Disempowerment and Psychological Distress in the Lives of Young People in Eastern Cape, South Africa

Nduna, Mzikazi; Jewkes, Rachel

doi:10.1007/s10826-011-9564-y

Cited by 36 publications

(26 citation statements)

References 27 publications

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“…These findings supports the argument that childhood adversity including abuse is a serious risk factor for adolescent depressive symptoms (Silverman et al 1996, Olsson et al 1999, Spertus et al 2003, Blore et al 2004, Wild, Flisher and Lombard 2004, Richter and Dawes 2008, Benjet 2010, Benjet, Borges and Medina-Mora 2010, Kaggwa and Hindin 2010, Nguyen et al 2010, Nduna and Jewkes 2012. Supporting this, studies of White American youth report associations between parental substance abuse, sexual abuse before the age of 18, witnessing domestic violence, lack of closeness among family members and depressive symptoms (Silverman et al 1996, Reinherz et al 2003.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 76%

Prevalence and factors associated with depressive symptoms among young women and men in the Eastern Cape Province, South Africa

Nduna

Jewkes

Dunkle

et al. 2013

Journal of Child & Adolescent Mental Health

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Depressive symptoms were more highly prevalent in women than in men. Depressed mood was associated with childhood adversity, sexual violence and substance misuse in both women and men. This study further suggests gender differences in that for women, depressive symptoms were associated with intimate partner violence and lower perceptions of community cohesion, while for men the associations were with a mother's death and relationship conflict.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 76%

Prevalence and factors associated with depressive symptoms among young women and men in the Eastern Cape Province, South Africa

Nduna

Jewkes

Dunkle

et al. 2013

Journal of Child & Adolescent Mental Health

Self Cite

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show abstract

“…Families may have been ripped apart simply because they had fallen on hard times brought about by illness, death and poverty. This is illustrated in another paper (Nduna and Jewkes 2010). These situations challenge the assumption that a child born out of wedlock will be taken care of by maternal grandparents, guaranteed lineage, social position, ancestral protection and material support (Datta 2007;Euler et al 2001;Jewkes et al 2009;Kaufman et al 2001;Kuckertz 1990;Malherbe 2006Malherbe , 2007Risseeuw and Palriwala 1996), more so for children with no connection and no knowledge of their fathers.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The focused analysis resulted in this paper. We have presented exhaustive descriptions of broader findings on distress from the study elsewhere (Nduna 2010;Nduna and Jewkes 2010).…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Undisclosed Paternal Identity in Narratives of Distress Among Young People in Eastern Cape, South Africa

Nduna

Jewkes

2010

J Child Fam Stud

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Life trajectories of children with no connections to support from their fathers have received research attention. Within this group is a sub-group who do not know their fathers and no research has attempted to understand their experiences. We present accounts of how young South Africans deal with and seek to uncover undisclosed paternity. Forty young men and women aged 16 to 22 volunteered to participate in a qualitative study on distress that was conducted in the Eastern Cape Province. All interviews were conducted in isiXhosa, following a semi-structured guide. Our findings show that interest in father identity was motivated by harsh circumstances in the maternal home, notably when financial difficulties, exclusion from critical decision making and bullying by nonbiological siblings were felt. The search for father identity was pursued in solitude by some participants: their fear of elders' response restrained them from asking. Some thought that it would be interpreted as being disrespectful and ungrateful to ask 'such a question', whilst others worried that they might be victimized or, worse, thrown out by their mothers or maternal guardians. We present accounts of accidental disclosures by strangers and also inadvertent involvement in an incestuous relationship. Open and honest communication with children about their paternal identity should be promoted to prevent the currents of silence, secrecy and anxiety, and avoid unpleasant surprises for the children.

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“…Furthermore, young people might feel hopeless when they do not know where their fathers are while at the same time they are expected to respect adult male authority. Within the area of the study community violence against women is common, making young people vulnerable in the context of absent fathers and dysfunctional families (Nduna & Jewkes 2012). Dawson (2007) found in a South African high school study that boys thought that girls valued them only because they would buy things for them, whereas the girls saw boys as providers.…”

Section: Reading In South Africamentioning

confidence: 99%

<i>Broken promises</i> – A novel’s impact on shaping youth identity

Lundgren

Khau

2015

Read. writ.

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In many emerging economies worldwide, and in South Africa in particular, sizeable investments have been made in education with the hope of increasing literacy rates and hence producing a workforce that will fit into the job market. Thus it is important to understand the context and literacy materials within South African classrooms and their impact. This article looks at the novel Broken promises by Roz Haden, which is read in many South African classrooms. From a post-structural feminist theory and functional language theory, we analyse how the portrayal of characters and storyline can have an impact on young readers' identity construction in relation to the novel's predominant discourses. The findings show that men are still portrayed as dominant in their own right within society whereas women are defined in relation to men. Unchallenged, this portrayal can continue to perpetuate gendered stereotypes, which would affect young people's functionality in society. We therefore argue that while novels are good for improving literacy among young people, the messages they contain should be deconstructed and challenged so that young people can make informed decisions regarding their gender identities.

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Disempowerment and Psychological Distress in the Lives of Young People in Eastern Cape, South Africa

Cited by 36 publications

References 27 publications

Prevalence and factors associated with depressive symptoms among young women and men in the Eastern Cape Province, South Africa

Prevalence and factors associated with depressive symptoms among young women and men in the Eastern Cape Province, South Africa

Undisclosed Paternal Identity in Narratives of Distress Among Young People in Eastern Cape, South Africa

<i>Broken promises</i> – A novel’s impact on shaping youth identity

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