International Journal of Research in Business and Social Science

This study explored the work-life balance experiences of nurse educators at a nursing education institution in Gauteng, South Africa. Using a qualitative, descriptive design, 16 purposively sampled nurse educators participated in semi-structured interviews. Thematic analysis revealed two main themes: Transition Challenges and Work-Life Balance Interference. Participants faced difficulties adapting to academic roles, leading to strained relationships and social isolation. Academic demands also led to neglect of personal and social obligations, disrupting the work-life balance. The findings highlight the complex challenges of transitioning from clinical practice to academia, which can negatively impact well-being. The study emphasises the need for institutions to implement supportive strategies to improve nurse educators’ work-life balance.

Small to Medium Enterprises (SMEs) are a key part of socio-economic development in South Africa by providing employment, generating incomes, and alleviating poverty. Despite their significance, South African SMEs continue to register high failure rates, low growth rates, and short lifespan, particularly in unstable industries. Existing research has consistently cantered on the determinants of firm performance but has been remiss in considering the combined effect of firm size, financial turnover, and performance on lifespan in SMEs—specifically in diversified industrial settings. Bridging the research gap in extant research, the present research considered the interrelationship between the aforementioned variables in the best-performing and poorest-performing industries in South Africa, Manufacturing and Construction industries. The study used a correlational research design and collected data from 204 SMEs using structured questionnaires to gauge the number of employees, turnover per year, and operation period in years. Pearson correlation analysis established that in the Manufacturing industry, longevity was weakly and significantly interrelated with turnover and size but in the Construction industry was weak or statistically non-significant. Contrastingingly, when both industries were combined together, weak but statistically significant interrelationship was established between longevity and both turnover and size, but a strongly positive interrelationship was established between turnover and size. The results conclude that firm size and financial performance are key drivers of the lifespan of SMEs, especially in more stable industries.

The growing prevalence of mental health issues, particularly depression and suicidal thoughts, points to the need to develop automated tools capable of detecting such sentiments from online communication. This study addresses some critical challenges by introducing a novel sentiment analysis framework for Bangla text, aimed at classifying content into non-depressive, depressive, and suicidal categories. We propose a hybrid deep learning model leveraging the strengths of transformer-based architectures, designed to manage long textual sequences effectively, a critical aspect in the context of natural language processing. Our model integrates RoBERTa (Robustly Optimised BERT Pre-Training Approach) with a Self-Attention Network (SAN), creating a synergistic framework for nuanced sentiment detection in Bangla social media posts, comments, and articles. This method addresses the scarcity of Bangla specific datasets by utilising a dataset curated for the study. The results demonstrate the superiority of our model, achieving an accuracy of 82.58%, alongside precision, recall, and F1-scores of 82%. Subsequently, it emphasises the potential for the proposed model to support early identification of mental health concerns, thereby enabling timely interventions and contributing to mental health awareness and prevention efforts. In the future, deploying the model as a real-time chatbot or browser extension could scan Bangla social media for depressive, non-depressive, and suicidal content and alert professionals to the risk factors.

Mental health disorders remain a major public health concern, affecting individuals across diverse populations. Family caregivers play a critical role in the care and support of individuals diagnosed with mental health disorders, with their level of knowledge, attitudes, and help-seeking behaviours influencing the effectiveness and urgency to which care is provided. This study aimed to assess the level of knowledge, attitudes, and help-seeking behaviour among family members of people diagnosed with mental health disorders in the Tshwane District, Gauteng Province. A cross-sectional study design was used, and data were collected from a randomly selected sample of 377 family caregivers in district hospitals using a self-administered questionnaire. The questionnaire incorporated items adapted from the Mental Health Knowledge Schedule to assess knowledge, the Community Attitudes toward the Mentally Ill scale to evaluate attitudes, and the Attitudes Toward Seeking Professional Psychological Help scale to assess help-seeking behaviours. Data were analysed using Stata version 17. The findings revealed that 63.23% of participants demonstrated good knowledge of mental health care, while 65.61% expressed positive attitudes toward individuals living with mental health disorders. Despite this, 60.05% of family caregivers showed reluctance in seeking professional psychological help and often resorted to a combination of medical and traditional treatment approaches. Although most caregivers were knowledgeable about mental health conditions, some lacked awareness of available mental health services and relied heavily on traditional healing practices, delaying access to professional care. Cultural beliefs and stigma were found to significantly influence caregivers’ help-seeking behaviours, highlighting the need for interventions that focus on mental health education, stigma reduction, and increased awareness of professional support services.

