South African Youth Research Articles

Analysing the applicability of family group conferencing as a youth justice intervention in South Africa

ABSTRACT The present study aimed to explore the applicability of family group conferencing (FGC) as a youth justice intervention in South Africa by adopting a qualitative methodology. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 12 multi-professional youth justice practitioners (social workers, psychologists, educationists, legal practitioners) who have experience in the use of restorative justice interventions in South Africa. Although data saturation was achieved, the small sample size due to the limited research and application of FGC in South Africa is recognised as a limitation in the study. The findings showed good endorsement for the use of FGC within the South African youth justice context due to family and victim inclusion, its reparation aims, as well as culture and context adaptability. Additionally, the suitability of FGC as a youth justice intervention was acknowledged due to its promoting accountability and behaviour modification. It is recommended that the judiciary and community members must be educated on the alternative options available to deal with children who come into conflict with the law in order to act in the best interest of youth offenders. The need for more comprehensive research in which both service providers and clients are included is recognised in the article.

Developing a children\u2019s health risk behaviour prevention program targeting grade 4\u20137 learners in the western cape, South Africa: a study protocol

BackgroundHealth risk behaviour among South African youth is a significant public health concern. Despite a societal mind shift to educating the public on the prevention of health risk behaviour, behavioural change is not progressing at the rate needed to influence health risk behaviour positively. The project aims to explore behavioural trends and willingness to engage in risky behaviour among senior primary school children. Secondly, to design a health risk behaviour prevention program which adequately equips senior primary school children with the necessary life skills to alter risk behaviour engagement.MethodsThe study will make use of an intervention mapping framework and a sequential, explanatory mixed methods design. Stratified random probability sampling will be used to select three primary schools in the region. Nonprobability purposive sampling will be used to select the stakeholders participating in the focus group sessions. Data collection consists of five phases with the results of each stage informing the structure and application of the next. Phase 1 - baseline data collection (needs analysis) using the child health risk behaviour survey. Phase 2 - focus group interviews. Phase 3 - a systematic review of the literature for result analysis triangulation. Phase 4 – the development of the child risk behaviour prevention program based on the outcomes of phases 1,2 and 3. Phase 5 - implementation of the program. Descriptive statistics will be used to analyse the quantitative data. Chi-square, ANOVA and multiple regression analyses will be used to predict health risk behaviour engagement. Thematic analysis will be used to analyse qualitative data.DiscussionTo our knowledge, this is the first study that would attempt to establish a health risk behaviour prevention program in youth and young people in South Africa. Overwhelming evidence exists that adolescents engage in risky health behaviour which may potentially negatively impact their lives. This study provides an opportunity to address a gap in the current strategy by developing a prevention program for young people which could later be supported by further booster programs through their adolescents. This project would serve as a baseline prevention program that could assist in the reduction of risky health behaviour among various communities.

Gender and Power Dynamics of Social Relationships Shape Willingness to Participate in Biomedical HIV Prevention Research Among South African Adolescents and Young Adults.

Background: Understanding young women and men's perceived barriers and facilitators to participation in biomedical HIV prevention research is important for designing youth friendly services (YFS) and acceptable technologies, which are necessary for preventing high sustained HIV incidence in South Africa. This study explores the multileveled barriers and facilitators to young men and women's willingness to participate in hypothetical biomedical HIV prevention research.Methods: Eight age- (16–18 and 19–24 years) and gender-stratified focus group discussions (FGDs) were conducted using semi-structured interview guides to explore young South African women and men's willingness, perceived barriers, and facilitators to participating in biomedical HIV prevention research. FGD transcripts were uploaded to NVivo and coded collaboratively with youth study team members. Thematic analysis using Bronfenbrenner's ecological model (individual, inter-personal, community, and societal) was used to guide a deductive coding procedure, which was documented and compared by gender.Results: Thirty-one participants from Durban and 34 from Soweto participated in FGDs. Individual facilitators for participation were discussed more by young men and included financial incentives and altruism. Concerns about side-effects of biomedical products were a common barrier. Interpersonal relationships with peers, intimate partners and caregivers influenced young people's willingness to participate in HIV prevention research, more so among young women. For young women, gendered power dynamics and distrust of intimate partners and parents influenced both communication regarding participation and willingness to participate in research that is often stigmatized, due to societal norms around women's sexuality. On a societal level, participants expressed distrust in medical and research institutions, however a sense of community that was developed with the study staff of this project, was a motivator to participate in future studies.Discussion: At each level of the ecological model, we found participants expressed gendered barriers and facilitators for participation. Gender norms as well as distrust of partners, parents, and health care professionals were key barriers that cut across all levels. At each level participants discussed facilitators that were youth-engaged, underscoring the need to implement YFS, establish trust and address gender inequities within future biomedical HIV prevention studies wishing to engage and retain South African youth.

