Brief Academic Biography
Ashraf Kagee is Distinguished Professor of Psychology at Stellenbosch University, co-Director of the Alan Flisher Centre for Public Mental Health, and a member of the Academy of Science of South Africa.
His research has focused on common mental disorders among persons living with HIV, psychological and structural factors influencing adherence to antiretroviral therapy, and public mental health.
Ashraf teaches cognitive psychotherapy and research methods in the Department of Psychology. He serves on the Board of Trustees of the Trauma Centre for Survivors of Violence and Torture in Cape Town and does capacity building work at the Gaza Community Mental Health Centre in Gaza, Palestine.
He is available to supervise honours, masters and doctoral research on various topics related public mental health, stress and trauma, common mental disorders, HIV and behaviour, psycho-oncology, and evidence-based practice in psychology.
Research
Research Topics
- Adherence to antiretroviral therapy
- Common mental disorders among persons living with HIV
- Stress and trauma
- Health behaviours; structural barriers to health promotion
- Various topics related to health psychology and public mental health.
About my Research
My work is broadly located at the nexus of psychology and public health. My research has focused on common mental disorders among persons living with HIV and the psychological and structural factors influencing adherence to antiretroviral therapy (ART). I am interested in supervising masters and doctoral research projects related to mental health conditions among persons living with a chronic illness; medication adherence and health behaviours in the context of chronic illness; and stress and trauma among persons living under conditions of precarity.
Selected Publications
- Chibanda, D., Jack, H., Langhaug, L., Alem, A., Abas, M., Mangezi, W., Hanlon, C., Sorsdahl, K., Kagee, A., Weiss, H., Musesengwa, R., Kidia, K., Udedi, M., Nhamo, D., Fekadu, W., Demissie, M., & Lund, C. (2021). Towards racial equity in global mental health research. The Lancet Psychiatry, 8, 553-555. DOI:https://doi.org/10.1016/S2215-0366(21)00153-X.
- Booysen, D., & Kagee, A (2020). The feasibility of prolonged exposure therapy for PTSD in low- and middle-income countries: a review. European Journal of Psychotraumatology. 11, 10.1080/20008198.2020.1753941.
- Kagee, A., Bantjes, J., Saal, W., & Sterley, A. (2020). Predicting caseness of major depressive disorder using the Center for Epidemiological Studies Depression Scale (CESD-R) among patients receiving HIV care. General Hospital Psychiatry, 67, 70-76.
- Andersen, L., Witten, J., Magidson, J., Joska, J., Lee, J., Kagee, A., O’Cleirigh, C., Safren, S. (2020). Detecting depression among people living with HIV in South Africa: The factor structure and convergent validity of the South African Depression Scale (SADS). AIDS and Behavior, 24, 2282-2289. doi: 10.1007/s10461-020-02787-4.
- Jones, A., Coetzee, B., Kagee, A., Fernandez, J., Cleveland, E., Thomas, M., Petrie, K. (2019). The use of a brief, active visualisation intervention to improve adherence to antiretroviral therapy in non-adherent patients in South Africa. AIDS and Behavior, 23, 2121-2129. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10461-018-2292-1.
- Kagee, A. (2019). Integrating chronic traumatic stress and chronic pain: Some concerns. Critical Public Health, 29, 129-133. DOI:10.1080/09581596.2017.1413235.
- Kagee, A. (2019). Postcolonial theory and international relations. African Journal of Democracy and Governance, 6, 1, 145-161.
- Maercker, A., Brewin, CR., Bryant, RA., Cloitre, M., van Ommeren, M., Jones, LM., Humayan, A., Kagee, A., Llosa, AE., Rousseau, C., Somasundaram, DJ., Souza, R., Suzuki, Y., Weissbecker, I., Wessely, SC., First, MB., Reed, GM. (2013). Diagnosis and classification of disorders specifically associated with stress: new proposals for ICD-11. World Psychiatry, 12, 198-206.
