Parents left behind in South Africa after the emigration of their adult children : an experiential journey

Abstract

Hierdie studie ondersoek en beskryf die persoonlike en subjektiewe ervarings van ouers wat agtergelaat is na die emigrasie van hul volwasse-kind(ers). Die doel van hierdie navorsingstudie was om die bevindinge en aanbevelings te gebruik ten einde maatskaplike werkers en ander gesondheids praktisyne in staat te stel om die leef-wêreld van die agtergeblewe ouer beter te verstaan. Die vooropgestelde doel was om praktiese riglyne te formuleer, as hulpmiddel vir gebruik deur professionele persone om die impak van emigrasie op die ouer wat agter gelaat is, aan te spreek. Beperkte wetenskaplike navorsing veral in die Suid-Afrikaanse konteks is beskikbaar rakende die emosionele impak van emigrasie op ouers wat agtergebly het na die emigrasie van hul volwasse-kinders. Hierdie studie poog om 'n bydrae te lewer tot die kennis-veld van hierdie fenomeen deur middel van die kontekstualisering van die ervarings van hierdie ouers. 'n Kwalitatiewe navorsingsbenadering is geïdentifiseer as die mees gepaste, ten einde die navorsingsvraag te be-antwoord en sodoende die doelwitte van hierdie studie te bereik. Hierdie benadering het bygedra tot die begrip en interpretasie van die betekenis wat deelnemers aan hulle ervarings gee. Toegepaste navorsing met 'n eksploratiewe en beskrywende fokus was die mees aangewese vir die studie aangesien daar weinig rakende die spesifieke onderwerp in die Suid-Afrikaanse konteks bekend is. 'n Fenomenologiese navorsingsbenadering met die fokus op menslike ervaring en die soeke na strukturele betekenis van die ervaring, is gevolg. Hierdie studie het die riglyne en doelwitte van fenomenologiese navorsing gevolg, aangesien die doel was om ryk en in diepte beskrywings van die emosionele ervarings van die agtergeblewe ouers ná die emigrasie van hul volwasse kinders te voorsien. Aangesien fenomenologie beide 'n filosofie en 'n metodologie is wat poog om sosiale en maatskaplike verskynsels vanuit die deelnemers se oogpunt te verstaan beskou die navorser dit as die mees gepaste ontwerp vir hierdie navorsing. Die buigsaamheid en kunssinnige aspek van hierdie benadering skep 'n platform vir die navorser om "kreatief" te wees en om ander media soos kuns te gebruik ten einde die fenomeen te beskryf. Duidelike en spesifieke steekproefnemingskriteria is opgestel en 'n doelbewuste nie-waarskynlikheids-steekproefneming is uitgevoer ten einde die eerste deelnemers te identifiseer. Die deelnemers aan hierdie navorsingstudie was Suid-Afrikaanse burgers wat ook ouers is tussen die ouderdomme 50 tot 80 jaar, wat in Gauteng in Suid-Afrika woonagtig is. Beide geslagte en enige ras of kultuur-agtergrond kon verteenwoordig word. Sneeubal steekproefneming is daarna uitgevoer ten einde die res van die deelnemers te identifiseer wat aan die kriteria voldoen. Die vernaamste metode van data-insameling was ongestruktureerde onderhoudsvoering. Ten einde 'n ryk, gedetailleerde weergawe van die ouers se ervaringe te ontlok, is data tydens negentien in-diepte onderhoude ingesamel. Die onderhoude was van aangesig-tot-aangesig, enkel en gekombineerde onderhoude, met 24 deelnemers, waaronder vyf egpare gesamentlik aan die onderhoud deelgeneem het. Alle deelnemers het hulle vrywillige en ingeligte toestemming gegee om aan die studie deel te neem, en ‘n klankopname is van elke onderhoud gemaak. Die klankopname is verbatim getik, met elke deelnemer se toestemming. Die ATLAS.ti-program is gebruik om die ontleding van die enorme hoeveelheid ongestruktureerde data te vergemaklik. Hierdie program het daartoe bygedra dat die navorser temas kon identifiseer en sodoende 'n substansiële data-analise kon maak. Die teoretiese raamwerk vir die uitvoer van hierdie navorsings studie is gebaseer op Bowlby se "Attachment Theory" (Gehegtheid-teorie) en Boss se "Ambiguous Loss" (Dubbelsinnige verlies). Die "Attachment Theory" het 'n raamwerk voorsien om ondersoek in te stel na die belangrikheid van ouer-kind verhoudings. Dit bied voorts die geleentheid om die menslike eienskap, om sterk bande van toegeneentheid met ander te vorm, beter te begryp. Dit bied ‘n manier om die kragtige emosionele reaksie wat plaasvind wanneer daardie bande bedreig of selfs verbreek word, beter te verstaan. Met die emigrasieverskynsel, vind daar 'n versteuring van hierdie primêre affektiewe bande plaas. Emigrasie is ‘n voorbeeld van “ambiguous loss” wat gevolglik lei tot die tweede teoretiese veronderstelling, naamlik "ambiguous loss." Die konsep van “ambiguous loss” (dubbelsinnige verlies) dra daartoe by om unieke persepsies, emosies en gedragspatrone te herken en beter te begryp. Die agtergeblewe ouer staar drastiese lewensveranderinge in die gesig as gevolg van die verlies aan 'n verhouding soos dit geken is, nie slegs met die volwasse-kind(ers) nie, maar ook dikwels met die kleinkinders. Die dubbelsinnigheid van die verskynsel maak dit moeilik om die verlies te aanvaar, en daar is geen voorgeskrewe rituele wat die hantering van “ambiguous loss” as gevolg van emigrasie vergemaklik of aanspreek nie.