The impact of inequality and COVID-19 on education and career planning for South African children of rural and low-socioeconomic backgrounds

Background: South African youth in poor and rural communities have faced serious challenges, and the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has worsened their situation. The odds are stacked against them as they try to obtain an education, and eventually a career. Many students struggle to complete their studies amidst the pressure of the pandemic, and concerns over career possibilities weigh heavily on their shoulders.Objectives: The need for this research is to highlight the challenges faced by youth within the education system. It is also to explore the failings of the South African government and its education sector.Method: A brief overview of the current and historical literature was conducted. Relevant literature was reviewed and critically analysed.Results: Eight major themes emerged from the literature surveyed. These included access to education, difficulties faced by girls, racism, infrastructure problems in poor and rural schools, child-headed households, education during COVID-19, food security and the absence of career guidance in low-income schools.Conclusion: In light of South Africa’s difficult history, and the fact that it is 27 years after the fall of apartheid, the state of South Africa’s education system is not conducive to education and promoting career development in young people. More attention needs to be given to education in poorer communities, and government needs to be held accountable.

The design of a protocol for identifying and supporting children with developmental delays and/or disabilities in South African child and youth care centres

BackgroundHistorically, there is a lack of structured assessment and intervention protocols to support care of children with developmental delays and/or disabilities (DDDs) in rural child and youth care centres (CYCCs) across South Africa. AimThis study aimed to design an assessment and intervention protocol for holistic management of children in such centres, based on the opinions and input from CYCC staff and experts in the community. MethodsData was collected in two stages, the first consisted of qualitative focus groups with CYCC staff using a semi-structured interview schedule and the second was qualitative individual interviews with experts in developmental health such as paediatricians and occupational therapists (OTs) using an interview schedule. ResultsThe results enabled the design of a preliminary Ecosystemic Assessment and Intervention Protocol (ECO-AIP) for children with DDDs in CYCCs that could be implemented on trial basis in further research. ConclusionsInformation relating to the identification, and care and support of children with DDDs in rural CYCCs was obtained to enable the design of the ECO-AIP. This algorithmic protocol will guide a multi-disciplinary CYCC team to identify DDDs and to assist children to reach their milestones.

‘Literacy, Armed Struggle and Black Consciousness’: The Evolution of NAYO, 1973–1976

ABSTRACT Within the literature on Black Consciousness, the National Youth Organization (NAYO) is relatively unknown compared to its sister organisations like the South African Student Organization (SASO) and South African Students’ Movement (SASM). Organisers in NAYO played a significant role conscientising and organising with the working people of South Africa’s Black urban landscape. The organisation was a space created for Black South African youth who were not based in secondary or tertiary education. Hence, it disproportionately attracted the working poor and what Marxists would call the lumpen-proletariat population. Their politicising under Black Consciousness and actions to spread NAYO’s gospel left an indelible mark on the South African liberation struggle during the 1970s and beyond. Lastly, NAYO and its various regional branches served as a recruiting ground for the various South African armed wings in exile during the 1970s.

