IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/sae/socpsy/v69y2023i3p532-542.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Mental distress and substance use among rural Black South African youth who are not in employment, education or training (NEET)

Author

Listed:
  • Nomusa F. Mngoma
  • Oyedeji A. Ayonrinde

Abstract

Background: South Africa (SA) has one of the highest rates of youth unemployment and youth who are not in employment, education or training (NEET), even higher among Black South Africans. SA’s NEET rates are 3 times those of UK; 5.4 times of Germany; 1.3 times of Brazil; and 2.5 times of Malaysia. Given that youths between 15 and 24 years of age make up 24% of the total population, these are significant challenges for the economy and further fuel the cyclical, pervasive and enduring nature of poverty. We hypothesised that rural youth who are NEET would have a greater prevalence of mental disorders and higher rates of substance use compared to their non-NEET counterparts. The objective of the study is to determine the differences in rates of psychological distress and substance use between NEET and non-NEET rural African 14- to 24-year-old young men. Methods: The study took place in a remote and rural district municipality in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. We divided the district’s five sub-municipalities into two clusters (large and small) and randomly selected one from each cluster for inclusion in the study. We further randomly selected wards from each sub-municipality and then rural settlements from each ward, for inclusion in the study. We recruited young men as part of a larger study to explore sociocultural factors important in gender-based violence in rural SA. We compared 15- to 19-year old and 20- to 24-year old youth NEET and non-NEET on rates of psychological distress symptoms (depression, anxiety, suicidal thoughts, hopelessness and worthlessness) and substance misuse (including alcohol, cannabis, other recreational drugs) using a Multivariate Analysis of Variance (MANOVA) statistics at p  

