The role of spirituality and culture in the resilience of youths from families affected by drought

Abstract

Drought exposure has put many families under immense pressure and stress, prompting them to use their own resources to cope. Existing research on resilience focuses predominantly on Western cultures, leaving gaps in our understanding of how communities in South Africa with inadequate resources are affected. Resilience research has shown that spirituality and antecedence are factors that promote wellbeing in individuals exposed to adversity. This research aims to understand the influence of spirituality and culture on the youth and how these beliefs influence their ability to be okay in light of adverse circumstances. It was informed by an interpretivistic paradigm and made use of case study techniques within a qualitative methodological design. The sample was selected by means of purposive sampling and included 43 youth (males and females), residing in the Govan Mbeki Municipality in Mpumalanga. Data collection included focus group interviews and arts-based activities, and were interpreted by means of thematic analysis to identify emerging themes. The results indicated the following themes are significant in explaining how spirituality and culture affect the resilience of participants and their families: a sense of religiosity, spirituality and culture, and a sense of community unity and support.