Abstract
Youth mental health continues to be a significant problem in South Africa, particularly in semi-rural communities, which are underrepresented in mental health research and underserved in mental health infrastructure. This study explores the lived experiences, understandings of mental health and mental ill health among youth in Burgersfort, a semi-rural town in Limpopo Province. In this study, mental health is understood as the presence of positive functioning and resilience, encompassing various aspects of well-being, such as emotional, psychological, and social components. Mental ill health is referred to as a state of psychological distress, encompassing a broad range of conditions, each characterized by distinct patterns of thought, emotion, and behaviour that affect daily functioning. Rooted in an African-centred psychological framework, the study confronts prevailing Western paradigms by prioritizing indigenous epistemologies, communal values, and culturally ingrained ways of understanding. The study aimed to explore how young adults, aged 25 to 35, in Burgersfort understand and experience mental health and mental ill health. Using a qualitative descriptive design within an interpretive paradigm, in-depth interviews were carried out with eight youths from Burgersfort who have either experienced mental health difficulties themselves or have close relations with people who have. This enabled the study to encompass both direct and indirect lived experiences of mental health and mental ill health. Interviews were recorded and transcribed verbatim. Thematic analysis, guided by Braun and Clarke’s six-step framework, was employed to analyse the data. Four central themes emerged: Burgersfort as a Mental Health Desert; Alienation from and Distrust of Formal Mental Health Services; Mental Illness as a Silenced Experience; and Reliance on Informal and Communal Coping Strategies. The results show that youths in Burgersfort encounter a variety of interwoven difficulties, including unemployment, poverty, and cultural stigma, but they also show resilience based on African-centred principles like Ubuntu. The
Youth Mental Health in Semi-Rural South Africa
findings challenge the status quo in mental health and highlight the need for community-based, culturally sensitive interventions that are adapted to the lived experiences of youths in semi-rural South Africa. It also urges a rethinking of mental health services in South Africa that places an emphasis on cultural congruence, accessibility, and equity.