The efficacy of social capital in assisting survivors of natural disasters deal with distress: the case of survivors of Cyclone Idai in Zimbabwe

Abstract

The focus of this paper was to find out the efficacy of social capital in assisting survivors of natural calamities to deal with psychological grief. The study used the descriptive design within the qualitative paradigm as the participants were afforded the opportunity to describe the felt  psychological distress. The population was drawn from Cyclone Idai survivors in Chimanimani district in Manicaland, Zimbabwe. Purposive sampling  technique was used in the study. A sample size of 15 participants was determined by the saturation level which occurred when the  participants were repeatedly giving the same responses. Focus group discussions and semi-structured interview questions were used as data  collection instruments. The data were classified into themes, categories and sub-categories. The study found out that Psycho-social support services  should be aligned to the survivors’ cultural norms and values for them to be relevant, meaningful and sustainable. It was also found out  that survivors were able to build confidence, self-awareness and hope through receiving encouragement from relatives, friends, neighbours and  family members. The findings can provide a platform to lobby for the formulation and implementation of national mental health policies to assist the survivors of natural disasters to deal with perceived distress especially in the Zimbabwean context.