Enhancing Psychosocial Support through Positive Youth Development: Narratives from Orphans in Zimbabwe Julia Mutambara * Midlands State University, Psychology P Bag 9055, Gweru, Zimbabwe * Corresponding author: Julia Mutambara, Midlands State University, Psychology P Bag 9055, Gweru, Zimbabwe, Tel: +263 8677 000234; E-mail: juliamutambara@gmail.com Received date: November 04, 2015, Accepted date: December 27, 2015, Published date: December 30, 2015 Copyright: © 2015 Mutambara J. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited. Abstract Due to the AIDS pandemic more and more youths are losing their parents. They are usually left with caregivers and in Zimbabwe these are usually people from the extended family. Many studies have focused on orphan hood challenges in line with the deficit model. Research in the past years has challenged a dominant stereotype of youth as carriers of risk and focused instead on their strengths and potential. This qualitative exploratory study interrogates aspects of positive youth development among the orphaned youths in Zimbabwe. Data were collected from a purposive sample of 23 adolescents (15-19 years). Three focus group discussions with five participants per group were done. In depth interviews were done with 8 participants and these were not the same as those who took part in the focus group discussions. Interviews were done at the premises of two NGO that provided the adolescents with food, school fees and other material needs. Data were thematically analysed. Results suggested that the participants experienced positive development in the following areas- personal experiences, relationships with significant others and help from the community. Subthemes were also derived from the main themes above. It was recommended that psychosocial support programs mainly focusing on positive youth development be implemented to enhance the wellbeing of orphans in Zimbabwe. Keywords: Positive psychology; wellbeing; Orphans; Zimbabwe Introduction Te number of orphans is increasing worldwide [1,2]. 85% of orphaned children live in sub-Saharan Africa [1]. In Zimbabwe many orphans have been orphaned due to HIV/AIDS and the number continue to rise in a country where one-fourth of adults are HIV- positive [3,4]. Orphans and vulnerable children (OVC) experience psychosocial problems. However, the psychosocial needs of OVC usually neglected [5-7]. In Zimbabwe the economic challenges that the country has faced in the past years has made it difcult for the integration of orphaned children. Te high death rates has also led to the saturation of the extended family system leaving orphans with no careers. Te ecological model and the positive youth development model were used to unpack the risk and protective factors among orphaned children in Zimbabwe. Te ecological theory helps as a conceptual framework to unpack the risk factors among orphans. Te theory argues that to understand any component (in this study the child) there is need to look beyond the child to the child`s immediate family environment and the wider community. Te factors that infuence the orphans are found at the microsystem, mesosystem, exosystem, and the macro system [8]. Tere is a bidirectional relationship between orphaned children and their environment and this has both negative and positive efects on the child`s wellbeing [9]. Te micro level concerns the interaction of the orphans with the immediate family members. Problems at this level may include distress, trauma, being out-of-school, being cared for by a non-parent, inadequate care, child labour, physical abuse, and stigma and discrimination and loneliness [10]. Te mesosystem provides the connection between the structures of the child’s micro system [11]. Examples include the connection between the child’s teacher and his parents. Challenges that the orphan may face in this domain may encompass rejection, stigmatisation, termination of schooling, migration to a new home, with separation from friends and ofen siblings [12-14]. While the exosystem is the layer that defnes the larger social system in which the child does not function directly. Te structures in this layer impact the child’s development by interacting with some structures in the child’s care arrangements afer parental death. Death of parents may afect access to basic needs and services for HIV infected children which may include food, education and health services. Te macrosystem is the layer that may be considered the outermost layer in the child’s environment. It comprises of cultural values, customs, and laws [11]. Orphanhood problems at this stage may include increased workloads, loss of love, guidance, socialisation, and skills transfer by their parents, [12-14]. In terms of mental health challenges, orphaned children experience more internalising problems compared with non-orphans [14]. Tey experience depression, generalized anxiety disorder, and reported to feel scared or worried, having frequent difculty sleeping, headaches or stomach aches, guilt, sadness, trouble concentrating and fatigue [5,15,16]. Te Positive Youth Development model (PYD) is a holistic, ecologically orientated theory with fve components that focus on the interaction between people and their environments. Te Five Cs conceptualize PYD as (1) Competence or a sense of mastery and self- efcacy, (2) Confdence or a feeling of self-worth, (3) Connection or a sense of being a part of family and community, (4) Character or possessing values and a social conscience, and (5) Caring or a sense of compassion [17]. Te Positive Youth Development (PYD) movement focuses specifcally on facilitating the development of the youth. Journal of Child & Adolescent Behavior Mutambara, J Child Adolesc Behav 2015, 3:6 http://dx.doi.org/10.4172/2375-4494.1000264 Research Article Open Access J Child Adolesc Behav ISSN:2375-4494 JCALB, an open access journal Volume 3 • Issue 6 • 1000264