Browsing by Author "Petersen, Jawaahier"

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    An exploratory study of the psycho-social factors contributing to resilience amongst coloured adolescent females in the Mitchell’s Plain suburb of Cape Town.
    (2013) Petersen, Jawaahier; Addinall, Ronald
    Young coloured women, particularly within the South African post-Apartheid generation, face a number of psycho-social and economic events and circumstances which are unfavourable, more commonly known as risk factors. These factors include risk of physical harm, the phenomenon of teenage pregnancy, economic and physical deprivation, racial and gender stereotypes, unequal roles and responsibilities between girls and boys, family dysfunction and exposure to or involvement in substance abuse. The community of Mitchell’s Plain in the Western Cape, with its’ historical origin as a ‘dumping site’ for the coloured people of Cape Town during the implementation of the Group Areas Act, is one that is particularly characterized by these many social challenges. Nevertheless, some children and young people do well in life, especially in academic domains, in spite of inadequate, traumatic or less opportune experiences. They have proved themselves to be resilient. The researcher aimed to understand the factors which act as both hindering and supportive elements in a young women’s capacity to overcome these difficulties and excel academically, demonstrating academic resilience. These supportive elements are theoretically described as protective factors.