- Maercker, A., Brewin, CR, Bryant, RA, Cloitre, M., Reed, GM. van Ommeren, M., Humayun, A. Jones, L. Kagee, A. Llosa, AE, Rousseau, C., Somasundaram, D., Souza, R., Suzuki, Y., Weissbecker, I., Wessely, S., First, MB, & Saxena, S. Proposals for mental disorders specifically associated with stress in the ICD-11.(2013). The Lancet, 381, 1683-1685.
- Kagee, A., Remien, R. H., Berkman, A., Hoffman, S., Campos, L., & Swartz, L. (2010). Structural barriers to ART adherence: Challenges and potential ways forward. Global Public Health, 6, 83-97.
- Remien RH, Berkman A, Myer L, Bastos FI, Kagee A, El-Sadr W. (2008). Integrating HIV care and HIV prevention: Legal, policy and programmatic recommendations. AIDS, 22: suppl. 2, S57-S65.
My CV and full list of publications are available at: https://sun.academia.edu/AshrafKagee/CurriculumVitae
Teaching
Coordination of Programmes and Modules
Honours:
- Research Methodology
Teaching Areas
Postgraduate:
- Cognitive psychotherapy
- Quantitative and qualitative research methods
Websites and other relevant links
News
South Africans lament the frustration with the covid-19 lockdown
Since level 3 of the lockdown kicked in, it seems it's back to normal for Capetonians with very little social distancing taking place. Some would argue that people are simply not adhering to the lockdown. [...]
Multiple stressors adding to despair of those who lost a loved one to Covid-19 – experts
The unbearably tragic stories are becoming more common and heart-wrenching. A Cape Town teenager losing her parents to Covid-19 in one day (a prominent American even lost his parents to the virus six minutes apart); [...]
Professor Ashraf Kagee explains PTSD in survivors of COVID-19 on Newzroom Afrika
Professor Ashraf Kagee - Psychology and Co-Director: Alan Flisher Centre for Public Mental Health talks about whether it can be determined that patients recovering from COVID-19 could also suffer some degree of PTSD in the [...]
Mental health and well-being during COVID-19
South Africans have been in lockdown for more than 100 days. As the number of coronavirus cases, and the death toll continue to rise, many people had to face some serious psychological challenges, from job [...]
People are lockdown-weary and getting reckless, professor says
However, 'I do not think that people are woefully irresponsible, but we are dealing with a combination of factors,' said professor Ashraf Kagee. People are tired of the lockdown and weary of all the restrictions [...]
Is sekere sosiale maatreëls teen Covid 19 hier om te bly?
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kenners se 10 topwenke: Keer so dat corona angs jou knak
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Looking after your mental health during the coronavirus crisis
The new coronavirus crisis has disrupted our world and plunged us into a time of great uncertainty. Under these circumstances, it is quite common for people to be worried, distressed and anxious about what lies [...]
Coronavirus lockdown: Don’t let home become your jail
Mental health has far-reaching consequences for people, and with the pending national 21-day lockdown many people have been talking about cabin fever and anxiety. Psychologist Dr Ashraf Kagee said because this kind of crisis had [...]
Prof. Kagee onderhoud
Albertus Kotze het met Prof. Ashraf Kagee van die Departement Sielkunde by Universiteit Stellenbosch gesels oor die sielkundige aspek (moontlike vrees en angs) wat gepaard mag gaan met die 21-dae van nasionale inperking, wat Vrydag [...]
Psychological Aspects of Pandemics: Covid-19 and HIV
Psychological consequences of Covid-19 may be contextualized by examining HIV. With the considerable anxiety and uncertainty associated with the Corona-19 pandemic, it is useful to think about what we already know about psychological responses associated [...]
Stellenbosch pharmacies ration hand sanitisers, masks, amid panic-buying
Following an upsurge of panic-buying in Stellenbosch, several pharmacies and stores are restricting the number of hand sanitisers, hand wipes, and medical face masks that customers are allowed to purchase at a time, as the [...]