Black women’s retrospective reflections on their lived, maternal attachment experiences in informal kinship care during adolescence

Abstract

Kinship care has become a widespread form of care, with approximately 1 in 10 children living in kinship care globally. This alternative form of caregiving has gained substantial traction due to its potential benefits for children’s well-being, their stability and cultural continuity. The latter is especially relevant to the South African context where kinship care and the extended family unit has been an integral part of African cultural continuity. South Africa continues to observe a high incidence of kinship care. This is attributed to the legacy of colonialism and apartheid, which emphasised on the fragmentation of the Black family. This research aimed to explore the implications of this legacy, by focussing on the experiences of Black women who resided in informal kinship care during adolescence. The research endeavoured to apply an African centred lens, given that the concepts of kinship care and attachment are often explored from a Western and Eurocentric perspective, even when exploring the experiences of Black people within African contexts. Moreover, this research aimed to emphasise Black women’s maternal experiences in informal kinship care. By examining the retrospective reflections of Black women in informal kinship care, this study contributed to a more comprehensive understanding of the diverse ways in which maternal attachment experiences intersect with cultural contexts. The findings of this research offer insights into the broader discussions on caregiving, family dynamics, and the intergenerational transmission of values within the Black community. In doing so, responding to a gap in psychological research. This research employed a qualitative approach and through in-depth interviews, it uncovered the intersections between culture, society, and family and how these concepts have shaped the attachment experiences of Black women. Attachment experiences were investigated in relation to how they influenced participants’ sense of identity, self-esteem, and relationships. Finally, this research sheds some light on the emotional, psychological, and practical challenges Black women encountered in informal kinship care, as well as the coping strategies they adopted during these formative years. In conclusion, the findings of this study highlight the need for more research on this topic. There is little contextually relevant research on the experiences of Black women in informal kinship care. Studying the Black family structure in South Africa is important as it is an important social construct.