NEET and resilient : the lived experiences of a sample of South African emerging adults
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Date
Authors
Theron, Linda C.
Levine, Diane
Haffejee, Sadiyya
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Wiley
Abstract
There is scant understanding of what supports African emerging adults who are not in employment, education or
training (i.e., NEET) to show resilience to NEET-related challenges. This article narrows that gap by reporting
an iterative phenomenological study with nine African emerging adults (mean age: 23.44; 66% female) who were
NEET for the 18-month duration of the study and living in a resource-constrained community in South Africa. We
interviewed each young person three times (June 2021; December 2021; June 2022). A reflexive thematic analysis of
these interview transcripts showed that being NEET is a multifaceted challenge. Supported by a mix of personal, relational
and environmental resources, young people managed this challenge by resisting or recuperating from destructive coping
mechanisms and believing in a successful future self. These findings point to the importance of young people and their
social ecologies (families, peers, service providers and policymakers) recognising and enacting their co-responsibility for
resilience to the compound challenges of being NEET.
Description
Keywords
African youth, Multisystemic resilience, Qualitative, Not in employment, education or training (NEET), SDG-04: Quality education
Sustainable Development Goals
SDG-04:Quality Education
Citation
Theron, L., Levine, D., Haffejee, S. 2024, 'NEET and resilient : the lived experiences of a sample of South African emerging adults', International Journal of Psychology, vol. 59, no. 6, pp. 911-919. DOI: 10.1002/ijop.13219.