Coping strategies and mental health of adolescents impacted by parental HIV and AIDS in rural South Africa.

The study explored whether orphanhood status as well as coping strategies predicted mental health outcomes in orphans and vulnerable adolescents who participated in an NGO-supported programme in rural South Africa. Participants comprised 175 adolescents (aged 11-18 years) from a low-resource community, and included non-orphans ( = 57), orphans due to AIDS ( = 62) and orphans due to other causes ( = 56). All participants rated themselves on the age-appropriate Youth Self-Report scales and 95 completed the Children's Coping Strategies Checklist (CCSC). Little's test of data missing completely at random revealed that the CCSC missing data did not display a specific pattern. Active coping negatively predicted internalising, externalising and general psychological problems, while avoidant coping predicted general psychological problems. Orphanhood group status, sex and age did not predict coping strategies used. A higher proportion of orphans by AIDS had elevated scores of internalising problems and all participants on somatic complaints. Active coping strategies minimise the risk for emotional and behavioural problems among the participants. Our findings suggest that agencies and non-governmental organisations that provide services to vulnerable adolescents can facilitate active coping skills to enhance their psychological well-being.