Wanneer ‘n premature geboorte voorkom, is daar ‘n onderbreking in die biologiese ontwikkeling van ‘n baba en in die swangerskap van die moeder. Daarby is ‘n premature geboorte ‘n stresvolle ondervinding vir beide ouers en baba. ‘n Jong kind wat prematuur gebore word, het unieke invloede op ouers en op die gesin se funksionering en mag ook unieke uitdagings bied ten opsigte van die ouers se ervaring van ouerskap. Ouerskap het ‘n belangrike impak op die ontwikkeling van ‘n kind. Ouerskap ten opsigte van die jong kind wat prematuur gebore is, is ‘n unieke proses wat anders is as dié van ouerskap ten opsigte van ‘n kind wat voltermyn gebore is.
Die doel van die navorsing was om die ouers se ervaring van ouerskap van die jong kind, wat prematuur gebore is, te eksploreer en te beskryf. ‘n Kwalitatiewe navorsingsbenadering is gevolg met ‘n kollektiewe gevallestudie as navorsingsontwerp. Die kwalitatiewe benadering het die navorser toegelaat om dieper te delf ten opsigte van die ervaringe van die ouers (Fouché & Delport, 2011:65). Semi-gestruktureerde, een-tot-een onderhoude is in hierdie studie as data-insamelingsmetode gebruik. ʼn Onderhoudskedule, met vooraf-geformuleerde vrae, is saamgestel om onderhoude te struktureer. Die studiepopulasie het bestaan uit tien ouers (nege vroulik en een manlik) met jong kinders tussen die ouderdom van een en twee jaar, wat deel is van ‘n ondersteuningsgroep vir ouers met prematuur- gebore babas en kinders in Pretoria, Gauteng, wat aan spesifieke kriteria voldoen het. Die bevindinge van die navorsing het bevestig dat prematuriteit wel ‘n unieke invloed op ouers se ervaring van ouerskap uitoefen. Die aard van die invloed verskil van gesin tot gesin en ook binne elke lewensfase van die kind. Die bevindinge beklemtoon die ondersteuning wat die ouers benodig ten op sigte van hul ouerskap van die jong kind wat prematuur gebore is. Ouerskapstyle is uitgewys as ‘n belangrike aspek, aangesien dit ‘n direkte invloed op die kind se ontwikkeling uitoefen. Ouerskapstyle het ook ‘n invloed op die wyse waarop ouers ouerskap ervaar en hanteer.
Gebaseer op die bevindinge is daar aanbeveel dat professionele persone soos maatskaplike werkers, dienste aan die ouers moet lewer om hulle deur die premature geboorte en die aanvanklike proses van ouerskap te begelei. Daar is ook aanbeveel dat gesondheidsorgpersoneel ouers professioneel moet bystaan tydens die premature geboorte, die hospitalisasietydperk en met hul versorgingsrol as ouers. Sodoende kan lede van die multi-dissiplinêre span bewus word van die belewenisse van hierdie ouers en hulle verwys na maatskaplike werkers vir professionele dienslewering ten opsigte van hul sosio-emosionele funksionering.
When a premature birth occurs, there is a disruption in the biological development of the baby and in the pregnancy of the mother. A premature birth is a stressfull experience for both parents and baby. A young child who was born prematurely has unique influences on parents and on the family’s functioning and might also result in unique challenges regarding parents’ experience of parenting. Parenting has an important impact on the development of a child. Parenting the young child that was born prematurely, is an unique process that differs from parenting a child that was born full term.
The goal of the research was to explore and describe parents’ experiences of parenting a young child that was born prematurely. A qualitative research approach was utilised with a collective case study as research design. The qualitative approach facilitated an in-depth exploration with regard to the experiences of the parents (Fouché & Delport, 2011:65). Semi-structured, one-on-one interviews were used as data collection method in this study. An interview schedule with a set of predetermend questions structured the interview. The study population existed of ten parents (nine female and one male) with young children between the ages of one and two years who formed part of a support group for parents with prematurely born babies and children in Pretoria, Gauteng, and who complied with the selection criteria. The findings of the study suggested that prematurity does have a significant influence on parents’ experiences of parenting. The nature of the influence differs from family to family, as well as in every developmental phase of the child. The findings accentuated the support that the parents need regarding their parenting. Parenting styles were identified as an important aspect, as they impact on the child’s development. Parenting styles also have an influence on the manner in which parents experience and cope with parenting.
Based on the findings of this study, it is recommended that professionals, such as social workers, should provide services to parents to guide them through the premature birth and the initial process of parenting. It is further recommended that health care professionals should support parents during the premature birth, hospitalisation period and with their role as parental care givers. In this manner, the members of the multidisciplinary team could become aware of the experiences of these parents and refer them to social workers for professional service delivery to enhance their socio-emotional functioning.
