The lived experiences of street children in Durban, South Africa: Violence, substance use, and resilience

Abstract

South African studies have suggested that street children are resilient but also suicidal, engage in unprotected sex and other high risk sexual behaviour as a means of survival, have high rates of substance abuse and are physically abused and stigmatized due to their state of homelessness. However, few studies have explored in a more holistic manner the lived experiences of street children in South Africa. The main purpose of this study was to explore qualitatively the lived experiences of street children living on the street of Durban, in the province of KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. Adolescents (six males and four females) between the ages of 14 and 18 years (average age=16) were purposively selected and in-depth semi-structured interviews were conducted. An interpretative phenomenological analysis of the transcribed data revealed that incidence of violence and drug and alcohol use were common experiences of street life. Yet despite these challenges survival was made possible through personal and emotional strength, cultural values, religious beliefs, supportive peer relationships, and participation in sports activities. These protective, resilience resources should be strengthened in health promotion interventions with a focus on mental health, the prevention of violence, substance use, and daily physical activities that seems to provide meaning and hope.

Is there room for resilience? A scoping review and critique of substance use literature and its utilization of the concept of resilience

“…Family resilience is defined as “the path a family follows as it adapts and prospers in the face of stress, both in the present and over time” (Hawley and DeHaan, 1996, p. 293). [ 78 ] Hills et al, 2016; ( n = 10); South Africa • Street youth (14–18 years) “In the context of exposure to significant adversity, whether psychological, environmental, or both, resilience is both the capacity of individuals to navigate their way to health-sustaining resources, including opportunities to experience feelings of well-being, and a condition of the individual family, community and culture to provide these health resources and experiences in culturally meaningful ways” (Ungar, 2008, p. 225). [ 105 ] Hodder et al, 2016; ( n = 10,092); Australia • Students (11–17 years) The Resilience & Youth Development Module of the California Healthy Kids Survey - protective factors [ 112 ] Hollen et al, 2013; ( n = 243); US • Young cancer survivors (14–19 years) Risk motivation is viewed as a surrogate for resiliency.…”

“…The most commonly cited is the standard definition proposed by Luthar et al [ 24 ] and Masten [ 22 , 23 ]: ‘resilience is positive adaptation in spite of adversity’. Sometimes the level of adversity is qualified as ‘significant’, ‘severe’, or ‘extreme’ to underline the exceptionally difficult circumstances study participants had to deal with (e.g., physical/sexual abuse, family violence) (e.g., [ 76 – 78 ]).…”

Processes of Religious and Spiritual Influence in Adolescence: A Systematic Review of 30 Years of Research

“…Second, RS Belief was another process of influence frequently identified in Qualitative studies. Teens often felt that religion gave them a sense of belonging (e.g., Benavides, 2012), scriptures provided them with important values and directions for life (e.g., Clayton-Jones et al, 2016), and that God was a trusted source of protection, strength, comfort, and guidance (e.g., Hills, Meyer-Weitz, & Asante, 2016;Liu et al, 2014;Van der Meer Sanchez, De Oliveira, & Nappo, 2008). These themes have largely been ignored by quantitative researchers.…”

Shelters for the Homeless Children: Unmasking the Plight of the Street Children in South Africa

“…The exact number of street children in South Africa is not known but an estimate showed 10,000 street children in 2003(Ward & Seager, 2010, this number is expected to be larger at the resent times due to rise in economic constraints. The rise of informal settlements which are also referred to as squatter camps have also increased contributing to the rise of homelessness in the country (Hills, Meyer-Weitz, & Asante, 2016;Parks et al, 2007). South Africa has engaged in rehabilitation activities and programmes to solve the problem of street children in the country.…”

“…These children find themselves as virtual prisoners closed in an environment. When they are enclosed in these places then their social and emotional skills are uncultivated making it impossible to develop their human potentials (Hills et al, 2016). This rehabilitation centres are also not cost effective and they only take a limited number of children who they rescue from the streets.…”