The Impact of Stepfamily Structures and their Dynamics on the Phenomenon of Children Living and Working on the Streets in the North-West Province of South Africa
Keywords:
Children living and working on the streets, stepfamily, stepparent, stepchildrenAbstract
Purpose: There is a concerning increase in children living on South African streets. This surge is influenced by poverty, family instability, parental separation, domestic violence and child maltreatment. Research suggests that stepfamily environments tend to be unstable and characterized by strained relationships, making them less ideal than traditional family structures. This paper aims to investigate the impact of stepfamily dynamics on the prevalence of children living and working on the streets in South Africa. Methodology: Attachment theory is used, and it draws upon qualitative data gathered from a Ph.D. study. The dataset consists of information collected from 15 street children receiving services at two drop-in centres in the North West Province, South Africa, and their parents (total: 30 participants). In-depth interviews were conducted in Setswana. Data were manually coded, and (sub-) themes were analysed. Ethical approval was obtained from North-West University. Findings: The study reveals that a lower proportion of children emerged from nuclear families (13%) and extended families (14%) as compared to those from single-parent families (40%) and stepfamilies (33%). A separate paper looked at the single parent family. It is important to explore stepfamily and single parent family dynamics separately, as they have unique family processes. This paper specifically looks at various dynamics in stepfamily structures, where children cited mistreatment by stepparents as the primary reason for them turning to the streets. Implications: It is essential to strengthen family and children’s policies, to encourage parents to engage in social programs and receive support from social workers, and to facilitate their adaptation to stepfamilies and stepchildren. Originality: This is one of the first papers that explores the impact of stepfamily structures and their dynamics on the phenomenon of children living and working on the streets in South Africa
Downloads
References
Adler‐Baeder, F. & Higginbotham, B. (2004). Implications of remarriage and stepfamily formation for marriage education. Family Relations, 53(5), 448-458.
Amato, P. R. (2005). The impact of family formation change on the cognitive, social, and emotional well-being of the next generation. The future of children, 75-96. Retrieved October 18, 2023, from https://muse.jhu.edu/issue/10144.
Baxter, L. A. Braithwaite, D. O., & Bryant, L. E. (2006). Types of communication triads perceived by young-adult stepchildren in established stepfamilies. Communication Studies, 57(4), 381-400.
Baxter, L. A. Braithwaite, D. O., Bryant, L., & Wagner, A. (2004). Stepchildren’s perceptions of the contradictions in communication with stepparents. Journal of Social and Personal Relationships, 21(4), 447-467.
Bernstein, A. C. (2000). Remarriage: redesigning couple hood. In Papp P., Couples on the fault line: New directions for therapists, 284-311. Guilford Press.
Bildtgård, T. Winqvist, M., & Öberg, P. (2021). The dyad is not enough: Third-party mediation as a precondition for cohesion in long-term step relationships. Sociologisk forskning, 58(3), 217-242.
Bowlby, J. (1979). The Bowlby-Ainsworth attachment theory. Behavioral and Brain Sciences, 2(4), 637-638.
Braithwaite, D., Olson, L., Golish, T., Soukup, C., & Turman, P. (2001). "Becoming a family": developmental processes represented in blended family discourse. Journal of Applied Communication Research, 29(3), 221-247.
Browning, S., & Artelt, E. (2012). Stepfamily therapy: A 10-step clinical approach. American Psychological Association. Retrieved October 18, 2023, from https://psycnet.apa.org/doi/10.1037/13089-000.
Bumpass, L. L., Raley, R. K., & Sweet, J. A. (1995). The changing character of stepfamilies: Implications of cohabitation and nonmarital childbearing. Demography, 32(3) 425-436.
Cartwright, C. (2005). Stepfamily living and parent-child relationships: An exploratory investigation. Journal of Family Studies, 11(2), 267-283.
Cartwright, S. (2008). The Shifting Paid Work and Family Life Experiences and Cultural Habitus of Motherhood: An Australian Perpsective. International Journal of the Humanities, 5(12), 135-149.
Cherlin, A.J., & Furstenberg Jr, F.F. (1994). Stepfamilies in the United States: A reconsideration. Annual Review of Sociology, 359-381.
Clarke, S. C., & Wilson, B. F. (1994). The relative stability of remarriages: A cohort approach using vital statistics. Family relations, 43, 305-310.
Department of Social development. (n.d). Strategy and guidelines for children living and working in the streets. Retrieved October 18, 2023, from: https://www.gov.za/sites/default/files/gcis_document/201409/strategyandguidelineschildrenlivingworkinginthestreets50.pdf.
Dupuis, S. B. (2007). Examining remarriage: A look at issues affecting remarried couples and the implications towards therapeutic techniques. Journal of Divorce & Remarriage, 48(1-2), 91-104.
Faber, A. J. (2004). Examining remarried couples through a Bowenian family systems lens. Journal of Divorce & Remarriage, 40(3-4), 121-133.
Furstenberg, F. F. (1987). The new extended family: The experience of parents and children after remarriage. Departmental Papers (Penn Sociology), University of Pennsylvania. Penn Libraries. Retrieved October 18, 2023, from: https://core.ac.uk/download/pdf/129587051.pdf
Ganong, L. H., & Coleman, M. (2012). Stepfamily relationships. Springer-Verlag New York.
