Nceba Z. Somhlaba

Do Social Support, Self-efficacy and Resilience Influence the Experience of Stress in Ghanaian Orphans? An Exploratory Study

Much of the literature suggests that the availability of certain protective factors can help to buffer the adverse effects of negative life events such as parental loss and the negative experiences surrounding placement in orphanages. Following on from this perspective, the present study explores the influence of perceived social support, self-efficacy and resilience on the stress experience (as measured by the symptoms of depression and anxiety) of 200 children in Accra, Ghana. The sample comprised 100 orphans placed in orphanages and 100 non-orphans – all aged between seven and 17 years. The children completed the Childrens Depression Inventory, the Revised Childrens Manifest Anxiety Scale, the Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support, the General Self-efficacy Scale and the 14-item Resilience Scale. The results revealed that orphans had significantly stronger perceptions of social support from friends than non-orphans, whereas non-orphans had significantly stronger perceptions of support from families than orphans. However, both the orphans and non-orphans reported high levels of self-efficacy and resilience. Regression analyses also revealed that self-efficacy emerged as a significant positive predictor of resilience for the orphaned children, whereas self-efficacy and perceived social support emerged as significant positive predictors of resilience for the non-orphans. Implications of the findings are discussed.

Stress, Coping Styles, and Spousal Bereavement: Exploring Patterns of Grieving Among Black Widowed Spouses in Rural South Africa

This research investigated the stress-coping relationship following spousal bereavement among 198 recently bereaved Black widowed spouses in rural South Africa. Scores on the Coping Strategy Indicator indicated avoidant (5%), problem-solving (58%), and social support seeking (24%) coping strategies; 13% of the participants oscillated between problem-solving and social support seeking coping. No significant correlations emerged between anxiety and coping, and depression was positively correlated with problem-solving coping and social support seeking coping. Implications for intervention are centered on psychoeducating the bereaved, within the sociocultural framework, to foster social ties that promote problem-focused aid.

Problems, Coping, and Efficacy: An Exploration of Subjective Distress in Orphans Placed in Ghanaian Orphanages

We used the Kidcope scale to explore problems experienced by participants within the preceding month, coping, and coping efficacy for 89 orphaned children sampled from orphanages and 100 nonorphans sampled from public schools in Accra, Ghana. Results revealed that orphaned children reported significantly more relationship problems with peers than nonorphans, whereas for nonorphans problems cited were relationship difficulties with caregivers. With all children considered, resignation featured predominantly to manage problems with caregivers rather than in managing problems with both school and peers. Moreover, adolescents used self-criticism and wishful thinking significantly more than children. Implications of the findings are discussed.

“I am happy because of God”: Religion and spirituality for well-being in Ghanaian orphanage-placed children.

Although religion and spirituality were not the main focus of the broader study, 4 pathways through which religion and spirituality fostered well-being in a sample of Ghanaian orphaned children placed in orphanages emerged strongly. In follow-up interviews, we sampled 20 orphaned children aged between 7 and 17 years who were placed in 4 orphanages in Accra, Ghana. All participants had previously participated in a survey. Through thematic analyses, we found that religion promoted well-being by encouraging positive emotions and aided in the coping process as well as fostered resilience and a hopeful and optimistic outlook in orphans. The implications of the findings are discussed in light of the need for psychoeducation of the orphaned children to continuously identify and strengthen social ties that enable them to make positive meaning out of orphanage placement, promote well-being, and facilitate adjustment to orphanhood.

Representations of Hope, Goals, and Meaning From Lay Person’s Perspectives in Two African Contexts

In the rapidly expanding field of positive psychology, a core question is now what the relationships among various positive constructs are and how we can understand this in various contexts. We aim...

The position of Ghana on the progressive map of positive mental health: A critical perspective

ABSTRACT According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), mental health is a state of well-being and not just the absence of diseases. With this definition, there has been a surge of mental health research, albeit still predominantly in Western countries, which is reflected in contemporary theories on positive mental health that include ‘flourishing mental health’, ‘salutogenesis’, and ‘fortigenesis’. However, in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), mental health research is slowly receiving scholarly attention. The aim of this paper was twofold: Firstly, to highlight progress that had been made in some LMICs, giving consideration to research across different settings and populations as a basis to argue for more research on positive mental health in the Ghanaian context. Secondly, to present a critical perspective on the current mental health research trends in Ghana, thus discussing important recommendations for future research.

Ghanaian school-going adolescents’ self-perceived barriers of access to quality education: A qualitative study

ABSTRACT Social equality has emerged as one of the important ideals of human society, especially for development. Moreover, education has featured prominently among the many key drivers of equality. However, in developing nations like Ghana, education represents one of the areas in which gross inequality has eroded the country’s potential for attaining equality and development. The aim of the current study was to explore adolescents’ self-perceived barriers regarding access to quality education in the Northern Region of Ghana and provide suggestions on the way forward. A sample of 18 school-going adolescents from six secondary schools within the Northern Region of Ghana was purposively selected to participate in face-to-face interviews. The barriers identified included limited resources, gender disparities and a multi-dimension nature of poverty. Implications for policy and research are discussed.

Dynamics and perceptions of social support and their impact on well-being: a qualitative study of adolescents in Northern Ghana

Abstract Although perceived social support has been studied in various contexts, there is still scant research on qualitative accounts of how perceptions of support for adolescents living in impoverished contexts are formed and relate to psychological well-being. We explored the dynamics and perceptions of social support among 18 purposefully selected school-going adolescents in the northern region of Ghana. Emerging thematic areas comprised: the dynamics of familial networks that included quality familial relationships; valued support from friends; and the negative aspects of various social relations. With family – and peer social relations perceived as beneficial for practical advice and – support, the mere existence of social ties was not the adolescents’ most important consideration for well-being. Instead, the quality of interactions across different social networks emerged as more instrumental for relational and overall well-being. Understanding the sources of problematic social interactions, such as the consideration of ‘face-saving’ when seeking instrumental support, could provide useful suggestions for interventions aimed at creating social environments that enhance positive mental health.