Rodriguez, apartheid, and censorship: cold facts, and fiction

ABSTRACT In the narrative and post-release aftermath of the film Searching for Sugar Man various claims have been made about the relationship between Rodriguez’s album Cold Fact (in particular) and the development of an anti-apartheid rebelliousness among white South African youth in the 1970s and 1980s. These claims have ranged from the unlikely to the incredible. This is a critical investigative article based on interviews, archival research, and exploration of primary and secondary sources. It provides a critique of the anti-apartheid narrative presented in the film, and in particular focuses on the section of the film in which claims about the censorship of Rodriguez’s music are made. It is revealed that serious manipulation and distortion of events were used to present a fabricated version of the Rodriguez story.

(De)colonising outcomes of community participation – a South African ethnography of ‘ethics in practice’

Theoretically, community participation decolonises research ethics in settings where a ‘coloniality of power’ persists. We used ethnographic methods to document our experiences of ‘ethics in practice’, and interrogate the (de)colonising outcomes, of community participation in voluntary informed assent and consent (VIAC) procedures with 16–17-year-old Black South African youth and parents. Community participation decolonised by: (1) disrupting and problematising the power dynamics of written VIAC procedures and (2) minimally shifting power to youth and parents. However, community participation sometimes reinforced existing power hierarchies. In postcolonial qualitative research settings, community participation has potential to, but will not necessarily, decolonise ethics in practice.

Sexual Relationship Types, Partner HIV Self-Testing, and Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis Among South African Adolescent Girls and Young Women: A Latent Class Analysis.

Sexual relationships among adolescent girls and young women (AGYW) are influenced by social, economic, and gender dynamics. Understanding AGYW's different relationship types and their implications for HIV risk is important for development of tailored interventions. We sought to identify relationship typologies among AGYW and their impact on uptake of HIV prevention interventions. From May 2018 to February 2019, 2200 HIV-negative AGYW (ages 16-24) in Johannesburg, South Africa, participated in an HIV prevention intervention involving distribution of HIV self-test kits to their male partners. AGYW were also offered pre-exposure prophylaxis. At baseline, AGYW completed a questionnaire, and outcomes were assessed for 3 months. We used latent class analysis to identify relationship types and mixture modeling to estimate the impact of relationship type on engagement in prevention interventions. We identified 3 relationship types: "stable, empowered relationships with older partners" (class 1, n = 973); "shorter, empowered relationships with peer partners" (class 2, n = 1067); and "shorter relationships with risky partners" (class 3, n = 160). Compared with AGYW in class 1 relationships, AGYW in class 2 and 3 relationships were less likely to complete partner testing alongside HIV results sharing (class 2 adjusted risk ratio: 0.89, 95% confidence interval: 0.85 to 0.95; class 3 adjusted risk ratio: 0.84, 95% confidence interval: 0.73 to 0.94). Pre-exposure prophylaxis uptake was highest in class 3 (11.2%) compared with class 2 (3.8%) and class 1 (1.0%; P < 0.001). Relationship type impacts uptake of HIV prevention interventions among South African youth. Intervention effectiveness could be optimized by using tailored approaches to HIV risk mitigation among AGYW.

The Position of South African Children's and Youth Literature in Librarian Training in South Africa

A survey of 16 South African library schools was undertaken to identify children's literature courses. Eighteen courses were found at eight institutions. The lecturers responsible were then interviewed - giving details of course content, resources available and their perceptions of their challenges. The courses are clearly under threat and very little emphasis is placed on South African literature. The intervention of the Library and Information Association of South Africa and library organisations is called for.

