Thesis (MA)--Stellenbosch University, 2014. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: Families with a transracially adopted child are confronted with normal family crises, crises
due to the adoption as well as challenges specific to a transracial family. When this
transracial family is a single-parent family, it could be assumed that the challenges the family
faces will be even more. Consequently, the need developed to investigate characteristics and
family patterns which contribute to family adaptation in crises in the single-parent family
where a child from a different race than the parent has been adopted. The research question in
this study was: “What are resilience factors in single-parent transracial families?” The
strength perspective formed the basis of this study and the theories of Walsh (2003) and
McCubbin and McCubbin (1996) provided the theoretical grounding. An explorative research
design was used to address the research question. Data were collected by means of semistructured
interviews and conventional content analysis was performed to analyse the data by
using the Atlas.ti. computer program. Interviews were conducted with six white women who
adopted a child or children from a different race than themselves. These women were all
single parents living in the Western Cape, South Africa. At the time of the study, the ages of
these transracially adopted children ranged from three to 10 years. A biographical
questionnaire and an in-depth interview with each participant were used to collect the data.
The results indicated that an important resilience factor in the transracially adopted family is
equipping the adopted child with specific skills to cope with crises that may result due to
his/her unique situation. Effective preparation of the adoptive mother before adoption, social
contact and the support of the extended family were also found to be important resilience factors. Family routines, openness about the adoption and the utilisation of external resources
were identified as important sources of resilience for the single-parent transracial family. The
results of this study provide important information to the potential transracially adopting
parent to prepare him/herself for transracial adoption. The results of this study also provide important information to everyone involved in transracial adoption (for example the social
worker) in South-Africa. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Gesinne met ʼn aangenome kind van ʼn ander ras as die ouer(s) word gekonfronteer met alle
normale gesinskrisisse, krisisse wat ontstaan weens die aanneming, sowel as uitdagings wat
spesifiek aan ʼn transrasgesin gestel word. Indien die transrasgesin ʼn enkelouergesin is, kan
daar verwag word dat verdere uitdagings aan hierdie gesin gestel sal word. Gevolglik het die
vraag ontstaan watter gesinskenmerke en -patrone ʼn bydrae lewer tot gesinsaanpassing in
krisissituasies in enkelouergesinne waar ʼn kind van ʼn ander ras as die ouer aangeneem is.
Gevolglik was die navorsingsvraag in hierdie ondersoek: “Wat is veerkragtigheidskenmerke
van enkelouer-transrasgesinne?” Die sterkteperspektief het as uitgangspunt vir hierdie studie
gedien en die teorieë van Walsh (2003) en McCubbin en McCubbin (1996) is as teoretiese
grondslag benut. ʼn Eksploratiewe navorsingsontwerp is gebruik om die navorsingsvraag te
ondersoek. Data is deur middel van semi-gestruktureerde onderhoude ingesamel en
konvensionele inhoudsontleding is gedoen om ingesamelde data met behulp van die Atlas.tirekenaarprogram
te ontleed. Onderhoude is met ses wit vroue wat ʼn kind of kinders van ʼn
ander ras as hulself aangeneem het, gevoer. Hierdie vroue is almal enkelouers en woonagtig
in die Wes-Kaap, Suid-Afrika. Tydens die ondersoek het die ouderdomme van die
transrasaangenome kinders gewissel tussen drie en 10 jaar. ʼn Biografiese vraelys en ʼn
diepgaande onderhoud met elke deelnemer is gebruik om data in te samel. Daar is bevind dat
ʼn belangrike veerkragtigheidsfaktor in die transrasaangenome gesin is om die
transrasaangenome kind toe te rus met vaardighede om potensiële krisisse rakende sy/haar
transrasaangenome status effektief te hanteer. Die effektiewe voorbereiding van die moeder voor aanneming, sosiale kontak en die ondersteuning van die uitgebreide familie is ook as
belangrike veerkragtigheidsfaktore in die transrasgesin geïdentifiseer. Spesifieke
gesinspatrone, openlikheid oor die aanneming en die benutting van eksterne hulpbronne help
ook die transrasgesin om krisissituasies effektief te hanteer. Hierdie inligting is ʼn belangrike hulpbron vir potensiële aanneemouers ten einde hulle effektief voor te berei vir die
aanneming van ʼn kind van ʼn ander ras as hulself. Die resultate van hierdie studie verskaf ook
belangrike inligting aan die ondersteuningspartye (byvoorbeeld die maatskaplike werker) wat
betrokke is by transrasaanneming in Suid-Afrika.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:netd.ac.za/oai:union.ndltd.org:sun/oai:scholar.sun.ac.za:10019.1/96041 |
| Date | 12 1900 |
| Creators | Oosthuizen, Marita |
| Contributors | Greeff, Abraham Petrus, Stellenbosch University. Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences. Department of Psychology. |
| Publisher | Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University |
| Source Sets | South African National ETD Portal |
| Language | af_ZA |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Thesis |
| Format | xiii, 100 p. : ill. |
| Rights | Stellenbosch University |
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