The contribution of guardian care and peer support for psychological resilience among orphaned adolescents in Ethiopia

The main purpose of this study was to investigate the contributions of guardians’ care, and peer support to psychological resilience. Three-hundred orphan adolescents (OAs) living in Dessie, Ethiopia, aged 12–20 (M = 15.5 ± 1.23), of which 165 (55%) were boys, filled out self-reported questionnaires, which included resilience, guardian care and peer support scales. Results show that the majority of the OA living in Dessie town are resilient. Older adolescents are more resilient than younger ones, and girls obtain more support from their peers compared to the boys. Age, guardian care and peer support were significantly positively related to resilience; together, they accounted for 35.6% of the explained variance. More specifically, peer support accounted for the highest proportion, followed by guardian care and age. The results of this study are discussed based on the cultural competence theory. The unique cultural context in which Ethiopian children grow up places many responsibilities on them, and thus moves them forward to become adults at a very early age. The experience of orphanhood could be an additional contributor to life experience which also serves as a strong resilience factor for the older group children. Practical implications will be offered to foster resilience among orphan and vulnerable adolescents in deprived areas.