The purpose of this study was to explore the psychological well-being of adolescents with physical disabilities living in inclusive community settings of Makonde Urban in Zimbabwe. An inclusive community is one that aims to remove exclusionary practices within the community and promote community systems that accept all people irrespective of their difference. Inclusive communities on their own are not uniquely designed for people with disabilities, but most developing countries have adopted them as a basic strategy to influence and enhance psychological well-being of people with disabilities.
A constructivist lived experience perspective underpinned this research, in which multiple case studies were used to interact with the participants on inclusion and psychological well-being of adolescents with physical disabilities. Purposive sampling was used to select 14 participants (9 males and 5 females). Data were collected through face-to-face interviews and transcribed verbatim. Four themes emerged from the thematic analysis of data sources.
It was found that participants who were adolescents with physical disabilities living in inclusive community settings of Makonde Urban in Zimbabwe were having high levels of autonomy and choice, purpose in life, positive relations with others and good personal growth and self-acceptance.
The findings of this study should enable inclusive communities’ policy-makers and researchers to better understand the psychological well-being of adolescents with physical disabilities living in inclusive communities.
Disability inclusive communities are those communities that facilitate the inclusion of people with and without disabilities, rather than expecting individuals to fit into the existing arrangements (Chakuchichi & Mutamiswa
The general quality of life for people with disabilities in developing countries has shown some improvement over the last decade. This has been largely because of the involvement of these individuals with disabilities in various inclusive community strategies (Choruma
People with disabilities tend to be less well accepted by the majority of people in some societies (Ndawi
Inclusive communities are concerned with the identification and removal of barriers to community adjustment, development and participation (Ainscow
The Zimbabwean government adopted the policy of an inclusive community in 1997 as a measure to enhance the psychological well-being of adolescents with physical disabilities (Chakuchichi et al.
Zimbabwe currently has no legislation for inclusive communities (Choruma
Psychological well-being is a multifaceted concept (Kahneman & Krueger
Personal growth involves enhanced cognitive function among adolescents with physical disabilities, and confronting new challenges or tasks at different periods of life successfully (Dolan et al.
This study aimed to explore the psychological well-being of adolescents with physical disabilities living in inclusive community settings of Makonde Urban in Zimbabwe. We specifically aimed to facilitate accessing marginalised experiences and voices of adolescents with physical disabilities.
This study was guided by a constructivist perspective (Braun & Clark
The purposively selected sample for this study comprised nine male and five female adolescents with physical disabilities. The sample enabled the researchers to collect adequate (rich) data for the study (Cohen, Kahn & Steeves
Consistent with the constructivist research perspective adopted in this study, open-ended interviews (Baxter & Jacke
Data were analysed following the thematic content analysis approach proposed by Grbich (
Ethical approval reference number EP 15/04/01 for the study was obtained from the Ethics Committee of the University of Pretoria. Standard ethical principles of informed consent and voluntary participation, protection from harm, confidentiality and privacy were adhered to throughout the research process and of data collection and analysis. Assurance was given that no person would be identified.
The findings of this study are divided into four main sections: (1) autonomy and choice in life, (2) purpose of life, (3) positive relations with others and (4) personal growth and self-acceptance. These are the major attributes of psychological well-being identified by this study.
Most participants (10 out of 14; 71%) in this study indicated that their participation in inclusive communities’ activities was contributing the development of their autonomy and choice. Below, we present the verbatim data from the participants. Chiwaridzo (pseudonyms are used) had this to say on autonomy:
‘Because I am making progress at my university I have a feeling that I am being empowered. This empowerment is giving me some feelings of self-rule and choice. I selected subjects to take at advanced level and selected accounting at the costs of so many other programmes in the faculty of commerce. This choice is coming all as a result of learning.’ (Participant 6, male, 19 years, myelodysplasia)
Another participant, Jinye, said:
‘Through using computers, I feel I am being equipped with abilities to make choices. Games such as chess are all about making correct moves. If you move wrongly you are defeated so learning through games makes me develop making right choices not only in the game of chess but in life.’ (Participant 7, male, 16 years, hemimelia)
However, Nyarai had a different perspective on how learning was influencing her autonomy and choice. She said:
‘Learning was not doing enough to enhance my feeling of control over my choices. Most of the materials I learn and do in my life is controlled by my parents and teachers my brothers, sisters and even friends. I am always told this is what I can do and I can’t do.’ (Participant 3, female, 15 years, limb deficiency)
Dimingu said:
‘I do not have choice in my life my health condition is giving me limitations. I cannot even write a lot of school work or play with others for a long time because I easily get tired even if I want to.’ (Participant 8, female, 15 years, epilepsy)
Jeff also said:
‘Through play my social needs are addressed at group level. People need to be happy and this is possible when they have choices around them and if their choices are accepted by others they share time with. In my case I have visitors who come to our school and talk with us about our needs. We tell them some of our needs are addressed but most of them are not. However, we would have given out our choices.’ (Participant 5, male, 15 years, traumatic brain injury)
Nyarai said:
‘The fact that I do not have my left leg controls me in choosing what I want to do in my community as long as it requires the use of the missing leg. What I am saying is my disability affects my choice.’ (Participant 3, female, 15 years, limb deficiency)
Dimingu added:
‘I am not developing any choice. The choice is determined by my health. I have epilepsy it attacks me without notice and because of that you cannot just do anything you want my choice is limited.’ (Participant 8, female, 15 years, epilepsy)
Our finding that adolescents with physical disabilities living in inclusive community settings tend to display good levels of autonomy is consistent with findings from Gabre (
Twelve out of fourteen participants (85%) in this study said that their participation in inclusive community activities was helping them to develop feelings of having a sense of purpose in life. For instance, Chiwaridzo had this to say on purpose of life:
‘I am satisfied with the progress I have made in my life. I am doing well more than what other people of my age without disabilities do. It’s an achievement to be at a university considering that I have a disability. I am satisfied and have no problems.’ (Participant 6, male, 19 years, myelodysplasia)
Walter had a different view on learning. He said:
‘The learning I am getting is unsatisfactory. I am being taught things that are not of much benefit to my life. I want to be a truck driver. I admire my uncle who drives a truck. Instead of being taught math’s English and others which takes a lot of time to be employed they must teach me driving.’ (Participant 10, male, 14 years, spinal cord injury)
Jinye said:
‘I was going to be satisfied with my life if I was learning carpentry. The learning I am getting both at school will never give me the life I want to live. I want to be a carpenter.’ (Participant 7, male, 16 years, hemimelia)
Kombo has this to say on purpose of life:
‘When I participate in social issues with my peers with and without disabilities I get happy. I also get happy when I am consulted over my life.’ (Participant 11, female, 13 years, polio)
Try said:
‘I learn more about my condition at home from my parents, others who live with HIV like me. These people are very important. They have made me understand my condition and that I can live a normal life like any other person living without HIV. They have made me understand that I am a person like any other person in my community. They have made me know that what is.’ (Participant 13, female, 15 years, HIV positive)
This study’s findings are similar to the findings of Nygren et al. (
Eight out of fourteen participants (57%) in this study reported to have good relationships with their peers, evidenced by the following examples.
