Exploring Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACE) and their effect on motherhood : perceptions of the adult-child

Abstract

Women’s voices have been historically silenced in narratives of historical and collective trauma in South Africa. Women’s voices have been even more silent on how the historical and systematic oppression in South Africa interacted with domestic experiences within Black African households during and post-apartheid. The literature suggests that earlier childhood experiences inform transitions to other life developmental stages, such as motherhood. Research from South Africa shows high rates of individual exposure to childhood adversity in African girls and boys, which affect their life outcomes. However, with regard to girls (girl children), minimal research has explored how Black African women’s experiences of childhood traumas shape their transition to motherhood. This qualitative study explored how Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACE), and contextual factors shape motherhood. Contextual factors in pre- and post-apartheid South Africa were highlighted concerning how they shape mothering practices and affect maternal mental health. Using a collective case study design, semi-structured interviews and reflective documents, data were collected from eight Black African women ranging in age from 30 to 45 years. The women experienced varied forms of adversities (physical abuse, neglect, maltreatment, violence) in the home during their childhood. A combination of purposive and snowball sampling was used to select the participants. The thematic analysis unpacked complex perspectives on mothering in the context of previous childhood adversities as well as mental health protective and risk factors. Through the lenses of Bronfenbrenner’s Ecological Systems Theory, the study provides a systems perspective of adverse childhood experiences and factors affecting motherhood in this context. Narratives of upbringing showed a nuanced interplay between stability and instability, particularly in the context of mobility and complex family structures. The findings presented the complexities of father involvement and disengagement in the context of childhood adversities among a sample of Black South African women born between 1980 and 1990. It further provided valuable insights for comprehending the broader societal landscape and the evolving roles of fathers within African families. Guardianship family structures and kinship care unveiled a spectrum of experiences, emphasising the significant role of extended family members in shaping childhoods. The mothers’ childhood experiences, as well as the perceptions of their own mothers, informed maternal identities and their ideologies of motherhood. The study recommends that childhood adversities should be considered during interventions addressing maternal mental health.

Vroue se stemme is histories stilgemaak in narratiewe van historiese en kollektiewe trauma in Suid-Afrika. Vrou se stemme is selfs stiller oor die wisselwerking tussen die historiese en sistematiese onderdrukking in Suid-Afrika en huishoudelike ervarings in swart huishoudings tydens en ná apartheid. Die literatuur dui daarop dat vroeë kinderervarings die oorgang na ander lewensontwikkelingstadia, soos moederskap, inlig. Navorsing uit Suid-Afrika toon hoë koerse van individuele blootstelling aan kinderteenspoed in Afrika-dogters en -seuns wat hulle lewensuitkomste beïnvloed. Wat meisies betref, het minimale navorsing egter ondersoek hoe swart Afrika-vroue se ervarings van kindertraumas hulle oorgang na moederskap vorm. Hierdie kwalitatiewe studie het ondersoek hoe nadelige kinder-ervarings en kontekstuele faktore moederskap vorm. Kontekstuele faktore in pre- en postapartheid-Suid-Afrika is beklemtoon ten opsigte van hoe hulle moederpraktyke vorm en moedergeestesgesondheid beïnvloed. Deur middel van ’n kollektiewe gevallestudie-ontwerp, semi-gestruktureerde onderhoude en reflektiewe dokumente is data ingesamel van agt swart Afrika-vroue tussen die ouderdom van 30 en 45 jaar. Die vroue het gedurende hulle kinderjare verskeie vorme van teenspoed (fisiese mishandeling, verwaarlosing, mishandeling en geweld) in die huis ervaar. ’n Kombinasie van doelgerigte en sneeubalsteekproefneming is gebruik om die deelnemers te selekteer. Die tematiese ontleding het komplekse perspektiewe oor moederskap in die kontekste van vorige kinderteenspoed asook beskermings- en risikofaktore vir geestelike gesondheid ondersoek. Deur die lens van Bronfenbrenner se ekologiese sisteemteorie verskaf die studie ’n sisteemperspektief van ongunstige kinderervarings en -faktore wat moederskap in hierdie konteks beïnvloed. Narratiewe van opvoeding het ’n genuanseerde wisselwerking tussen stabiliteit en onstabiliteit getoon, veral in die konteks van mobiliteit en komplekse gesinstrukture. Die bevindinge het die kompleksiteite van vaderbetrokkenheid en -onbetrokkenheid in die konteks van kinderteenspoed onder Suid-Afrikaanse vroue gebore tussen 1980 en 1990 weergegee. Dit het verder waardevolle insigte verskaf om die breër samelewingslandskap en die ontwikkelende rolle van vaders in Afrika-gesinne te begryp. Voogdyskapgesinstrukture en verwantskapsorg het ’n spektrum van ervarings onthul wat die beduidende rol van lede van die uitgebreide familie in die vorming van kinderjare beklemtoon. Die moeders se kinderervarings asook die persepsies van hulle eie moeders het moeder-identiteite en hulle ideologieë van moederskap ingelig. Die studie beveel aan dat kinderteenspoed in ag geneem moet word tydens ingrypings wat moedergeestesgesondheid aanpak.

