qualitative design was applied through in-depth interviews. Data were collected from 15 professional nurses in three clinics and analysed using the content analysis framework. The study's findings produced five themes: human resource challenges, inadequate space to provide the service, healthcare providers’ attitudes toward the provision of mixed services and an environment not conducive to the service. Healthcare providers displayed judgemental attitudes towards adolescents when they sought sexual and reproductive services at the clinics. The shortage of staff and resources hampered the provision of youth-friendly services to adolescents living with HIV and AIDS. Lack of privacy and confidentiality due to limited space in the clinics caused adolescents to default on their treatment as they are seen in the same space as adults. The study recommends a designated area for adolescents and youth separated from other clinic populations so that sexual and reproductive health topics can be discussed without fear of being identified by other people visiting the clinic. Moreover, more youth-inclusive environments in healthcare settings should be created.

The study sought to explore and describe the various policies regarding access to Maternity health care services in the North West Province, South Africa, through the lens of midwives.  Legal and ethical frameworks guide maternity healthcare services to ensure such a service's quality, safety, and standardization. A qualitative, descriptive, explorative research design was followed. Nine purposefully sampled midwives participated in a one-on-one in-depth interview. Data were analyzed using Collaizi's descriptive method based on the emerging themes and categories. One overarching theme with six categories emerged from the data. From the overarching perspective, it was evident that midwives were dissatisfied with the ambiguity of various policies guiding patients' access to Maternity healthcare services. To a certain extent, the admission policy was inconsistent with the patient's rights and constitution of the land on access to health. The ambiguity of admission position led to uncontrolled movements of self-referred patients to clinical facilities. The ambiguity of the transfer policy contributed to challenges during interfacility transfers of referred patients from lower levels of care facilities and vice versa. In addition, the policy on escorts of patients was unspecific about the healthcare personnel required to escort complicated patients in transit, which caused care interruptions. The study findings highlight the Midwives' concerns regarding various policies of access to maternity health services, and the marked ineffectiveness of controlling patients' movement into facilities could be the reason for overcrowding, inadvertently causing a decline in the quality of maternity healthcare services. The study findings may alert policymakers to be cautious and ensure that policies are succinct and consistent with other related laws.

This study focuses on understanding the reasons why the support programmes initiated to enhance the success of black-owned small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) have not shown the successes that were envisaged. Some government agencies are in charge of these programmes. The sampling frame consisted of previously assisted SMEs by the support agencies. SMEs were represented by high-ranking officials as study participants. There were signs that the support programmes were not effective in improving the SMEs. The responses indicated that the programmes’ weakness can be attributed to the aid not being customized to the needs of the SMEs. There were training initiatives in some instances. According to the responses, the training was not based on the training needs of the SMEs. The SME practitioners, therefore, did not improve on their weaknesses. Finances that were given out as aid, according to the respondents, were dictated by the donor and did not allow flexibility according to the purchasing needs of the SMEs. Apparently, aid was in one form for all the SMEs. These supports ended up not helping to improve the SME. The paper recommended the customization of the aid to the needs of the SME.

This paper investigated the challenges that researchers in a health sciences university can experience, and ways to counterbalance the negative effects of these challenges. Focus was on the extent to which gatekeepers on higher education institutions (HEIs) can restrict research, and the way natural sciences researchers often experience gatekeeper biasness on denying them access as compared to the way health sciences researchers are treated. The method compared experiences of researchers for Master of Science (MSc) degrees in selected science subjects, and the projects undertaken by health sciences students. All the studies were based on students on campus as research subjects. The MSc ones were for students who were already academics teaching on campus. All the proposals received clearance certificates from the same ethics committee. Upon requiring the HEI registrar to grant permission to use the student as study participants, the health sciences were granted permission and the names of the students. For the science academics, they were denied permission to the student numbers, which were needed to request individual students to make on decisions whether they wanted to participate in the studies or not. Gatekeeping weaknesses were explored, and lawful interventions were used to collect research data. It was observed that in the science academic divisions of HEIs that are dominated by the health sciences, gatekeeper unfairness and power could offset creativities and innovations initiated by researchers. Recommendations have been made to limit this power.