Geophagic practise amongst women of reproductive age remains a major public health concern that is associated with perinatal and postpartum mortalities and morbidities that requires critical interventions to mitigate the practise. Despite the available interventions such as administration of oral iron and folic acid supplementation and intravenous iron therapy, geophagic women of reproductive age do not adhere to the prescribed treatment. Geophagic practise is mostly common and prevalent amongst women of reproductive age worldwide, irrespective of their socio-economic status, ethnicity, age, and social status. An exploratory qualitative research method was used to conduct the study to explore the perceived barriers to accessing treatment for geophagy among women of reproductive age in Tshwane District, Gauteng Province, using the Health Belief Model as a theoretical framework. The study was conducted in the antenatal care and family planning units in the public healthcare facilities of Tshwane District, Gauteng Province. The findings indicate that absence of geophagy health education and screening of iron deficiency in the antenatal care units, as part of the antenatal care. addiction, dependency syndrome, influence from peers, fear of judgement and shame to disclose to healthcare providers about their geophagic practise status, lack of awareness regarding the benefits of taking oral and intravenous iron therapies were stressed as the main barriers influencing the uptake of treatment for geophagy amongst women of reproductive age. The implementation of iron and folic acid supplementation and intravenous iron therapy for geophagic women of reproductive age is not adequately yielding positive results if this initiative is not coupled with geophagy health education particularly in the antenatal care units to enhance treatment uptake and adherence.

This study explored the work-life balance experiences of nurse educators at a nursing education institution in Gauteng, South Africa. Using a qualitative, descriptive design, 16 purposively sampled nurse educators participated in semi-structured interviews. Thematic analysis revealed two main themes: Transition Challenges and Work-Life Balance Interference. Participants faced difficulties adapting to academic roles, leading to strained relationships and social isolation. Academic demands also led to neglect of personal and social obligations, disrupting the work-life balance. The findings highlight the complex challenges of transitioning from clinical practice to academia, which can negatively impact well-being. The study emphasises the need for institutions to implement supportive strategies to improve nurse educators’ work-life balance.

Mental health disorders remain a major public health concern, affecting individuals across diverse populations. Family caregivers play a critical role in the care and support of individuals diagnosed with mental health disorders, with their level of knowledge, attitudes, and help-seeking behaviours influencing the effectiveness and urgency to which care is provided. This study aimed to assess the level of knowledge, attitudes, and help-seeking behaviour among family members of people diagnosed with mental health disorders in the Tshwane District, Gauteng Province. A cross-sectional study design was used, and data were collected from a randomly selected sample of 377 family caregivers in district hospitals using a self-administered questionnaire. The questionnaire incorporated items adapted from the Mental Health Knowledge Schedule to assess knowledge, the Community Attitudes toward the Mentally Ill scale to evaluate attitudes, and the Attitudes Toward Seeking Professional Psychological Help scale to assess help-seeking behaviours. Data were analysed using Stata version 17. The findings revealed that 63.23% of participants demonstrated good knowledge of mental health care, while 65.61% expressed positive attitudes toward individuals living with mental health disorders. Despite this, 60.05% of family caregivers showed reluctance in seeking professional psychological help and often resorted to a combination of medical and traditional treatment approaches. Although most caregivers were knowledgeable about mental health conditions, some lacked awareness of available mental health services and relied heavily on traditional healing practices, delaying access to professional care. Cultural beliefs and stigma were found to significantly influence caregivers’ help-seeking behaviours, highlighting the need for interventions that focus on mental health education, stigma reduction, and increased awareness of professional support services.

