Silence: a strategy used to deal with psychological distress by young people in the Eastern Cape, South Africa

Abstract

Reported high levels of distress in South African youth are worrying. This article presents an analysis of expression of distress from narratives of young people in Butterworth, Eastern Cape Province, in South Africa. Twenty-four females and 16 males aged 16–22 volunteered. Self-reported data were obtained through one-on-one audio-recorded in-depth interviews conducted in IsiXhosa, transcribed verbatim and translated into English. Constant comparison analysis discovered underlying meanings for non-expression of distress related to fulfilling distinct but related purposes. First, silence was a strategy for containing a potentially explosive or hurtful situation. Second, silence showed gratitude for accrued benefits often constructed as parents’ or guardians’ generosity. Third, silence was maintained as a sign of deference; it was not a choice that participants made but rather they were conforming to standards of respect as set by their society. Lastly, silence was used to protect, in particular, the mother from distress. This study suggests that young people need to be empowered with appropriate and effective ways of handling distress not based on avoidance because silence as a strategy can only delay dealing with distressing issues.

Keywords:

• adolescent psychological distress
• emotional expression
• psychological distress
• silence
• South Africa