The Welbedacht East parents’/ primary caregivers’ perceptions and practices of ‘good enough’ parenting and the development of a locally specific parenting support intervention
Petty, Ann
Intensifying interventions to improve the quality of care that children receive from parents/
primary caregivers is mandated by several strategic objectives, such as the National Plan
of Action for Children 2012-2017 (South Africa 2012), the White Paper on Families in South
Africa (2013), and the Children’s Amendment Act 41 of 2007 (South Africa 2007). Parenting
programmes remain popular parenting interventions (Daly, Bray, Bruckauf, Byrne,
Margaria, Pecnik & Samms-Vaughan 2015:18; Richter & Naicker 2013:9) reporting
outcomes of enhanced parent-child relationships, improved behaviour of children, and
reduced parental stress. There is a concern that parenting programmes offered in South
Africa lack evidence of their efficacy (Wessels 2012:9) and cultural and contextual
relevance for the recipients (Begle, Lopez, Cappa, Dumas & de Arellano 2012:56; Richter& Naicker 2013:1). The study developed a locally specific parenting support intervention for
parents/ primary caregivers living in the low-cost housing development of Welbedacht East
using the Intervention Development Design model. Parents/ primary caregivers were
involved throughout the study, contributing to the intervention’s applicability, as well as its
contextual and cultural relevance. Bioecological and social inclusion theories framed the
study.
A qualitative research approach supported by an exploratory, descriptive and contextual
design was used. Two purposive samples (parents/ primary caregivers and community
champions) were recruited. Semi-structured interviews were conducted to collect the data.
Thematic analysis (Braun & Clarke 2006) produced the findings that were presented at a
consultation workshop attended by research participants and relevant stakeholders where
the parameters of the intervention were determined. These were subsequently developed
into the elements and intervention protocols by four indigenous community experts following
the Delphi process. Lincoln and Guba’s (1985) approach to trustworthiness as presented
by Porter (2007:85) and Thomas and Magilvy (2011:152) was used. Cultural competence
was maintained throughout and ethical considerations were observed to circumvent harm
to participants and uphold the integrity of the research process.
The perceptions of the parents/ primary caregivers were consistent with scholarly indicators
of ‘good enough’ parenting, but the contextual stressors they experienced challenges their
ability to fulfil some of these indicators. An intervention was needed to increase parental
capacity to improve parent-child relationships, cultivate life skills for improved psychological health, and advance the financial independence of parents.
It was concluded that a parenting programme on its own would fail to address the most
pressing needs of parents/ primary caregivers living in disadvantaged circumstances and
custom-made parenting support interventions were needed to increase parental capacity to manage the structural challenges that compromised parenting, such as socioeconomic
interventions of a social developmental nature.
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