Development of an intervention for orphans after the death of a parent on duty as a member of the South African Police Service

Abstract

Various challenges confront South Africa, including tragic deaths due to murders, accidents, and suicide. The South African Police Service (SAPS) experiences a significant loss of personnel annually due to the prevalence of violent crime in the country, leaving behind a number of orphaned children and adolescents. This research explored the needs of orphans following the death of their parents on duty in the South African Police Service (SAPS). The aim of this research project was to develop an intervention strategy which would be implemented as part of the SAPS’ support services for orphans. The research adopted an action research process, starting with a needs assessment among orphaned adolescents. The study used purposive sampling to choose 15 orphans for semi-structured individual interviews. Ten personnel from the Employee Health and Wellness (EHW) programme of the South African Police Service participated in focus group discussions as key informants to explore the needs of orphans and the available interventions for them. Thematic analysis was used to explore and interpret the needs assessment data. It was found that orphans showed indications of heightened anxiety and depression. Children's frequent exclusion from family grieving rituals could be a contributing factor. Moreover, adults are often preoccupied with their responsibilities and may lack the necessary communication skills to effectively listen to the needs of a grieving child and to explain the situation at hand. Additionally, the orphans' limited access to essential psychological resources, crucial for their ongoing survival and mental well-being, could lead to psychosocial challenges. Based on the needs assessment results, this study developed a psychosocial group intervention for orphaned adolescents who lost their parents, who were employees of the South African Police Service (SAPS). The intervention, based on the principles of cognitive behavior therapy (CBT), consisted of six sessions that focused on emotional awareness and expression, skills training, and social support. A small group of 9 orphaned adolescents in the Gauteng province participated in the sessions of the group-based intervention over a one week period. A summative evaluation method was adopted using a mixed methods design. The study used the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ) (Goodman, 1999) and the Resilience Scale (RS) (Wagnild & Young, 1987) in a pre- and post-intervention design. The qualitative evaluation used observation and feedback from the sessions in order to assess the process of the intervention. Analysis of pre- and post-intervention scores (n = 9) revealed significant differences in the conduct and peer problem subscales of the SDQ, indicating that the orphans exhibited increased challenges following the intervention. The intervention focused on making orphans aware and helping them to express suppressed emotions. The short intervention, stretching over five days in one week, was not sufficient for orphans to overcome emotional, behaviour and peer problems. However, using the RS scale, orphans showed significant improvement in terms of meaningfulness, self-resilience, and equanimity. This demonstrates that despite ongoing emotional problems, peer relationships, and behavioral issues, the intervention successfully boosted their sense of meaning and self-resilience, a measure of their ability to believe in their own abilities and capabilities. Furthermore, observation, participant feedback after each session, and facilitator feedback were used as qualitative data. The qualitative results revealed numerous factors, both pre-intervention and during the intervention, that could have contributed to the diverse outcomes. The findings highlight the importance of a tailored group intervention for orphans of SAPS members while also emphasising the need for continuous assessment and refinement of support services to ensure optimal outcomes for affected children.

Key words: Orphans, grief experiences, South African Police Service, Employee Health and Wellness, psycho-social group intervention, cognitive behaviour therapy.