From fear to resilience: adolescents’ experiences of violence in inner-city Johannesburg, South Africa

Abstract

BackgroundFor adolescents growing up in poor urban South African settings, violence is often a part of daily life and has lasting effects on physical and mental health outcomes in adulthood. We conducted a qualitative study to document and understand the forms of interpersonal violence experienced by adolescents living in Hillbrow, Johannesburg. In this article, we explore how violence is experienced differently by adolescent boys and girls, how they conceptualise ‘dangerous’ and ‘safe’ spaces in their neighbourhood and what gaps exist in available services for youth in Hillbrow.MethodsThe article draws on data collected in the formative phase of the ‘Wellbeing of Adolescents in Vulnerable Environments’ (WAVE) Study of challenges faced by adolescents (15–19 years) growing up in impoverished parts of five cities. This article reports on analysis using only data from the Johannesburg site. Using both purposive and snowball sampling to select participants, we conducted in-depth interviews (n = 20) and community mapping exercises with female (n = 19) and male (n = 20) adolescents living in Hillbrow, as well as key informant interviews with representatives of residential shelters, CBOs, and NGOs working with youth (n = 17). Transcripts were coded manually and analysed using an inductive thematic analysis approach.ResultsBoth girls and boys reported high exposure to witnessing violence and crime. For girls, the threat of sexual harassment and violence was pervasive, while boys feared local gangs, the threat of physical violence, and being drawn into substance-abuse. Home was largely a safe haven for boys, whereas for girls it was often a space of sexual violence, abuse and neglect. Some adolescents developed coping mechanisms, such as actively seeking out community theatres, churches and other places of sanctuary from violence. Community-based services and shelters that support adolescents reported a lack of resources, overall instability and difficulties networking effectively.ConclusionsAdolescents in Hillbrow commonly witnessed and had direct experience of many forms of violence in their environment, and these experiences differed markedly by gender. Interventions that build young peoples’ social capital and resilience are essential for reducing violence-related trauma and long-term health and social consequences for adolescents in this community.

Panorama científico de la relación entre la violencia intrafamiliar y de género y la resiliencia familiar: posibilidades, retos y límites

“…Adicionalmente, se encontraron estrategias, como la regulación emocional bajo la supresión y la ree-valuación (Hong et al, 2018), al igual que la identificación de estrategias de control para intervenir en el proceso de lesión (Hartney & Barnard, 2015), la intervención en atención primaria (Hegarty, Tarzia, Hooker, & Taft, 2016), el enfoque integrado de cuerpo, mente y espíritu (Liao, 2019), el empoderamiento y el papel de la comunidad (Inman & Rao, 2018;, la comunicación madres e hijos para romper la vif (Insetta et al, 2015), las intervenciones que construyen el capital social y la capacidad de recuperación de los jóvenes (Scorgie, et al, 2017) y la empatía frente a las historias de superhéroes como fuente de intervención en jóvenes (Weschenfelder, Fradkin, & Yunes, 2018).…”

Pathways from witnessing community violence to mental health problems among South African adolescents

“…[6,73] Boys and girls may react differently to violence exposure, [37] and gender may moderate the pathways between violence exposure and mental health difficulties and the role of parents and peers as buffers. [74] We therefore hypothesised that boys would endorse more externalising than internalising problems and that girls would report more internalising than externalising symptoms, but we expected similar reports of exposure to violence for males and females. We did not make other gender-related predictions owing to the lack of consistency in prior research on which to base hypotheses.…”

“You talk about problems until you feel free”: South African adolescent girls' and young women’s narratives on the value of HIV prevention peer support clubs

“…Hillbrow is a high-density inner city residential neighbourhood with a large migrant population, including both economic migrants from across the country as well as immigrants and refugees from the continent of Africa more broadly. Accommodation in the area is in short supply, with residents living in over-crowded high rise apartments, many of which are in a state of decay and experience frequent interruptions to power and water supply [35]. In the post-apartheid era there has been little public sector investment in Hillbrow and neighbouring suburbs of the inner city, and urban infrastructure is poorly maintained [36].…”