Department of Psychiatry
Research - Research Units
Early Life and Infant Mental Health Research Group
Aim
To create a research hub for Early Life and Infant Mental Health at Stellenbosch University that focuses on culturally relevant and contextually sensitive research with infants and their caregivers, support and health care systems from pre-conception through the first 1000 days of life.
Mission
To create a space that will focus on early development and infant mental health (IMH), guided by the realities/needs of the Southern African context.
Our primary objectives are to encourage, facilitate, and disseminate local research that will contribute towards a more balanced global representation of evidence-based practice.
Faculty
Education programmes
- MPhil IMH degree: applications closed for 2025.
- IMH online short course: enquire about future offerings.
Research
Previous research
| Current research
| Available research
| Transdisciplinary research
|
Shared Pleasure Paradigm in maternal-infant interactions
PI: Dr A Lachman
| The First 1000 days in South Africa in various contexts (implementation, nutrition, etc.) (MPhil IMH dissertations)
PI: Dr A Lachman and Prof A Berg
| Secure base provision, infant regulation and attachment in South Africa
PI: Dr N Dawson
| Public Square in Early Intervention and Child Mental Health - for additional information contact Dr A Lachman and Dr B Gerber
|
Mother-child interactions in women with peri- and postpartum psychosis
PI: Dr J Voges
| Clinical audit of the Tygerberg Infant Mental Health Clinic (MMed Psychiatry dissertation: Dr S Jassat)
PI: Dr A Lachman and Ms S Maharaj
| Testing attachment models in South Africa: Best predictors of attachment security
PI: Dr N Dawson
| Development of an intervention to support, educate, and counsel mothers of preterm infants during the infant's hospitalisation phase
Postdoctoral Fellow: Dr C Wepener
|
Sensitive responsiveness - contextual and cultural applicability in Africa
PI: Dr N Dawson
| Assessment of Ububele health care programmes - NBO and the Baby Mat Project (MPhil IMH dissertations)
PI: Dr N Dawson
| Efficacy of task-shifting for IMH intervention role out
PI: Dr N Dawson
| Exploring the relationship between infant mental health and speech-language therapy: A scoping review
M in Speech-Language Therapy: Ms C Rudolph
|
Collaborators
- Prof Michelle Pentecost, Department of Global Health & Social Medicine, King's College London
- Prof Fiona Ross, Department of Social Anthropology & Gender Studies
- Dr Tracey Smythe, Department of Population Health, London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine and the Division of Physiotherapy, Stellenbosch University
Publications
For a full list of each faculty member's publications you can access their respective SCOPUS profiles below:
Societies
Resources
