Abstract:
Childhood disabilities are conditions that affect or are likely to influence the development of
children into adulthood. Childhood disabilities are common in both high-income as well as lowincome
countries. UNICEF estimated that the number of children with disabilities below the age
of 18 years was about 150 million. In low-income countries, the prevalence of childhood
disability ranged between 0.4 and 12.7%. According to Census 2001, the prevalence of childhood
disability in South Africa was between 2-3 %. It is commonly accepted in the literature that the
aetiology of childhood disability is attributed to prenatal, perinatal and postnatal factors.
However, disabilities within the African context have been associated with beliefs and
spirituality retribution such as the “will of God or witchcraft”. The purpose of the study is to
establish what the caregivers attribute as the cause of childhood disabilities in the rural
community of South Africa. A qualitative, exploratory and descriptive approach was used to
obtain the participants’ perspectives on the cause of childhood disability. Data were collected
from caregivers of children with disabilities using individual face-to-face interviews (n=9) and
three focus group discussions (n=10) at Nkhensani Hospital in Giyani, Limpopo Province, South
Africa. Caregivers perceived “religious beliefs, other beliefs, biomedical factors and lifestyle and
habits as possible causes of childhood disabilities. Even though belief-based-factors cannot be
scientifically proven as potential causes of childhood disability, health care professionals should
ensure at all times that they take into consideration the clients’ culture and beliefs during
assessment and or treatment of the child.
