Psychology/Child Development

Introduction

 Parental loss affects children's physical and mental health. Thwala (2012) states that orphans and vulnerable children (OVC) whose parents have died of HIV/AIDS experience psychosocial problems. Children are overwhelmed by emotions during the grieving period but recent research and studies find that they are not provided with emotional support during the grieving process. In other words, no one assists children to cope with grief and they end up having emotional problems such as distress and depression. The articles assert that it is important to provide children with psychosocial support and help them cope with shock, anger, depression, among other responses. The article explores the cultural practices and asserts that community members have practices and beliefs that benefit members whereas others are harmful. For example, some people believe that HIV/AIDS is associated with promiscuity and ignores other nonsexual practices such as the use of shared instruments. However, the articles point out that there are cultural practices which are beneficial or which can provide psychosocial support. In general, the HIV/AIDS epidemic impacts the well-being of the children in that when they lose their parents, they suffer from psychosocial problems yet they rarely receive mental care. It is important to implement the traditional belief system to help the children cope with loss, and promote their emotional development and well-being.

 

            Thwala (2012) says that parental loss due to HIV/AIDS leads to long-term effects on their children. It is important to note that children experience the most stressful event due to parental loss. In most cases, children develop psychosocial distress such as a feeling of sadness, anxiety, and grief (Thwala, 2013). Although both children and adults experience the mourning process, children deal with the immediate pain in different ways such as detachment, anger, among other explosive behaviors. During this time, children need psychosocial support so that they can gain adjustment and improve their well-being. In addition, the psychosocial support will help these children cope with stress and trauma and overcome the many challenges that they may encounter in the future (Thwala, 2013). Currently, children whose parents die due to HIV/AIDS are not provided with psychosocial support or in other words, there is no program for psychosocial needs.  For example, in 2002, Makarem and McGregor conducted a study in Tanzania and found that children who were orphan had internalizing problems and suffered from mental problems than non-orphans (Thwala, 2013). Another study done in 2005 found that traditional healers helped the children cope with grief using traditional methods such as herbal remedies, prayers, and stories. This shows that the reason as to why the majority of orphans develop psychosocial problems is that modern communities have overlooked the traditional cultural practices, and as a result, children continue to suffer from the psychological burden (Thwala, 2013). Therefore, the article recommends that it is important to incorporate the cultural practices in the grieving process to promote the psychological health of orphan children.

 

The author asserts that psychosocial support in child's development is a concept that emerged in the past but there is no accurate research on the concept. The research on psychosocial support is growing in that researchers have incorporated the cultural norms and behaviors in psychosocial development, but the issue research is experiencing challenges due to the lack of psychometric tools (Thwala, 2013). The article supports the study of cultural practice in psychosocial support and states that culture play a significant role in child development as it strengthens the children's identity, it helps children gain knowledge and values, and develop a sense of belonging. It is also important to note that culture plays an important role in a child's psychological well-being (Thwala, 2013). For example, during the hard times, culture helps the children develop a sense of security, express their fears, and develop a sense of belonging. Family practices such as family rituals are very important in that they have a special meaning about the event and it helps the family members develop thoughts and feelings, and more important acknowledge that there are life and death (Thwala, 2013).  However, children are excluded in the family rituals but it is important to allow them to take part in the process so that they can gain healing.

 

 The article conducts a study using an exploratory design and qualitative analysis, and quantitative procedures to evaluate the experiences of vulnerable children. The study finds that orphan and vulnerable children suffer from psychological problems and show symptoms of anger, anxiety, depression, and other problems (Thwala, 2013). The study also finds that grandparents act as a powerful social resource of psychosocial support. However, there is a challenge in that grandparents may not have the necessary psychosocial skills. Therefore, it is important to implement interventions that should support the young people especially the orphans (Thwala, 2013). The religious institutions should offer emotional support such as food and clothing so that the orphans can develop hope in life. The study also reports that since there are several cases of AIDS-related death, it is important to tell the children the truth through supportive counseling so that they can have relevant knowledge about death and how to cope with grief (Thwala, 2013). Teachers in school should also help the students understand the need for building an inconclusive community free from discrimination and stigma.

 

Implications

 The article states that orphan and vulnerable children require long term care for them to recover from depression, sadness, unhappiness, among other emotional problems (Thwala, 2013). It is important to understand that these children not only need physical care but they also need psychological support so that they may develop self-confidence and a sense of belonging. The religious community should be the source of happiness to the orphans and also the professional institutions such as the schools should focus on values and priorities and ensure to meet the psychosocial needs of the children. In addition, the community and the family should reintroduce the traditional practices since the study finds that they are effective interventions for helping children cope with grief (Thwala, 2013). Practices such as polygamy-currently, some cultures perceive polygamy as illegal since the many numbers of sexual partners may lead to an increase of HIV risk whereas other cultures argue that polygamy is important in that the children whose biological parent have died will gain psychosocial support from the second parent. The extended family is also a traditional practice that plays a significant role in providing psychosocial support to children. Note that in the past, children belonged to the entire community but today, children belong to the nuclear family and children depend on their biological parents. The extended family finds it hard to accommodate the children due to the higher number of HIV/AIDS death (Thwala, 2013). The article argues that it is important to incorporate the traditional practices such as polygamy and extended family in that the love that comes from these members enhances healing and helps the children develop a sense of identity. The surviving parent and the members from the extended family will provide the children with warmth and protection and more importantly, they will console and comfort them during the mourning process. As a result, the children will reduce stress, cope with stress, become resilient, and develop a sense of belonging.

 Conclusion

Parental loss affects the psychological well-being of children. Children are likely to develop internalizing behaviors such as anxiety, sadness, and anxiety. The findings from the study support that children whose parents have died need both physical and psychological support but the caregivers have concentrated on meeting their physical needs and ignored their emotional needs. The article asserts that it is important to improve the psychological well-being and employ traditional methods such as supportive counseling, involving them in family rituals, supporting polygamy, and include them in the extended family. This will enable the children to develop a sense of belonging and more importantly help them cope up with grief and have a bright future. When children lose their parents, it is important to focus on improving their psychosocial well-being so that they can have the strength to cope up with daily challenges. Psychosocial support will also enable them to develop social relationships with other people. Manage their emotions, and more importantly overcome difficulties. Thus, it is the role of the family and the community to protect and provide support to ensure that the children come out of the difficult situation. In specific, the community should create a supportive network to ensure that children gain not only physical support but also psychosocial support and develop a sense of identity.

 

 

Reference

 

Thwala, S. L. K. (2013). The role of culture in psychosocial development of orphans and

vulnerable children. International Journal of Adolescence and Youth, 18(2), 105-121.