Coping Resources of Psychological Stress Utilized by Orphans in Magona Village of Malamulele Community in Limpopo Province, South Africa

Abstract

The study sought to investigate the coping resources of psychological stress utilized by orphans. The study used qualitative exploratory research method. The population included all male and female orphans in Magona Village of Malamulele Community between the ages of 13 to 18 years. Purposive sampling was used to select the participants. Twelve participants selected depended on data saturation. The semi-structured interview guide was used to collect data and was analyzed using Thematic Content analysis, and five steps adapted from Terre-Blanche were followed. Orphans utilized various coping resources which were positive and some negative. Orphans were engaged in religious activities, the use of social support has been useful to some orphans while others find it not useful to them. Some were involved in informal employment to get money to care for the family; cleaning of tombstones and putting flowers to the tomb was a way of expressing love to the late parents. Negative coping resources by some orphans included the use of illegal substances such as alcohol, cigarettes, and dagga others were engaged in improper sexual practices. Orphans experiencing psychological stress used various resources to cope with stress depending on child’s perception and the use of cognition. Some used the positive coping resources while others felt comfortable using the negative coping resources.

Keywords: Coping, Orphans, Psychological Stress, Stress