This study explores and describes the personal and subjective experiences of parents left behind in South Africa after the emigration of their adult-child(ren). This study attempts to contribute to the knowledge base of this phenomenon by contextualising the experiences of these parents. The purpose of this research was to use the findings and recommendations to assist social workers and other helping professionals in understanding the life world of the parents left behind. Ultimately, the aim was to formulate practice guidelines for professionals with regard to addressing the emotional impact of emigration on these parents. A qualitative research approach was identified as the most appropriate to answer the research question and achieve the goal and objectives of this study. This approach aided in understanding and interpreting the meaning that research participants give to their experiences. Applied research with an exploratory and descriptive focus was found to be most applicable. A phenomenological research design, focusing on human experience and searching for structural meaning of the experience, was utilised. This study was consistent with the aims of a phenomenological study in that its purpose was to provide rich, in-depth descriptions of the experiences of parents left behind. Since phenomenology is both a philosophy and a methodology seeking to understand social phenomena from the participants (actor’s) perspective, the researcher found it to be the most appropriate design for this research. The flexibility and artistic side of this approach provided a platform for the researcher to be “creative” and to use other media like art to describe and explore the phenomenon. Clear and specific sampling criteria were set and non-probability purposive sampling was used to identify the first participant. The participants in this study were South African citizens and parents between the ages of 50 and 80 years, living in Gauteng province in South Africa, from both genders and from any race or cultural background. Snowball sampling was subsequently used to identify the rest of the participants that matched the sampling criteria. The principal method of data collection was unstructured interviews. To elicit a rich detailed account of the parents’ experiences, data was collected during nineteen in-depth face-to-face interviews with 24 participants, of which five couples were interviewed jointly. All participants gave voluntary and informed consent to take part and every interview was audio recorded and typed verbatim, with their permission. The ATLAS.ti program was utilised to assist in the analysis of the vast amount of unstructured information and aided in identifying the categories yielded from within each theme. This program facilitated the researcher to identify patterns or themes from direct quotations to provide rich data representation. The theoretical framework for conducting this study was based on Bowlby’s Attachment theory and Boss’s Ambiguous loss. Attachment theory provided a framework to explore the importance of parent-child relationships and provided a way to conceptualise the human characteristic of forming strong bonds of affection with others. It is a way to understand the strong emotional reaction that occurs when those bonds are threatened or broken. With the phenomenon of emigration, there is a disruption of these primary affective bonds which subsequently leads to the second theoretical premise, that of ambiguous loss. Emigration is an example of ambiguous loss. Boss’s term, ambiguous loss, was relevant to this study in order to understand the nature of loss and emigration. The concept ambiguous loss aided in understanding the unique perceptions, emotions and behaviours associated with losses that are incomplete and that defy closure. The parent left behind faces drastic life changes due to the loss of a relationship as it was known, not only with the adult-child(ren), but also with their grandchildren. The ambiguity of the phenomenon makes it difficult to come to terms with. In addition, the lack of prescribed rituals in dealing with ambiguous loss complicates the grieving process.