Browsing by Author "Karrit, Miriam"

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    Parenting a child with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) in the context of Covid-19 in South Africa: A qualitative study
    (Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University, 2022-04) Karrit, Miriam; Coetzee, Bronwyne; Stellenbosch University. Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences. Dept. of Psychology.
    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.