Caring for children during COVID-19 : the experience of South African families with children in middle childhood

Abstract

On the 5th of March 2020, the Minister of Health confirmed South Africa’s first positive case of the COVID-19 virus. South Africa was put on a long-term lockdown from March 2020. Movement and social gatherings were heavily restricted and the wearing of masks, sanitising of hands and social distancing measures became compulsory in public spaces. Additionally, all non-essential workers had to start working from home (Greyling, Rossouw & Adhikari, 2021:6). The pandemic had a significant impact on the everyday life of South African families. Many families in South Africa were already ill-equipped to deal with existing socio-economic circumstances such as poverty, unemployment, violence, and poor infrastructure. Environmental shocks such as the COVID-19 pandemic further burdened and negatively impacted the well-being of South African parents and caretakers, influencing their ability to care for their children in middle childhood (Nguse & Wassenaar, 2021:304). The research study aimed to explore and describe the experiences of South African families of caring for children in middle childhood during the COVID-19 pandemic. Employing a qualitative research methodology, coupled with an interpretivist perspective, this study aimed to comprehend the unique experiences of families during COVID-19. To gain insight into each distinct case, an instrumental case-study design was deliberately chosen. Through this design, the intention was to thoroughly grasp the complexities of the experiences encountered by each participant. In total, seven participants, comprising of parents/caregivers, were selected for this study. A strategic blend of purposive and snowball sampling techniques was utilised to identify suitable participants. Subsequently, these individuals were interviewed using semi-structured iv interviews, employing an interview schedule designed to encourage open and meaningful conversations. The study's key findings revealed that participants experienced heightened stress levels that arose from job loss, reliance on a single income, COVID-19 transmission fears, and disrupted education. This stress strained parent-child relationships, impacting caregiving quality and children's development. Participants assumed additional roles, beyond that of being a parent/caregiver, including COVID-19 educators, safety regulation enforcers, and educators, yet the low-income contexts in which the participants live impeded adaptation to these roles. Access to resources necessary for caring for children was challenged by income reduction, grocery price hikes, and limited school meals due to closures. Most notably, participants’ children faced a scarcity of learning materials from their underfunded and under-resourced schools. Furthermore, COVID-19 considerably impacted the development of these children in middle childhood, disrupting social interactions, promoting safety-seeking behaviours, and hindering emotional well-being. School closures caused learning setbacks and absence of routines contributed to boredom and feelings of gloominess. In conclusion, the COVID-19 pandemic had adverse effects on participants' ability to care for their children during middle childhood. This impact manifested through compromised mental health, constrained resource access, income reduction, all of which collectively hindered not only the participants' well-being but also significantly influenced the well-being and development of their children. Addressing the effects of COVID-19 on South African families requires continued research and the initiation of crucial projects within Social Work practice