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The Religious–Spiritual Self-Image and Behaviours Among Adolescent Street Children in Harare, Zimbabwe

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Abstract

The present study sought to explore the relationship between street childhood and adolescent religious–spiritual self-image. In Zimbabwe, there has been a rise in street children population in the urban centres. The current study investigated whether adolescent street children live and work in an eco-developmentally risky context for the development of positive religious–spiritual self-image. This rise in street children population has been in the context of a socio-politico-economic crisis, which was marked by record inflation rates and the HIV and AIDS pandemic. The research objectives were to investigate the nature of religious–spiritual self-image for street-living adolescent children, and to determine the effects of self-image on the behaviour of street-living adolescent children. A psycho-ethnographic research design was employed in this study. This involved collection of data for a sustained period in the context within which the participants live. The participants were 16 street-living adolescent children aged between 12 and 18 years and six key informants all in Harare in Zimbabwe. A total of 22 participants took part in this study. Snowballing was used to recruit key informant interviewees, while purposive sampling was used to recruit participants for focus group discussions, in-depth interview, and participant and non-participant observations. Key informant interviews, focus group discussions, in-depth interviews, and participant and non-participant observations were the data collection methods. Thematic content analysis was used for analysing the data. This thematic content analytic method helped to identify themes on the religious–spiritual self-image that emerged from the data. Data analysis revealed that the adolescent street children’s religious–spiritual self-image is largely negative. Most street-living adolescent children believed that they were controlled and influenced by evil spirits and that their relatives were casting bad spells on them. The negative religious–spiritual self-image among the street children had important negative implications on psychological functioning, moral behaviours, and social relations for the street-living children.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Psychology, University of Zimbabwe, P.O. Box MP 167, Mount Pleasant, Harare, Zimbabwe

    Samson Mhizha

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  1. Samson Mhizha
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Correspondence to Samson Mhizha.

Appendix: List of Verbatim Transcripts Generated from Adolescent Street Children and Religious Self-Esteem and Behaviour

Appendix: List of Verbatim Transcripts Generated from Adolescent Street Children and Religious Self-Esteem and Behaviour

vanhu vanemweya yetsvina

matsotsi and mahure

‘Matsotsi akaita sesu angaende kuchechi?’

“tinofarira zvinhu kunge mapaperback”

“kune mweya yechihure, yeumhondi neyekuba”

vana vanongomberereka mustreet nekuda kwemweya yetsvina’

‘mustreet mune mweya wekuti even uchibatsirwa unongotumwa kuita zvinhu zvekuti unovarova kana kungovakanganisa kuti varege’

Ndakaprofitwa kunzi ndichatetereka, ndichakura ndichitambudzika ndichinja-chinja pekugara musoro uchatema nemakumbo uye ndichazongofa. Musoro nemakumbo nekutambudzika zvakatotanga. Ndinorota baba vangu vakafa kare vachiti ndiri kuuya kuzokutora wogara neni. Mbuya vakati hope idzodzo dzinoreva kuti ndichafa

Ndakarota baba vangu vachienda kumakuva nemushonga ndakaenda kumaprofita akati uri

mwana mudiki hatingakuudzi asi hama dzako dzine mishonga iri kuita kuti nditetereke. Mbuya vangu vane chikwambo chinogara mumba isingapindwi. Kundiroya kwavanoita kunoita kuti kana ndaenda kumba ndipindwe nemweya wekudzoka mutown

Mweya yehama dzangu dziri kuKwekwe iri kuita kuti ndisabudirire mustreet vanoda kuti ndiendeko

Muprofita akati hama dzako dziri kuda kuti utetereke

Muprofita akandishandira ndikataura nemamhepo pamasowe izwi rasekuru vangu muroyi richiti ndiri kuda kuti atetereke

mamhepo, or kuvhumuka

ngozi

asina kukwana.

Ndakarota baba vangu vachienda kumakuva nemushonga ndakaenda kumaprofita akati uri mwana mudiki hatingakuudzi asi hama dzako dzine mishonga iri kuita kuti nditetereke. Mbuya vangu vane chikwambo chinogara mumba isingapindwi. Kundiroya kwavanoita kunoita kuti kana ndaenda kumba ndipindwe nemweya wekudzoka mutown

tetereka

‘kamweya’

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Mhizha, S. The Religious–Spiritual Self-Image and Behaviours Among Adolescent Street Children in Harare, Zimbabwe. J Relig Health 54, 187–201 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10943-013-9799-6

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10943-013-9799-6

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