Mantswe a basadi a ntse a kganetswe go bua mo nakong e e fetileng mo ditlhalosong tsa kutlobotlhoko e e itemogetsweng ke batho ba morafe o o rileng mo Aforika Borwa. Mantswe a basadi a ne a didimaditswe le go feta ka ga tsela e kgatelelo ya mo nakong e e fetileng e e neng e tshegediwa ke puso ya nako eo mo Aforika Borwa e neng e golagana ka teng le maitemogelo a selegae mo malapeng a Bantsho ka nako ya tlhaolele le morago ga yone. Diphasalatso di tshitsinya gore maitemogelo a go sale gale a bongwana a kaela go fetogela mo dikgatong tse dingwe sa kgolo mo botshelong, tse di jaaka go nna mme. Tlhotlhomiso go tswa mo Aforika Borwa e bontsha dielo tse di kwa godimo tsa maitemogelo a motho ka nosi a bothata mo bongwaneng mo basetsaneng le basimane ba Bantsho, a a amang se ba nnang sone mo botshelong. Le fa go ntse jalo, malebana le basetsana (bana ba basetsana), tlhotlhomiso e potlana e sekasekile tsela e maitemogelo a basadi ba Bantsho a kutlobotlhoko e e itemogetsweng mo bongwaneng jwa bone e bopang ka teng go fetoga ga bone go nna bomme. Thutopatlisiso eno e e sa akaretseng dipalo e sekasekile mokgwa o Maitemogelo a a sa Siamang a Bongwana (di-ACE) le ditlhotlheletso tse di bakilweng ke maemo a a rileng di bopang ka teng go nna mme. Ditlhotlheletsi tse di bakilweng ke maemo a mo Aforika Borwa wa pele le morago ga tlhaolele di gateletswe malebana le tsela e di bopang mekgwatiriso ya ga mme ya go godisa bana le go ama pholo ya moganano wa ga mme. Ka tiriso ya thutopatlisiso ya mofuta wa tshekatsheko e e dirwang mo setlhopheng sa batho ba le mo maemong a mmatota, dipotsolotso tse motlhotlhomisi o botsang dipotso tse di se nang dikarabo tse di rileng le ditokomane tse di sekasekang maitemogelo a sebele, go kgobokantswe deitha go tswa mo basading ba le robedi ba Bantsho ba dingwaga tse di farologaneng tsa go tloga mo dingwageng tse 30 go ya go tse 45. Basadi ba itemogetse mekgwa e e farologaneng ya mathata (tshotlako ya mo mmeleng, go tlhokomologiwa, tshwaro e e makgwakgwa, tirisodikgoka) mo gae ka nako ya bone ya bongwana. Go tlhopha batsayakarolo go kopantswe tseosampole e motlhotlhomisi o itlhophelang batsayakarolo le tseosampole e batsayakarolo ba tlhotlhomiso ba kopiwang go thusa motlhotlhomisi go batla ba bangwe. Tshekatsheko e e sa akaretsang dipalo e sekasekile dikakanyo tse di raraaneng ka ga tlhokomelo ya ngwana ke mme mo maemong a mo nakong e e fetileng a mathata a a itemogetsweng ka bongwana gammogo le ditlhotlheletsi tsa tshireletso le matshosetsi a pholo ya monagano. Go ya ka kakanyo ya Tiori ya ga Bronfenbrenner e e ka ga Ditlhotlheletsi tsa mo Tikologong tse di Amang Kgolo ya Ngwana, thutopatlisiso e neela kakanyo ya go tlhotlhelediwa ga maitemogelo a a sa siamang a a itemogelwang ka bongwana le ditlhotlheletsi tse di amang go nna mme mo maemong ano. Ditlhaloso tsa kgodiso ya ngwana di bontshitse kamano e se kae fa gare ga tlhomamo le go tlhoka tlhomamo, segolo bogolo mo maemong a tokafalo le dikamano tse di raraaneng tsa balelapa. Diphitlhelelo di tlhagisitse mathata a a raraaneng a go nna le seabe ga rre mo kamanong ya gagwe le ngwana le go ikgogela morago ga rre mo kamanong ya gagwe le ngwana mo maemong a mathata a a itemogelwang ka bongwana mo basading ba Aforika Borwa ba ba belegweng fa gare ga 1980 le 1990. Di neetse go ya pele ditemoso tsa botlhokwa tsa go tlhaloganya seemo se se anameng sa loago le seabe se se fetogang ka iketlo sa borre mo teng ga malapa a Bantsho. Dikamano tsa balelapa tsa botlamedi le tlhokomelo ya balosika di senotse mefutafuta ya maitemogelo, di gatelela seabe sa botlhokwa sa balosika mo go bopeng bongwana. Maitemogelo a bongwana a bomme, gammogo le megopolo e ba nang le yone ka bomme ba bone, di bopile ditsela tse ba itshupang e le bomme le dikakanyo tsa bone tsa go nna mme. Thutopatlisiso e atlanegisa gore go tshwanetse ga akanyediwa mathata a a itemogetsweng ka bongwana ka nako ya dikalafing tse di samaganang le pholo ya monagano ya ga mme.