ABSTRACT
Social support is a key element to the health wellbeing of individuals, especially those experiencing major life transitions and crises. Prior evidence has demonstrated that orphaned adolescents are socially isolated with limited supportive networks. This study focused on how orphaned adolescents define social support, the nature of relationships with non-kin ties, barriers and challenges to seeking support. In-depth interviews from 38 orphaned adolescents (14–19 years) were analyzed using thematic analysis. Findings demonstrated that 1) orphaned adolescents define support in terms of ‘giving and receiving material and non-material assistance’, and ‘helping individuals overcome problems’, 2) relationships are initiated by family members, 3) economic hardships, stigma, and lack of trust deter adolescents from seeking support outside of the family unit. Study findings point to the need to integrate social support strengthening components within programming for orphaned adolescents living in HIV impacted communities.
Acknowledgments
I am grateful to the staff and volunteers at the International Center for Child Health and Development (ICHAD) Masaka field office in Uganda for monitoring the study implementation process. Special thanks go to the children and their caregiving families who participated in the study.
Brief biographical statement
Proscovia Nabunya is an Assistant Professor at the Brown School at Washington University in St. Louis. Her global research focus on HIV-stigma reduction interventions, mental health, and family and community-based support systems as protective factors for the development and wellbeing of children and youth in low resource settings, specifically, in sub-Saharan Africa.
Disclosure statement
No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).
Data Availability Statement
The datasets analyzed during the current study are available from the corresponding author on reasonable request.