Background
Methods
Study setting
Community | Population size | Number of households | |
---|---|---|---|
1 | Khayelitsha | 391 749 | 118 809 |
2 | Saldanha | 99 193 | 28 835 |
3 | Caledon | 13 020 | 3 544 |
4 | Mitchell’s Plain | 310 485 | 67 993 |
5 | Manenberg | 61 615 | 12 834 |
6 | Grabouw | 30 337 | 7 708 |
7 | Fisantekraal | 12 369 | 3 712 |
8 | Vredenberg | 38 382 | 11 557 |
9 | Genadendal | 5 663 | 1 593 |
10 | Lambert’s Bay | 6 120 | 1 710 |
Study design
Sampling procedure
Ethical considerations.
Data collection
Examples of Questions |
---|
- What prevents parents from showing care and support to their children? |
- Any obstacles that they think of that impact or affect the parenting of their children? |
- What has been the most difficult part of parenting for you? |
- What makes it hard for you to support and care for your child? |
- What role does the father of your child play in your child’s life? |
- What enables parents to show care and support for their children? |
- What would help you to be a better parent than what you are now? |
- What makes it easy for you to support and care for your child? |
- What can affect your abilities to nurture, connect, interact and engage with their children? |
Data analysis
Trustworthiness and rigor of the study
Results
Characteristics | Participants (30) |
---|---|
Gender | |
Female | 29 |
Male | 1 |
Age (years) | |
16–30 | 17 |
31–45 | 9 |
46–60 | 3 |
61–75 | 1 |
Highest of Level Education | |
Never Attend school | 2 |
Grade (0–7) | 2 |
Grade (8–11) | 20 |
Grade (12) | 4 |
Diploma | 1 |
Degree | 1 |
Gender of Child | |
Unknown | 1 |
Male | 13 |
Female | 16 |
Age of Child (months) | |
0–6 | 6 |
7–12 | 11 |
13–18 | 2 |
19- 24 | 11 |
Presentation of the categories and themes
Category 1: effective parenting enablers
Theme 1: support system
“I will ask my mother for help or advice about what I should do in a situation if she gets seriously sick or seriously hurt. Then my mother will come and show me what I must do because my mother is the closest to me” (Participant 1, female, 24 years old).
“Probably when she was born [was the hardest]. That time because it was very difficult. Because my parents did not want me to have a child and they did not support me but afterward when she started growing up they started supporting me” (Participant 18, female, 19 years old).
“If you have a good support system you know, like your family, or the child’s father’s, or if they support you, and everything doesn’t come from yourself, then it’s actually easier” (Participant 11, female, 23 years old).
“No, because mmhhhh there is always help, there is always (smiles). The father is there, there are always the grandparents there showering with love and gifts and always providing without me even having to shout” (Participant 4, female, 30 years old).
“There was always a lady who offered that type of programmes, the pregnancy classes she had. Then she would teach you every week, or every two weeks something different. And then they would do exercises. And if one of the members in the group was nearing her date of giving birth, then they would have a baby shower for the child and everything. It was nice” (Participant 11, female, 23 years old).
“I feel like more interactive stuff with other mommies there with you. You feel like you can relate, and there are things you can learn from other parents that you don’t necessarily learn anywhere else, you know what I mean” (Participant 14, female, 25 years old).
Theme 2: healthy behaviours/environment
“Not to smoke, not to drink, look after your body and make sure that you take the tablets like now, for example, that you get at the clinic, because it helps you” (Participant 3, female, 20 years old).
“I ensure that I eat properly, that I drink my medication like my iron tablets, calcium tablets, other tablets and then, that it is just to ensure that I remain healthy” (Participant 11, female, 23 years old).
“Don’t smoke around the baby or smoke in the house if it is now a newborn baby and Uhm, don’t also argue or fight in front of the baby” (Participant 3, female, 20 years old).
Theme 3: employment/job opportunities
“Uhm, if I can get a job and like now work again, earn a salary, that will {make} me a better parent” (Participant 5, female, 20 years old).
“Not being dependent on other people, like getting clothes and stuff from people for my children, I want to get it for them myself” (Participant 12, female, 38 years old).
