THE EFFECT OF A MULTIDISCIPLINARY PSYCHOSOCIAL SUPPORT PROGRAMME ON THE RESILIENCE OF FEMALE ADOLESCENT RECIPIENTS IN JOHANNESBURG

Abstract

The Ruth First Jeppe Memorial Trust (RFJM Trust) provides scholarships to deserving female secondary school learners in Johannesburg and offers a pilot multidisciplinary psychosocial support programme (MPSP) developed by a social worker to enhance their resilience and to facilitate the achievement of their potential. South African female adolescents are challenged daily by their social, economic, cultural, political and historical environments, which in combination threaten their development and functioning. Therefore, female adolescents require high levels of resilience to thrive. Through the pre-test/post-test measurement of the individual, relational and contextual protective resources of Grade 8 recipients of the RFJM Trust, a paired-samples t–test and correlation analysis determined that two aspects of the MPSP have moderate to large correlations with resilience. This quantitative, quasi-experimental, evaluative study will assist in improving the MPSP and contribute towards evidence-based practice in school social work.