Abstract:
This study reports on the experiences of Black adults who were raised in
kinship care during adolescence and its influences on their psychosocial
well-being in adulthood. An exploratory, descriptive, instrumental, multiplecase
study approach was followed to facilitate retrospective investigation.
Semi-structured, individual interviews were conducted to construct data.
The sample comprised of 13 Black adults between the ages of 18 and 42
years. Thematic analysis was used to analyse the data. The themes highlighted
the systemic challenges characteristic of the South African context.
These include poverty, material deprivation, and its influence on the kinship
caregiver’s physical and emotional accessibility. The findings suggest that
the implications of the systemic challenges reverberate as forms of structural
violence. Many of the participants defend against this, with conscious
efforts to emphasize on the constructive outcomes of their experiences.
Future research should include multiple case and quantitative studies as
well as more longitudinal research.