Theme 4: religion
“I should be more religious, that would help me a lot. Like doing my salaah’s (prayers), going to the mosque (a Muslim place of worship), investing all of my days – all of my life basically in doing what is expected of me as a Muslim” (Participant 15, female, 23 years old).
Theme 5: information/knowledge
“How to look after the baby. how to care for her, to love her and to communicate with her and how to discipline her” (participant 3, female, 20 years).
“I will say more about caring for the child from birth. Not only about the child, but yourself also. How you, how you must handle the child in the first few days, and uhm, general stuff like, uhm when the child makes some signs, when you must, when you must look out for these signs and these signs and these signs, then you must know your child is now, need this now, the child needs that now. So, the small sicknesses that they [parent] have, the children sicknesses that they pick up, pick up so easily” (Participant 11, female, 23 years old).
“The information of how do you build a foundation of what you want your child to be” (Participant 25, female, 30 years old).
Theme 6: professional assistance
“Uhm, I would definitely need a psychologist on board to help in us understanding why your child behaves the way your child behaves, how you can help them and how you can uhm control uhm, on how you can handle whatever mood they in and basically understand why they doing what they doing and you teach and give you the tools on how to react to whatever mood they in so you don’t you know breakdown your child and stuff like that” (Participant 15, female 23 years old).
Category 2: effective parenting barriers
Theme 1: low socio-economic circumstances
“Uhm, unemployment, like now, makes it difficult for me. No, I’m not working” (Participant 5, female, 20 years old).
“There is nothing that would make me happy as much as I would if I would work, when I don’t work I become stressed” (Participant 30, female, 42 years old).
“If I can, like, get a job and like now work again, earn a salary, that will {make} me a better parent” (Participant 3, female, 20 years).
“Yes, there is one thing they want right now and I cannot give it to them. I said they have to wait two months (laughs) because the budget is tight and we have other plans so I can’t, what they want I can’t give it to them right now. So, I do feel bad” (Participant 4, female, 30 years old).
“It [child support grant] helps for his milk and Kimbie's (diapers) and it's not a lot. So, it’s just enough for his milk and Kimbie's” (Participant 9, female, 26 years old).
“I borrowed money for Kimbie's (diapers) and to buy her juice for school” (Participant 12, female, 38 years old).
Theme 2: environmental circumstances
“The people come from the road or from somewhere and then they fight with bottles and they fight in front of you. Doesn’t matter if you’re walking in the road then they throw bottles your way. And it actually isn’t safe for me to sit in the yard with her. Something can just happen when they want to come and run in the yard” (Participant 1, female, 24 years old).
“These days the children disappear and the children get raped and the children get assaulted” (Participant 1, female, 24 years old).
“I raised her on my arm because I feel that she is safer on my arm. Because if she gets hurt over there, then I’m not close enough, but if she is on my arm, then she is safe” (Participant 12, female, 38 years old).
“The only thing that is affecting me right now is that I don’t have my own home, so mmmhhhh my room is small, so I need to provide them with a bigger space” (Participant 4, female, 30 years old).
Theme 3: lack of partner’s support
“When I was a single parent for seven years. It was the most difficult because I was…… it was only me. With the help of grandparents but still, then eventually someone came along and….” (Participant 4, female, 30 years old).
“I don’t have work and I struggle and her daddy does not give me any money” (Participant 23, female, 19 years old).
Theme 4: negative impact of technology
“Terrible this is actually a thing. Hey, I’m actually struggling with the discipline aspect. Sometimes you get carried away like me especially with social media, I tend to be on my phone and then I forget my child is actually around me. So, yeah. I need to be more attentive” (Participant 14, female, 25 years old).
Theme 5: inadequate preparation for parenthood
“With my first child, I was young and knew nothing. I didn’t even understand what was meant by pregnancy…then with my second I was married then but still I wasn’t prepared” (Participant 18, female, 19 years old).
Theme 6: lack of access to services
“I would definitely need a psychologist on board to help us understand why your child behaves the way your child behaves” (Participant 29, female, 23 years old).