Exploring Alcohol Abuse amongst Grade 10 Adolescent Learners in a Secondary School in Gauteng Province

In this qualitative study, cases of alcohol abuse amongst Grade 10 adolescent learners in a secondary school in Gauteng Province will be explored and described. The study is grounded on the view that in the context of South African high school learners, alcohol abuse is an intensive pattern of alcohol intake that is often accompanied by recurring problems, such as a serious decrease in school performance, high school dropouts and anti-social behaviour. Its main thrust is that alcohol abuse is becoming an increasing problem in South Africa. Research shows that almost every South African youth would have experimented with drugs, especially beer, dagga and cigarettes, during adolescence. The major cause of concern is that large numbers of these adolescent learners eventually become addicted, posing a threat to their own education, health and safety, while creating difficulties for their families and the society at large. This study sought to explore alcohol abuse among adolescent learners in a secondary school, with the aim of developing possible strategies to address the problem.

South African LGBTPQ Youth: The Perceptions and Realities of Coming out and Parental Reactions

The study engages with several lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, pansexual and queer (LGBTPQ) identifying youth in South Africa to explore their perceptions and realities regarding coming out to their parents and parental reactions. In-depth interviews were utilized to engage with the 17 participants, aged 19 to 32 years old, all of whom were students at the same university in South Africa. The study found that participants who have not come out tended to view coming out as a problematic act that reproduces the heteronormative discourse of sexuality in which heterosexuality is normalized, while same-sex sexuality is seen as odd and as deviant. The study also found that many participants perceived coming out as an individual choice. However, the choice of whether or not to come out, when to come out, and which parent to come out to, is dependent on 1. the nature of the relationship the participants have with their parents, and 2. perceived parental reactions. Analysis reveals how religion, gender norms based on heteronormativity, and parent-child relationship dynamics intersect to shape participants’ perceptions regarding parental reactions. This intersectionality also shaped the realities of coming out. Such realities involved a variety of reactions from parents, including acceptance, rejection, forms of violence, and silence. Parents reacting with silence was a common, yet complex experience among the participants. The participants’ experiences suggest ways through which they could be empowered to cope better with their parents’ silence and other non-supportive reactions.

Cardiometabolic risk factors and early indicators of vascular dysfunction: a cross-sectional cohort study in South African adolescents

ObjectivesPrevalence of child and adolescents’ overweight and obesity in low- and middle-income countries has increased dramatically. Simultaneously, the incidence of pre-hypertension/hypertension is also increasing in children, which, in turn, predisposes...

Rural voices: A social-ecological perspective on factors influencing youth substance use in rural South africa.

Youth can be a positive force for development when provided with the knowledge and opportunities they need to thrive, yet they continue to experience insurmountable challenges, such as poverty and absentee fathers, that prompt them to resort to risk behaviours such as substance use. In rural South Africa, women tend to be the breadwinners and more involved with parenting than men. The primary objective of the study was to explore perspectives of rural youth on factors influencing youth participation in substance use. The secondary objective was to obtain the perspectives of adult women on factors influencing substance use among young people. The qualitative study, informed by a social-ecological framework, utilised a semi-structured interview protocol in focus group discussions in rural South Africa. Seven focus group discussions, each with between 8 and 15 individuals were conducted with 79 youth. The eighth discussion was with nine adult women. Data were audio recorded and transcribed verbatim, manually coded and further analysed into themes using NVivo 12. Four themes emerged: hopelessness and lack of motivation, lack of adult role models such as father, lack of built environment for recreational activities and lack of educational opportunities. The social-ecological model provided a useful framework to understand the findings. In line with this model, rural youth in South Africa described a variety of factors that influenced youth substance use and other risk behaviours. These related to the individual, relationships with others, community and societal norms and values factors of the social-ecological model. The broadening spectrum of substances available to an increasing youth population bulge in Africa suggests a strong threat of social and disease burden due to substance use disorders. Given this threat, this study provides awareness to a multi-systems approach needed to support the rural South African youth.

Exploring perceptions of low risk behaviour and drivers to test for HIV among South African youth.

Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) prevalence among South African youth is high, yet HIV testing remains suboptimal. We explored how perceptions of HIV risk and behaviours informed decisions to test for HIV. This study was conducted from April 2018 to March 2019 in Ekurhuleni district, Gauteng Province with males and females aged between 15–24 years. Twenty-five youth with unknown HIV status participated in in-depth interviews (IDIs); while four focus group discussions (FGDs) were conducted with those that previously tested for HIV. Probes used in the guides included types of incentives that youth would value when testing for HIV or receiving treatment; barriers and motivators to HIV testing; enablers and challenges to using cellphone technology and preferences on type of social media that could be used to create awareness about HIV testing services. IDIs and FGDs were audio-recorded, transcribed, and translated. QSR NVIVO 10 was used for the analysis. The majority of the youth perceived that their risk of HIV infection was low due to factors such as being young, lacking physical signs of HIV, being sexually inactive and parents not being HIV positive. However, youth identified high risk behaviours such as unprotected sex, multiple sexual partners, excessive drinking of alcohol, being victims of sexual abuse, road accidents and violent behaviour as increasing their vulnerability to HIV. Most youth highlighted cues to action that would motivate them to test for HIV such as support of parents, receiving incentives, improved confidentiality during HIV testing and receiving information about HIV via social media (Facebook, Twitter and Whatsapp). Despite perceptions of low risk to HIV, youth remain vulnerable to HIV. Disseminating HIV information via digital platforms; giving youth options to choose between testing locations that they consider to be private; providing incentives and equipping parents/guardians to encourage youth to test could optimise HIV testing.

Postcolonial casualties: ‘Born-frees’ and decolonisation in South Africa

ABSTRACT In South Africa, ‘decolonisation’ has re-emerged as a theme for identity, economic and cultural contestations among the youth. In this, the celebratory rhetoric of rainbow nationalism of post-apartheid utopia is confronted head-on. From a theoretical discourse of the problematics of ‘the postcolonial’ this inquiry engages a critical question: if decolonisation is to undo colonial (and apartheid) economic, political and cultural legacies, to what extent has this been achieved for the South African youth? The struggle for political decolonisation (freedom) was such a long and painful journey that the wounded still bear the scars. But political freedom is an imagined trophy that newly independent states parade as decolonisation; cultural and economic colonisations are more indelible to unsettle. Drawing from public data, social statistical information, media narratives and academic literature, I argue that the post-apartheid youth, although ‘born-free’, remain victims of coloniality and the difficult process of decolonisation.

Recipe of Poor Performance: Case of a Misaligned Organisational Architecture of a TVET Campus

The objective of this qualitative study was to explore the nature of the organisational architecture of a Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) campus according to the perspectives of students in KwaZulu-Natal in South Africa. Twenty-two students in a TVET campus were selected using purposive sampling and interviewed to collect data. Thematic analysis was used to deduce relevant themes. The results reveal that the organisational architecture of the TVET campus had a twin strategy of active learning and assessment-led teaching that was cardinal, but inadequate for the learning needs of students, and misaligned by unsupportive systems, distant and disconnected style of management to respond to student's problems, shortage of good lecturers and lack of critical resources. Predominantly, students who had already failed in their course were active in cultivating dropout behaviour and culture among peers. The absence of workplace learning by students was a significant gap in the organisational architecture. Critical changes in management style, systems, staff, resources, student peer relations, and reinforcement of workplace learning are imperative if the organisational architecture of the TVET campus is to be re-aligned and effective as a pathway to work for the South African youths.&#x0D; &#x0D; Received: 19 August 2020 / Accepted: 25 October 2020 / Published: 17 January 2021

High cellphone use associated with greater risk of depression among young women aged 15–24 years in Soweto and Durban, South Africa

