Mental Health Challenges and Leadership Resilience of Principals in Rural South African Schools

Abstract

This study explored principals' daily lives in rural South African high schools associated with their mental health problems and coping strategies. The study employed qualitative research methods. Moreover, the interpretivist paradigm and phenomenological method were used in this study. Data were collected from a convenience sample of 15 high school principals through a qualitative questionnaire. Data were then analysed through thematic analysis. Findings suggest that the mental health of principals is affected by various factors: workloads; teachers’ and learners’ discipline; child-headed families; socio-economic status of families; alcohol abuse; parental involvement; teenage pregnancy; and inadequate resources. To cope with these challenges, participants utilise personal coping mechanisms, such as social interaction and physical activities, to promote physical well-being. The results are aligned with the conservation of resources (COR) theory, transactional stress theory, and the Ubuntu philosophy that were utilised to establish the context of the study. These findings justify the need for multi-level practical frameworks to develop a policy which supports culturally responsive paradigms aimed at improving principals’ leadership resilience and educational outcomes. The study recommends interventions, such as training programmes, to promote mental well-being and leadership resilience of principals.