Langton said:
‘As learners, we are always a family be it at school or home. I have friends, I belong to group C, I am in grade 4 we wear a blue uniform the whole school. When we are at sports we support one team our school and if we win we all get happy if we lose we all get sad.’ (Participant 2, male, 14 years, neuromuscular disorders)
Another participant, Try, said:
‘We learn in groups be it at home or school. At my home, our parents teach us good manners. If we behave well as a family, they become happy. If one of us do something bad our parents gets angry. They teach us how to do well before visitors and where ever we are. We also help each other by telling ourselves to do well as people belonging to our family.’ (Participant 13, female, 15 years, HIV positive)
Kevie said:
‘My involvement in so many issues with my friends and being consulted on issues around my disabilities makes me feel that I belong to the same group as others without disabilities in my community.’ (Participant 1, male, 18 years, cerebral palsy)
Kombo said:
‘I have learnt to respect my friends through playing with them in my community. Of course, we learn it at school at assemblies, social studies and Religious studies but we do it out of school. You see that you are doing it well mostly when you are not in class.’ (Participant 11, female, 13 years, polio)
The finding that living in an inclusive community enhances development of their positive relations with others among adolescents with physical disabilities is consistent to research findings by Magiati, Dockrell and Logotheti (
Positive relationships with others are very important for successful adjustment and integration of people with disabilities. Experiencing positive relations with others also plays an important role in facilitating social and moral development of human beings (Heward
Personal growth was an inclusive community quality endorsed by all participants (100%).
On personal growth and self-acceptance, Chiwaridzo said:
‘Because of being engaged in learning I feel I am growing well. I can now do a number of things by myself. I can read, write and am adding value to myself very soon I will be an accountant.’ (Participant 6, male, 19 years, myelodysplasia)
Langton also said:
‘Going to school makes me learn so many things. Learning so many things this shows that I am growing. I was once in grade one but I am now in grade four. I have changed so many teachers and all my teachers are saying well you are growing well. Look I am now able to do so many things alone at home things that I was not able to do before because of my condition. I am now seeing that I am not disabled. I am growing up.’ (Participant 2, male, 13 years, neuromuscular disorder)
Try said:
‘Sport is assisting me growing all-round. It helps me to play well with others although it is painful when you lose. But it helps me a lot. My participation in sport makes me feel that I am being recognised at school as a person who is not disabled but abled.’ (Participant 12, female, 14 years, HIV positive)
Another participant, Jinye, said:
‘In chess you win, lose or draw. These are the results awaiting any chess player so when I win like in most of my cases I felt great and my supports will value me more. At my school if I win or lose my head always see well in me. I will be put in front of other students on the assembly and the students will be asked to clap hands and cheer for my results. Besides that, if I win at school, level. Win again with other schools that movement from one stage to another makes me feel growing in my sport.’ (Participant 7, male, 16 years, hemimelia)
Our finding is consistent with Gallant’s (
One limitation of this study is that this study’s sample was culturally homogenous. The majority of the participants in this study were adolescents with physical disabilities in primary school education (93%). As such, the participants of this study only represent a restricted range of social experiences, and therefore, the findings may not accurately represent the experiences of those from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds (Baum
Based on the complex nature of the interaction between aspects such as inclusion, disability, psychological well-being and public policy, several recommendations can be made for populations with similar characteristics as the one covered by this study. This study recommends the need for further research on inclusion, disability and psychological well-being. Discourse analysis that investigates the relationship between inclusion and psychological well-being of adolescents with disabilities could lead to improved implementation of inclusion. The findings of such studies could guide the development of inclusive policies that encourage community participation of non-dominant cultures such as people with disabilities in designing community activities that enhance their personal development.
The psychology of well-being is devoted to promote our understanding of the biopsychosocial and behavioural factors that contribute to enhanced well-being, optimal emotional processing and the prevention of psychological dysfunction. The overall result of this study, namely that participation in inclusive communities by adolescents with physical disabilities is particularly conducive to the development of their psychological well-being, adds to the body of knowledge in the field of psychological well-being of people with disabilities.
This article is based on research that has been supported in part by the Faculty of Education of University of Pretoria.
The authors declare that they have no financial or personal relationships that may have inappropriately influenced them in writing this article.
J.M. conducted the study and developed the first draft of the article. M.M.S. and J.G.M. supervised the study.