ABSTRACT Background The ubiquity of cellular phone (cellphone) use in young people’s daily lives has emerged as a priority area of concern for youth mental health. Objective This study measured the prevalence of depression and its association with high cellphone use among youth in Soweto and Durban, South Africa. Methods We analysed cross-sectional, baseline survey data among youth aged 16–24 who participated in a dual-site cohort study, ‘AYAZAZI’, conducted from 2014 to 2017. The primary outcome was depression using the 10-item Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale, with a score of ≥ 10 indicating probable depression. Cellphone use was measured via self-reported average number of hours of active use, with ‘high cellphone use’ defined as daily usage of ≥ 8. Multivariable logistic regression models assessed the independent relationship between high cellphone use and probable depression, adjusting for potential confounders. Results Of 425 participants with a median age of 19 years (IQR = 18–21), 59.5% were young women. Overall, 43.3% had probable depression, with a higher prevalence among women (49.0% vs. 34.9%, P = .004). Nearly all (94.6%) owned a cellphone. About one-third (29.5%) reported spending ≥ 8 hours per day using their cellphone (39.3% of women vs. 14.9% of men, P < .001). In the overall adjusted model, youth reporting high daily cellphone use had higher odds of probable depression (aOR: 1.83, 95% CI: 1.16–2.90). In gender-stratified models, high daily cellphone use was associated with probable depression among women (aOR: 2.51, 95% CI: 1.47–4.31), but not among men (aOR: 0.87, 95% CI: 0.35–2.16). Conclusions Among a cohort of South African youth, we found a high prevalence of probable depression and high cellphone use (30%). The findings indicate a need for intersectoral initiatives focused on meaningful mental health support for South African youth to support positive growth and development.

Challenges in Nigeria’s education sector and the migration of Nigerian postgraduate students to South African universities

Education remains the weapon for upward stratification, social and economic development of any nation but the Nigerian government has not shown enough commitment to the educational sector. The manifestation could be seen in the shrinking government funding on education, decaying and lack of infrastructure in Nigeria’s universities which have led to demoralization of the academia. A major consequence of this is the frustration experienced by postgraduate students who are pursuing higher education and having to spend longer period than expected record time. This frustration in pursuing higher educational qualification often leads to stunted career progression. This has led to an alternative decision to migrate in search of higher education abroad. Consequently, in recent times, Nigerian postgraduate students have migrated more than ever before to South African Universities that are believed to have modern facilities for training and ensuring completion of programmes in record time. This study employed the use of structured questionnaire to investigate the determinants of this form of migration. Among other findings, this study found that the decision to migrate and pursue postgraduate student abroad is informed by the demoralization and frustration suffered in attaining postgraduate education in Nigeria. The study also found that many Nigerian postgraduate migrant students that desired to stay back in South Africa after the programme were discouraged from doing so because of the frequent hostilities between the bulging South African youths. Their hostility is associated with the shrinking capacity of the host government (South Africa) to create new jobs for them. In addition, the belief of the agitating South African youth that the migrant postgraduates are responsible for their unemployed status, by taking up their jobs especially in those areas where required skills among the South African are lacking further gingers hostilities. This study, therefore, suggests among others that the home country should increase budgetary allocation to improve the education sector as well as monitor such allocation to ensure that it is prudently utilized. It is also recommended that institutional processes and procedures to monitor and evaluate postgraduate studies in Nigerian universities be institutionalized.

FACILITATING CHILDREN’S PARTICIPATION WITHIN MULTIDISCIPLINARY MEETINGS: GUIDING PRINCIPLES FOR CHILD AND YOUTH CARE CENTRES

Legislation on both an international and national level advocates that all children have a right to participate in all matters affecting them. This article reflects an interest in children’s participation in the broad field of child protection, and specifically within the context of South African child and youth care centres. Against this contextual background, the article aims to introduce guiding principles that may stimulate ongoing conversation on the facilitation of children’s participation in a specific space of decision-making within child and youth care centres, namely multidisciplinary meetings. Guiding principles were derived from a comprehensive qualitative study in which individual semi-structured interviews and focus group groups were conducted to collect data from residential social workers, child and youth care workers, and children from child and youth care centres in the greater metropolitan area of Cape Town in South Africa