Key factors in enhancing the resilience of HIV positive adolescent girls in Nigeria

Abstract

In Sub-Saharan Africa, the resilience phenomenon among HIV positive adolescent girls goes unnoticed due to unfavourable cultural norms. An empirical inquiry was conducted to explore the experiences of HIV positive Yoruba adolescent girls in Nigeria with a bid to identify the key factors that enhance their resilience. The study is informed by a qualitative approach guided by the interpretive paradigm. A multiple case research design with the Interpretive Phenomenological Analysis (IPA) was employed to explore how five HIV positive Yoruba adolescent girls make sense of their social world and remain remarkably resilient. The photo voice technique, semistructured interviews and field journals were used to gather data. The interpretation of the research findings was guided by Pierre Bourdieu’s field theory (1989;1990) and supported by Erikson’s (1962,1968) and Piaget’s(1932;1952) developmental theories. Findings from this study indicate that many factors such as perceptions about self, self-efficacy, spirituality, internal locus of control, social interactions, education, hard work and optimism about future aspiration enhance the resilience of HIV positive Yoruba adolescent girls in Nigeria. Furthermore, participants had a sense of strong attachment with a family member, self-worth and self-esteem as well as their emotional needs being met by their network of relationships. I concluded the study by developing a resilience framework for HIV positive adolescent girls. Researchers and policy makers can assist the HIV positive adolescent girls in the process of becoming resilient by strengthening factors that are linked to their context, identity and cognitive developmental trajectories as well as their socializations.