Losing a loved one through death : a selected group of African teenagers' experiences, coping strategies and support needs in coming to terms with the death of a loved one

Abstract

The aim of this research was to uncover and understand the experiences, and the coping strategies employed by African teenagers in coming to terms with the death of a loved one, the support needs in relation to this, and the need to provide guidelines on how they would like to be supported by social workers. A qualitative research approach was employed, following an explorative, descriptive and contextual research design. The study was conducted in Cullinan near Pretoria in Gauteng Province. Data were collected, using structured interviews with a purposively selected sample of African teenagers who met the criteria for inclusion in the study.

The data were analysed, according to the framework provided by Tesch to ensure the trustworthiness of the qualitative data was to be employed for the data verification. The findings included seven identified themes, the sub-themes and categories of which were supported by the extracts from the interview transcripts, and the literature reviewed for this research. The research report, together with the conclusions and recommendations, based on the conclusion, were drawn from the research- thereby, showing how the goals of the study were achieved.