Brief Academic Biography

Dr. Roomaney completed her undergraduate studies at the University of the Witwatersrand, majoring in Psychology and Sociology. She then completed her honours degree at the University of the Western Cape (UWC) and a counselling internship at the South African National Institute for Crime Prevention and the Reintegration of Offenders (NICRO), leading to a registration as a registered counsellor with the Health Professions Council of South Africa (HPCSA). Dr Roomaney completed her MA Research Psychology at UWC and her research internship at the South African Medical Research Council as a National Research Foundation intern prior to registering as a research psychologist with the HPCSA. She then obtained her PhD in 2017 at Stellenbosch University.

Research

Research Topics

  • Health-related quality of life

  • Women’s health (including conditions such as endometriosis, female cancers, polycystic ovaries, premenstrual dysphoric disorder)

  • Online health-seeking behaviour

  • Measurement construction

  • Mixed methods research

About my Research

Most of my research is conducted in the field of health psychology. I am interested in the psychological, behavioural and social aspects of illness, health and healthcare. While my research is mostly centred on women’s health, I am open to collaborating on a wide range of topics within the field, and not exclusively in women’s health. I am currently working with several students conducting research among patients with breast cancer, gynaecological cancers, endometriosis and polycystic ovarian syndrome. I have a growing interest in how patient populations use online spaces in relation to their health behaviours and health cyber psychology. I am the national delegate for South Africa at the European Health Psychology Society and is leading the development of a Health Psychology Special Interest Group in the Psychological Society of South Africa.

Selected Publications

Roomaney, R., & Lourens, A., Correlates of premenstrual dysphoric disorder among female university students. Cogent Psychology, in press.

Gallagher-Squires, C., Roomaney, R., & Kagee, A. Cognitive coping strategies of South African women in breast cancer care. South African Journal of Psychology, in press.

Bell, D. L., & Roomaney, R. Exploring the barriers that prevent practitioners from implementing motivational interviewing in their work with clients. Social Work/Maatskaplike Werk, in press.

Coetzee, B. J., Roomaney, R., Smith, P., & Daniels, J. Exploring breast cancer diagnosis and treatment experience amongst a sample of South African women who access primary healthcare. South African Journal of Psychology, in press.

Roomaney, R., Kagee, A., & Heylen, S. (2020). Biopsychosocial predictors of symptoms of depression in a sample of South African women diagnosed with endometriosis. Healthcare for Women International, 41(3), 308-329.

Roomaney, R., Knoll, N., & Kagee, A. (2020). Received and perceived support subscales of the Berlin Social Support Scales in women diagnosed with breast cancer attending the breast clinic at Tygerberg hospital: Structure and correlates. South African Journal of Psychology, 50(1), 54-66

Andipatin, M. G., Naidoo, A. D., & Roomaney, R. (2019). The hegemonic role of biomedical discourses in the construction of pregnancy loss. Women and Birth, 32(6), e552-e559 [I.F. 2.079]

Smit, A., Coetzee, B. J., Roomaney, R., Bradshaw, M. & Swartz, L. (2019). Women’s stories of living with breast cancer: A systematic review and meta-synthesis of qualitative evidence. Social Science and Medicine, 222, 231-245

Roomaney, R. & Kagee, A. (2018). The construction and validation of the Stellenbosch Endometriosis Quality of life measure (SEQOL). Healthcare for women international, 39(10), 1123-1139, DOI: 10.1080/07399332.2018.1455684.

Roomaney, R. & Kagee, A. (2018). Salient aspects of quality of life among women diagnosed with endometriosis: A qualitative study. Journal of Health Psychology, 23(7), 905-916

Kagee, A., Roomaney, R., & Knoll, N. (2018). Psychosocial predictors of distress and depression among South African breast cancer patients. Psycho-Oncology, 27(3), 908-914, https://doi.org/10.1002/pon.4589

Roomaney, R. & Kagee, A. (2016). Coping strategies employed by women with endometriosis in a public healthcare setting. Journal of Health Psychology, 21(10), 2259-2268.

Roomaney, R., Naidoo, A. D., & Andipatin, M. (2014). An exploratory study into the psychological experience of HELLP syndrome in South African women. Health SA Gesondheid, 19(1).

Teaching

Coordination of Programmes and Modules

Undergraduate:

  • Module coordinator of Psychology in context (Psychology 144)

  • Data analysis in psychology (Psychology 253)

Honours:

  • Research methods (Psychology 771)

Teaching Areas

Undergraduate & Postgraduate:

  • Quantitative Research Methods

Website and Other Relevant Links

https://scholar.google.co.za/citations?user=B2W6Og0AAAAJ&hl=en

https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3585-4992

https://ehps.net/south-africa/