Suggested Citation

  • Nomusa F. Mngoma & Oyedeji A. Ayonrinde, 2023. "Mental distress and substance use among rural Black South African youth who are not in employment, education or training (NEET)," International Journal of Social Psychiatry, , vol. 69(3), pages 532-542, May.
    • Handle: RePEc:sae:socpsy:v:69:y:2023:i:3:p:532-542
    DOI: 10.1177/00207640221114252
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/00207640221114252
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1177/00207640221114252?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. World Bank, 2020. "Poverty and Shared Prosperity 2020," World Bank Publications - Books, The World Bank Group, number 34496, December.
    2. Paula Armstrong & Bongisa Lekezwa & Krige Siebrits, 2008. "Poverty in South Africa: A profile based on recent household surveys," Working Papers 04/2008, Stellenbosch University, Department of Economics.
    3. David Laborde & Will Martin & Rob Vos, 2021. "Impacts of COVID‐19 on global poverty, food security, and diets: Insights from global model scenario analysis," Agricultural Economics, International Association of Agricultural Economists, vol. 52(3), pages 375-390, May.
    4. Ariane De Lannoy & Gibson Mudiriza, 2019. "A profile of young NEETs: Unpacking the heterogeneous nature of young people not in employment, education or training in South Africa," SALDRU Working Papers 249, Southern Africa Labour and Development Research Unit, University of Cape Town.
    5. Huesmann, L. Rowell & Boxer, Paul & Dubow, Eric F. & Smith, Cathy, 2019. "Anxiety, depression, and offending in the Columbia County longitudinal study: A prospective analysis from late adolescence to middle adulthood," Journal of Criminal Justice, Elsevier, vol. 62(C), pages 35-41.
    6. Bruce Weber & Alexander Marre & Monica Fisher & Robert Gibbs & John Cromartie, 2007. "Education's Effect on Poverty: The Role of Migration," Review of Agricultural Economics, Agricultural and Applied Economics Association, vol. 29(3), pages 437-445.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Shaun A. Golding & Richelle L. Winkler, 2020. "Tracking Urbanization and Exurbs: Migration Across the Rural–Urban Continuum, 1990–2016," Population Research and Policy Review, Springer;Southern Demographic Association (SDA), vol. 39(5), pages 835-859, October.
    2. Manyong, Victor & Bokanga, Mpoko & Akonkwa Nyamuhirwa, Dieu-Merci & Bamba, Zoumana & Adeoti, Razack & Mwepu, Gregoire & Cole, Steven M. & Dontsop Nguezet, Paul Martin, 2022. "COVID-19 outbreak and rural household food security in the Western Democratic Republic of the Congo," World Development Perspectives, Elsevier, vol. 28(C).
    3. Margherita Bernabei & Silvia Colabianchi & Francesco Costantino, 2022. "Actions and Strategies for Coronavirus to Ensure Supply Chain Resilience: A Systemic Review," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(20), pages 1-19, October.
    4. Rachel Nishimwe-Niyimbanira, 2018. "Multidimensional Poverty among the Villages of the South African Former Homeland of Qwaqwa," International Journal of Economics and Financial Issues, Econjournals, vol. 8(3), pages 241-249.
    5. Ratzanyel Rincón, 2023. "Quarterly multidimensional poverty estimates in Mexico using machine learning algorithms/Estimaciones trimestrales de pobreza multidimensional en México mediante algoritmos de aprendizaje de máquina," Estudios Económicos, El Colegio de México, Centro de Estudios Económicos, vol. 38(1), pages 3-68.
    6. Dorrit Posel & Michael Rogan, 2012. "Gendered trends in poverty in the post-apartheid period, 1997--2006," Development Southern Africa, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 29(1), pages 97-113, March.
    7. Camara, Alhassane & Savard, Luc, 2023. "Impact of agricultural input subsidy policy on market participation and income distribution in Africa: A bottom-up/top-down approach," Economic Modelling, Elsevier, vol. 129(C).
    8. Shuanglei Zhou & Shaojun Chen, 2023. "The Impact of the Anti-Poverty Relocation and Settlement Program on Farmers’ Livelihood: Perspective of Livelihood Space," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(11), pages 1-15, May.
    9. Richard Higgott & Simon Reich, 2022. "The age of fuzzy bifurcation: Lessons from the pandemic and the Ukraine War," Global Policy, London School of Economics and Political Science, vol. 13(5), pages 627-639, November.
    10. Büttner, Nicolas & Grimm, Michael & Günther, Isabel & Harttgen, Kenneth & Klasen, Stephan, 2022. "The fertility transition in Sub-Saharan Africa: The role of structural change," Passauer Diskussionspapiere, Volkswirtschaftliche Reihe V-90-22, University of Passau, Faculty of Business and Economics.
    11. Bruce Weber & J. Matthew Fannin & Kathleen Miller & Stephan Goetz, 2018. "Intergenerational mobility of low‐income youth in metropolitan and non‐metropolitan America: A spatial analysis," Regional Science Policy & Practice, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 10(2), pages 87-101, June.
    12. Sèna Kimm Gnangnon, 2023. "Do unilateral trade preferences help reduce poverty in beneficiary countries?," International Journal of Economic Policy Studies, Springer, vol. 17(1), pages 249-288, February.
    13. Levent Şahin & Halis Yunus Ersöz & İbrahim Demir & Muhammed Erkam Kocakaya & Osman Akgül & Abdullah Miraç Bükey, 2023. "The Relationship between Cause and Effect Dimensions of Young People’s Being “Not in Education, Employment, or Training (NEET)” in Turkey," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(21), pages 1-19, October.
    14. Cristina Irina PARASCHIV, 2017. "The role of education in poverty alleviation," Theoretical and Applied Economics, Asociatia Generala a Economistilor din Romania - AGER, vol. 0(Special), pages 115-134.
    15. Samuel Taylor & Heather M. Stephens & Daniel Grossman, 2022. "The opioid crisis and economic distress: Consequences for population change," Journal of Regional Science, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 62(2), pages 541-577, March.
    16. Budy P. Resosudarmo & Asep Suryahadi & M.P. Purnagunawan & Athia Yumna & Asri Yusrina, "undated". "The Socioeconomic and Health Status of Rural–Urban Migrants in Indonesia," Working Papers 333, Publications Department.
    17. Abate, Gashaw T. & de Brauw, Alan & Hirvonen, Kalle & Wolle, Abdulazize, 2023. "Measuring consumption over the phone: Evidence from a survey experiment in urban Ethiopia," Journal of Development Economics, Elsevier, vol. 161(C).
    18. Narayan,Ambar & Cojocaru,Alexandru & Agrawal,Sarthak & Bundervoet,Tom & Davalos,Maria Eugenia & Garcia,Natalia & Lakner,Christoph & Mahler,Daniel Gerszon & Montalva Talledo,Veronica Sonia & Ten,Andrey, 2022. "COVID-19 and Economic Inequality : Short-Term Impacts with Long-Term Consequences," Policy Research Working Paper Series 9902, The World Bank.
    19. Edward Balistreri & Felix Baquedano & John C. Beghin, 2022. "The impact of COVID‐19 and associated policy responses on global food security," Agricultural Economics, International Association of Agricultural Economists, vol. 53(6), pages 855-869, November.
    20. Kaus, Wolfhard, 2013. "Conspicuous consumption and “race”: Evidence from South Africa," Journal of Development Economics, Elsevier, vol. 100(1), pages 63-73.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:sae:socpsy:v:69:y:2023:i:3:p:532-542. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: SAGE Publications (email available below). General contact details of provider: .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.