The pricing of insurance premiums in the non-life insurance sector remains a challenging and complex task. It demands a delicate balance between accurately estimating risk exposure and ensuring profitability for insurers. Generalised Linear Regression Models (GLMs) have become the preferred methods for premium price modelling in the motor insurance sector. While the approach of using a single superior model on which predictions are based ignores the use of robust estimator models. This paper examines various methodologies and sheds light on superiority of twenty-two models compared to each other for pricing automobile insurance. These methods vary from traditional actuarial methods to the modern statistical models such as machine learning algorithms. By using archival technique, their inferiority and superiority are explored, considering the ever-changing landscape of risk factors and market dynamics. Furthermore, it highlights the potential benefits of leveraging these methods and the mechanism for pricing short-term insurance, particularly in motor vehicle insurance. It also develops a framework that can be used in pricing to cater to risk analysis constituents to mitigate uncertainties and provide good services to clients. Our findings show that ANN, NN, XGB, random forest (RF) are superior models, and we conclude that the modern statistical methods can accurately estimate the risk exposure as compared to traditional methods such as the GLMs.

Patients with mental illnesses exhibit disproportionately higher rates of substance use compared to the general population, a pattern that is linked with exacerbation of psychiatric symptoms leading to poorer overall health outcomes. Consequently, a comprehensive understanding of the prevalence and patterns of substance use among psychiatric patients is essential for the development of effective, evidence-based mental health interventions. The study aimed to determine the prevalence and patterns of substance use among psychiatric patients attending a tertiary hospital in Tshwane, Gauteng Province. A cross-sectional quantitative survey was conducted among psychiatric patients, with a sample size of 405. The Alcohol, Smoking, and Substance Involvement Screening Test (ASSIST) version 3.1 was used to collect data on substance use, while a quantitative questionnaire was used to collect sociodemographic information; both were analysed descriptively. The findings of this study indicated a high prevalence of substance use, with 70.1% of participants reporting substance use. Furthermore, schizophrenia emerged as the most common psychiatric diagnosis, accounting for 32.6% of cases. Alcohol was the most frequently used substance (60.5%), followed by tobacco (49.9%) and cannabis (26.4%). These results highlight the significant overlap between psychiatric illness and substance use, emphasizing the bidirectional relationship between the two. It is thus concluded that substance use is highly prevalent among psychiatric patients, underscoring the urgent need for integrated treatment approaches that address both psychiatric conditions and substance use disorders to improve clinical outcomes, reduce relapse rates, and enhance overall quality of life.

Emergency care units are high-pressure, fast-paced environments where nurses, as frontliners, play a critical role in delivering life-saving care to patients in acute need and mental health emergencies. Despite their crucial contributions, nurses working in these settings face unique challenges that can impact not only the quality of patient care but also the physical and emotional well-being of nursing staff. Understanding these challenges is important for optimizing workplace conditions, enhancing patient care outcomes, and reinforcing the indispensable contributions of nurses within emergency healthcare settings. This study explored the challenges faced by nurses caring for mental healthcare users in emergency care units. A qualitative exploratory-descriptive design was used.  Purposive sampling selected a sample of 14 nurses from the population who participated in the study. Data were collected using semi-structured, face-to-face interviews. Data analysis was guided by thematic analysis. The findings showed that poor infrastructure and increased workload were major challenges faced by nurses in emergency care units. These challenges impacted their ability to provide optimal care to mental healthcare users. Despite the significant challenges identified, emergency care units remain central to critical patient care. Improving infrastructure and alleviating staff workload are essential to building a more resilient and responsive emergency care system. We recommend that healthcare institutions develop and implement strategies to support nurses and enhance patient outcomes within emergency care units.

