An exploratory study of coping strategies of adult survivors of child labour in the Central Region of Ghana

Abstract

Child labour experienced in childhood continues to have an enduring traumatic effect into adulthood. The scars it leaves can impact on personal lives, education, employment, and long-term emotional and social lives. The traditional system of studying survivors of either natural or man-made situation has focused heavily on posttraumatic stress disorder and related conditions, and mental health treatment of survivors. The goal of this study was to explore the coping process of adult survivors of child labour, to gain insight into their period of transition and moving on, and to contribute to the field of counselling psychology by developing theoretical model and counselling guideline for practitioners. Using grounded theory methodology, eleven participants and five significant others from seven districts in the Central Region of Ghana recruited through the snowball and theoretical sampling methods participated in the study and described their process of coping with “lived” experiences of traumatic child labour and survival through individual interviews and focus group discussions. Data were coded using coding processes of grounded theory methodology with inductive data analysis. Coping strategies such as personal resources and social supports were identified as supports promoting coping and survival. A theoretical model was developed for successful coping strategies and a counselling guideline outlined for counsellors and survivors. The main findings were the untapped resilience and strength of each survivor, the uniqueness of each of their stories, and the reality that in spite of past traumatic child labour experiences fraught with childhood abuse, survivors experienced traumatic growth though with some psychological challenges such as aggression and fear. This study has positioned child labour experiences within trauma studies and positive psychology. The central phenomenon of this process is “Moving On” from traumatic experiences of child labour. Implications for theory, methodology and counselling, were discussed and directions for future research delineated.