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Parenting a child with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) in the context of Covid-19 in South Africa: A qualitative study
Thesis (MA)--Stellenbosch University, 2022.
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| Format: | Thesis |
| Language: | en_ZA |
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Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University
2022
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| _version_ | 1867613790816698368 |
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| access_status_str | Open Access |
| author | Karrit, Miriam |
| author2 | Coetzee, Bronwyne |
| author_browse | Coetzee, Bronwyne Karrit, Miriam |
| author_facet | Coetzee, Bronwyne Karrit, Miriam |
| author_sort | Karrit, Miriam |
| collection | Thesis |
| dc_rights_str_mv | Stellenbosch University |
| description | Thesis (MA)--Stellenbosch University, 2022. |
| format | Thesis |
| id | oai:scholar.sun.ac.za:10019.1/124750 |
| institution | Stellenbosch University (South Africa) |
| language | en_ZA |
| last_indexed | 2026-06-10T12:41:45.229Z |
| license_str | Other — see source repository |
| provenance_str_mv | Harvested via OAI-PMH from SUNScholar — Stellenbosch University Repository |
| publishDate | 2022 |
| publishDateRange | 2022 |
| publishDateSort | 2022 |
| publisher | Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University |
| publisherStr | Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University |
| record_format | dspace |
| source_str | SUNScholar — Stellenbosch University Repository |
| spelling | oai:scholar.sun.ac.za:10019.1/124750 Parenting a child with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) in the context of Covid-19 in South Africa: A qualitative study Karrit, Miriam Coetzee, Bronwyne Stellenbosch University. Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences. Dept. of Psychology. Autism spectrum disorders COVID-19 (Disease) Parents of children with disabilities UCTD Thesis (MA)--Stellenbosch University, 2022. ENGLISH SUMMARY: Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is defined as a neurodevelopmental disorder characterised by restricted and repetitive behaviours, activities, and interests, as well as deficits in social communication. Even in ideal circumstances, parenting a child with ASD can be stressful and impact on emotional well-being due to these characteristics. The 2019 coronavirus pandemic (Covid-19) created a high degree of disturbance to the lives of parents raising a child with ASD. In order to help children with ASD deal with these challenges (unpredictable and complex changes), parents provided specialised support, encouragement, and access to activities that enabled them to master key developmental tasks. It was crucial to investigate the challenges faced by parents raising a child with ASD in South Africa during the pandemic as there was a paucity of literature on the matter. In this qualitative study, I aimed to explore parents’ experiences of parenting a child with ASD in South Africa in the context of Covid-19 in order to determine challenges they faced and how they coped with these. To answer my research question and address my objective, I conducted semi-structured interviews with a total of 23 parent participants (raising children with ASD between the ages of 6 and 12), all of whom provided written informed consent for this. The participants were assured of their anonymity. The interviews took place telephonically or online via Zoom meetings and were audio-recorded using a Dictaphone. I transcribed the interviews verbatim, subsequently analysing the data engendered thematically, using ATLAS.ti version 9. By using thematic analysis, I identified four themes and 12 subthemes that provided insight into the parents’ experiences. The four main themes were as follows: Pandemic challenges- restrictions, routines and remote working, parenting and interpersonal relationships in conditions of confinement, help-seeking and sources of support, finding ways to cope amidst a crisis. The main finding was that parenting a child with ASD during lockdown was complicated and challenging. Indeed, parents reported that their children faced many challenges when it came to adhering to disease containment measures such as the lockdown itself and mask-wearing, social distancing, and hand sanitising. These measures required explanation from parents to children. In terms of interpersonal relationships at home, parent-child ones were affected in a negative or positive manner, given that the family spent more time together. Parents faced challenges balancing their work or house duties against the needs of their children, especially those who were on the frontline of the pandemic such as healthcare workers. Even though some parents enjoyed support during the pandemic, all parents highlighted the need for additional help. While some used adaptive coping strategies, others took to maladaptive ones such as substance abuse, isolation, and overeating, which impacted them and their child negatively. These findings provide initial evidence that parents of children with ASD in South Africa need additional support in order to effectively manage the Covid-19 pandemic. Future research could include the experiences of raising adolescents with ASD in the context of Covid-19 in South Africa. Moreover, future research might focus on assessing the emotional well-being and stress of parents of children with ASD – and under different levels of restriction. AFRIKAANS OPSOMMING: Outisme-spektrumsindroom (OSS) word gedefinieer as ‘n neuro-ontwikkelingsindroom wat gekenmerk