Geophagic practise amongst women of reproductive age remains a major public health concern that is associated with perinatal and postpartum mortalities and morbidities that requires critical interventions to mitigate the practise. Despite the available interventions such as administration of oral iron and folic acid supplementation and intravenous iron therapy, geophagic women of reproductive age do not adhere to the prescribed treatment. Geophagic practise is mostly common and prevalent amongst women of reproductive age worldwide, irrespective of their socio-economic status, ethnicity, age, and social status. An exploratory qualitative research method was used to conduct the study to explore the perceived barriers to accessing treatment for geophagy among women of reproductive age in Tshwane District, Gauteng Province, using the Health Belief Model as a theoretical framework. The study was conducted in the antenatal care and family planning units in the public healthcare facilities of Tshwane District, Gauteng Province. The findings indicate that absence of geophagy health education and screening of iron deficiency in the antenatal care units, as part of the antenatal care. addiction, dependency syndrome, influence from peers, fear of judgement and shame to disclose to healthcare providers about their geophagic practise status, lack of awareness regarding the benefits of taking oral and intravenous iron therapies were stressed as the main barriers influencing the uptake of treatment for geophagy amongst women of reproductive age. The implementation of iron and folic acid supplementation and intravenous iron therapy for geophagic women of reproductive age is not adequately yielding positive results if this initiative is not coupled with geophagy health education particularly in the antenatal care units to enhance treatment uptake and adherence.

This study explored the lived experiences of nyaope users who are HIV-positive in Mogale City, Gauteng Province, South Africa. Nyaope is a commonly used drug that is highly addictive. The study employed an exploratory and descriptive qualitative research method to gain in-depth insights into the health-related, psychosocial, and systemic challenges faced by this vulnerable group. Nyaope users who are HIV-positive were recruited from a local Non-Profit Organisation.  A sample size of 25 was reached, and data were analysed using Nvivo Software was utilised following thematic content analysis. The findings demonstrate that poor treatment at healthcare facilities, attitude and behaviour of healthcare providers, stigma, discrimination, withdrawal symptoms, and lengthy clinic processes were some of the challenging experiences encountered by nyaope users who are HIV positive. Despite, the reported unpleasant experiences, some participants revealed that they adherence to their HIV treatment and they are virally suppressed. Furthermore, other participants expressed their willingness to recover and engage in treatment if more inclusive, compassionate, and coordinated services were made available. The study emphasized the urgent need for integrated public health interventions that combine HIV care, mental health, and harm reduction within a rights-based framework, to improve their experiences when accessing HIV treatment in the healthcare facilities. The efforts to achieve the 95-95-95 goal in alleviating HIV spread and the overall health promotion of nyaope users who are HIV Positive must be strengthened, to improving accessibility amongst the group that is marginalised.

This study investigates the prevailing barriers to the development of cultural tourism to become an inclusive and participatory agent of local economic growth in KwaZulu-Natal (KZN), South Africa. Using a mixed methods study approach, researchers collected data by giving structured questionnaires and conducting semi-structured interviews in eleven culturally rich areas of the province. Quantitative findings indicate the COVID-19 pandemic significantly eroded tourism growth, followed closely by the lack of local engagement, primarily among the youth and women, largely resulting from the unavailability of information and the lack of support for small businesses. Qualitative findings endorse the stated barriers, indicating the lack of sufficient strategic planning, under-marketing of the culture of tourism, and the lack of integration of such aspects of culture, such as traditional foods and arts, into the touristic products. The study calls for inclusive policies to empower the marginalised communities, the widening of community engagement, and the utilisation of KZN’s cultural resources to drive economic transformation. The study concludes by providing recommendations for responsive governance, strategic marketing, and development paradigms that can reposition the culture of tourism as a viable path for inclusive development in the province.