Orphanhood remains a significant and multifaceted challenge in sub-Saharan Africa, where children under the age of eighteen who have lost one or both parents are often exposed to heightened risks related to inadequate education, psychosocial support, nutrition, shelter, and care. South Africa is among the most affected countries, with orphanhood compounded by poverty, inequality, disease, substance abuse, and domestic violence. Although various governmental and non-governmental interventions exist, many are limited by poor sustainability, weak contextual relevance, and insufficient community ownership. Moreover, orphaned learners are frequently positioned as passive recipients of support rather than empowered contributors to their own development. This scoping review protocol aims to map and synthesise existing evidence on mentorship and life-coaching interventions to inform future framework development designed to enhance educational achievements and life goals of orphaned secondary school learners in Klipgat. Guided by the Arksey and O’Malley framework, the review protocol will involve identifying the research question, relevant studies, study selection, data charting, and the collation and summarisation of findings, with stakeholder consultation included where appropriate. A comprehensive search of studies published between 2010 and 2025 will be conducted on PubMed, Web of Science, Grey Literature, Scopus, and Grey literature. The review process will adhere to the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses Extension for Scoping Reviews (PRISMA-ScR) protocol guidelines.

University students commonly undergo activities in their educational and social environments that may affect their psychological adjustment. Emotional Intelligence (EI) acts as a protective component in preventing psychological adjustment difficulties. Hopelessness acts as a risk factor in the dimension of psychological adjustment. Little research exists in the context of Bangladesh in the intersection of EI and hopelessness. The present research aimed to explore the effects of EI and hopelessness in predicting psychological adjustment of the students at Chittagong University. A cross-sectional survey design was adopted. A total of 100 students aged 18-25 years old, comprising 50 men and 50 women selected randomly from different departments/institutes of Chittagong University. Data was gathered utilizing a Personal Information Form (PIF), Bangla version of the EI Scale (EIS), Hopelessness Scale (BHS), & Bangla Adult Personality Assessment Questionnaire (PAQ). SPSS 16.0 was used to perform the analysis of the information gathered. The inferential statistics revealed moderate to high levels of EI (M = 129.07, SD = 12.84) but low levels of hopelessness (M = 4.55, SD = 3.51) and moderate levels of psychological adjustment (M = 137.28, SD = 25.00). There was a negative correlation between EI measures of hopelessness (r = -.54, p < 0.01) and psychological adjustment (r = -.67, p < 0.01) but a positive association between hopelessness and psychological adjustment (r = 0.50, p < 0.01). Using the regression analysis, psychological adjustment was significantly predicted by the measures of EI (β = -.56, p < 0.01) but hopelessness (β = 0.19, p < 0.05) when taken together explaining 47% of the total variability of psychological adjustment (R² = 0.47, p < 0 EI serves as a protective factor for psychological adjustment in university students, while hopelessness serves as a risk factor for the psychological adjustment of university students. These factors may influence the enhancement of psychological adjustment.

Africa’s labour market is undergoing rapid transformation driven by technological disruption, demographic shifts, climate-related pressures, and evolving employer expectations. For higher education institutions, this context presents both a challenge and a strategic opportunity: the need to recalibrate curricula to meet the demands of a future driven workforce to address this imperative, the study employs a structured desktop review drawing on scholarly literature, policy frameworks, labour market analytics, and regional case studies across African higher education, between the period of January 2020 and January 2026.  This methodological approach enables the systematic synthesis of cross-sector insights and supports a critical evaluation of the misalignments between current curriculum practices and the competencies required in an evolving labour market. The aim of this study is to critically examine the alignment between African higher education curricular and the evolving demands of the labour market, and to identify curriculum design principles that can support the development of adaptable, digitally fluent, and socially responsive graduates suited to a future driven African workforce. The analysis examines how African higher education can intentionally align curriculum design with emerging workplace realities to produce graduates who are adaptable, digitally fluent, and socially responsive. The findings reveal persistent limitations in traditional content-heavy programmes, which often fail to cultivate the flexible, interdisciplinary, and technology-enabled competencies demanded by contemporary employers in response, this study argues for a shift toward competency based, industry informed, and contextually grounded curriculum models. Curriculum recalibration is a critical lever for shaping a resilient, innovative, and inclusive African workforce. A future proof curriculum, it argues, must integrate technological competence, adaptability, and social responsibility to prepare graduates for fluid, technology-enabled, and socially responsive careers.