word deur herhalende gedrag, -aktiwiteite, en -belangstellings asook gebrekkige sosiale kommunikasie. Selfs onder ideale omstandighede is die ouerskap van ‘n kind met OSS stresvol en het dit ‘n impak op welstand weens die genoemde eienskappe daarvan. Die koronaviruspandemie van 2019, Covid-19, het ‘n hoë mate van versteuring meegebring aan die lewens van ouers wat ‘n kind met OSS grootmaak. Om hierdie kinders te help om hierdie uitdagings tegemoet te kom, veral met betrekking tot onvoorspelbare en komplekse uitdagings, het ouers gespesialiseerde ondersteuning, bemoediging, en toegang gebied, ook met betrekking tot aktiwiteite wat hulle in staat gestel het om sleutelontwikkelingstake te bemeester. Dit was van kardinale belang om die uitdagings wat hierdie ouers in die gesig gestaar het, te ondersoek, aangesien daar min literatuur was wat hierop gefokus het. In hierdie kwalitatiewe studie het ek gepoog om ouers se ervarings rondom die grootmaak van ‘n kind met OSS in Suid Afrika binne die konteks van Covid-19 te ondersoek om sodoende die uitdagings wat hulle in die gesig gestaar het en hoe hulle dit hanteer het, te ondersoek. Met die oog daarop om my navorsingsvraag te beantwoord en my doelwit te bereik, het ek semi-gestruktureerde onderhoude gevoer met 23 deelnemers wat besig was om kinders met OSS tussen die ouderdomme van ses en 12 groot te maak, waarvan elkeen geskrewe toestemming hiervoor verleen het. Die deelnemers is verseker daarvan dat hulle anoniem sou bly. Die onderhoude is telefonies of aanlyn gevoer deur middel van Zoomvergaderings en is opgeneem deur van ‘n Diktafoon gebruik te maak. Ek het die onderhoude verbatim herskryf, waarna ek die data wat so gegenereer is tematies geanaliseer deur gebruik te maak van ATLAS.ti weergawe 9. Deur middel van tematiese analise het ek vier temas en 12 subtemas geïdentifiseer wat insig gebied het rondom ouers se ervaringe. Die vier hooftemas is soos volg: pandemie-inperkings, roetines en afstandswerk, ouerskap en interpersoonlike verhoudings onder ingeperkte omstandighede, die soeke na hulp en bronne van ondersteuning, en maniere waarop hanteer kan word te midde van ‘n krisis. Die hoofbevinding was dat die grootmaak van ‘n kind met OSS gedurende die grendelstaat ingewikkeld was en aansienlike uitdagings gebied het. In der waarheid het ouers gerapporteer dat hulle kinders heelwat uitdagings in die gesig gestaar het rondom die nakoming van die siektebeperkende maatreëls soos die grendelstaat self en die dra van maskers, die handhawing van sosiale afstand, en die sanitering van hande. Hierdie maatreëls het heelwat verduideliking geverg van die ouers aan die kinders. Met betrekkking tot interpersoonlike verhoudings tuis is ouerkind verhoudings negatief of positief geaffekteer, aangesien die gesin meer tyd saam spandeer het. Ouers het dit as ‘n uitdaging ervaar om hulle werks- en huistake te balanseer met die behoeftes van hulle kinders, veral daardie ouers wat in die voorste linie van die pandemie gedien het, byvoorbeeld gesondheidswerkers. Al sou sommige ouers ondersteuning geniet tydens die pandemie, het al die ouers die behoefte aan ekstra hulp beklemtoon. Terwyl sommige ouers aanpasbare coping-strategieë aangewend het, het ander ook nie-aanpasbare strategieë aangewend, byvoorbeeld die misbruik van middele, isolasie, en die neiging om te veel te eet. Dit het hulle en hulle kind negatief beïnvloed. Hierdie bevindinge bied ‘n aanvanklike bewys daarvan dat ouers van kinders met OSS in Suid-Afrika bykomende ondersteuning benodig om ‘n Covid-19 pandemie of soortgelyke situasie behoorlik te bestuur. In die toekoms behoort navorsing die ervaringe rondom die grootmaak van adolessente met OSS in ‘n soortgelyke konteks te bestudeer. Bowendien mag toekomstige navorsing fokus op die assessering van die emosionele gesonheid en stres van ouers met kinders wat aan OSS lei, veral ten opsigte van verskillende vlakke van inperking. Masters 2022-03-09T20:26:23Z 2022-04-29T09:30:38Z 2022-03-09T20:26:23Z 2022-04-29T09:30:38Z 2022-04 Thesis http://hdl.handle.net/10019.1/124750 en_ZA Stellenbosch University 150 pages application/pdf Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University |
| spellingShingle | Autism spectrum disorders COVID-19 (Disease) Parents of children with disabilities UCTD Karrit, Miriam Parenting a child with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) in the context of Covid-19 in South Africa: A qualitative study |
| title | Parenting a child with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) in the context of Covid-19 in South Africa: A qualitative study |
| title_full | Parenting a child with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) in the context of Covid-19 in South Africa: A qualitative study |
| title_fullStr | Parenting a child with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) in the context of Covid-19 in South Africa: A qualitative study |
| title_full_unstemmed | Parenting a child with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) in the context of Covid-19 in South Africa: A qualitative study |
| title_short | Parenting a child with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) in the context of Covid-19 in South Africa: A qualitative study |
| title_sort | parenting a child with autism spectrum disorder asd in the context of covid 19 in south africa a qualitative study |
| topic | Autism spectrum disorders COVID-19 (Disease) Parents of children with disabilities UCTD |
| url | http://hdl.handle.net/10019.1/124750 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT karritmiriam parentingachildwithautismspectrumdisorderasdinthecontextofcovid19insouthafricaaqualitativestudy |