Ganong, L. H., Coleman, M., & Jamison, T. (2011). Patterns of stepchild–stepparent relationship development. Journal of Marriage and Family, 73(2), 396-413.
Goldenberg, I., & Goldenberg, H. (2004). Family therapy: An overview (6th ed.). Pacific Grove, CA: Thomson Brooks/Cole.
Halpern‐Meekin, S., & Tach, L. (2008). Heterogeneity in two‐parent families and adolescent well‐being. Journal of Marriage and Family, 70(2), 435-451.
Hazan, C., & Shaver, P. R. (1992). Broken attachments: Relationship loss from the perspective of attachment theory. In Close relationship loss: Theoretical approaches (pp. 90-108). New York, NY: Springer New York.
Hetherington, M. E., & Kelly, J. (2003). For better or for worse: Divorce reconsidered, W.W. Norton & Company, New York.
Idemudia, E. S., Kgokong, K., & Kolobe, P. (2013). Street children in Mafikeng, North-West Province: a qualitative study of social experiences. Journal of social development in Africa, 28(1), 161.
Kanyane, M. (2016). Interplay of intergovernmental relations conundrum. State of the Nation South Africa 2016: Who is in Charge?: Mandates, Accountability and Contestations in the South African State, 92-106, HSRC Press, Pretoria.
Lewis, S., Kagan, C., & Heaton, P. (2000). Dual-earner parents with disabled children: Family patterns for working and caring. Journal of Family Issues, 21(8), 1031-1060.
McGee, A. (2012). An Exploration of Stepfamily Experiences of Young People in Ireland. Masters Dissertation, Dublin, Technological University Dublin, 2012. Retrieved October 18, 2023, from https://arrow.tudublin.ie/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1048&context=aaschssldis.
Mooney, L. A., Knox, D., & Schacht, C. (2007). Understanding social problems: three main sociological perspectives. East Carolina University, Cengage Learning, USA.
Moore, S., & Cartwright, C. (2005). Adolescents' and young adults' expectations of parental responsibilities in stepfamilies. Journal of Divorce & Remarriage, 43(1-2), 109-128.
Newman P.J. (1999). Switched at birth: a new family for PECAM-1, The Journal of clinical investigation 103 (1), 5-9
Papernow P. L. (1987). Thickening the “middle ground”: Dilemmas and vulnerabilities of remarried couples. Psychotherapy, 24, 630–639.
Papernow, P. (2006). Blended family relationships: Helping people who live in stepfamilies. Family Therapy Magazine, 5(3), 34-42.
Papernow, P. L. (2013). Surviving and thriving in stepfamily relationships: What works and what doesn't. Routledge, USA.
Pryor, J., & Rodgers, B. (2001). Children in changing families: Life after parental separation. Blackwell Publishing, USA.
Saha, L. J. (2001). Durkheim’s sociology of education: A critical reassessment. Education and Society, 19(2), 21-31.
Schmeeckle, M. (2007). Gender dynamics in stepfamilies: Adult stepchildren’s views. Journal of Marriage and Family, 69(1), 174-189.
Schrodt, P. (2006). The Stepparent Relationship Index: Development, validation, and associations with stepchildren’s perceptions of stepparent communication competence and closeness. Personal Relationships, 13(2), 167-182.
Serpa, S., & Ferreira, C. M. (2018). Anomie in the sociological perspective of Émile Durkheim. Sociology International Journal, 2(6), 689-691.
Shafer, K., & Pace, G. T. (2015). Gender differences in depression across parental roles. Social Work, 60(2), 115-125.
Sorre, B., & Oino, P. (2013). Family based factors leading to street children phenomenon in Kenya. International Journal of Science and Research, 2(3), 148-155.
Stats SA. (2021). TB tops leading causes of death in SA in 2018. Retrieved October 18, 2023, from: https://www.statssa.gov.za/?p=14435#:~:text=The%20top%20ten%20leading%20underlying,chronic%20lower%20respiratory%20diseases%3B%20and
Stokes, S. B., & Wampler, R. S. (2002). Remarried clients seeking marital therapy as compared to those seeking family therapy: Differences in levels of psychological and marital distress. Journal of Divorce & Remarriage, 38(1-2), 91-107.
Stoll, B. M., Arnaut, G. L., Fromme, D. K., & Felker-Thayer, J. A. (2006). Adolescents in stepfamilies: A qualitative analysis. Journal of Divorce & Remarriage, 44(1-2), 177-189.
Visher, E., & Visher, J. (2003). The remarried family: Characteristics and interventions. In Textbook of family and couples’ therapy: Clinical applications, 523-538.
Ward, C. L., & Seager, J. R. (2010). South African street children: A survey and recommendations for services. Development Southern Africa, 27(1), 85-100.
Weaver, S. E., & Coleman, M. (2005). A mothering but not a mother role: A grounded theory study of the non-residential stepmother role. Journal of Social and Personal Relationships, 22(4), 477-497.
