THE LIVED EXPERIENCES OF BLACK AFRICAN MOTHERS FOLLOWING THE BIRTH OF A CHILD WITH DOWN SYNDROME: IMPLICATIONS FOR INDIGENISATION OF SOCIAL WORK
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.15270/52-2-499Abstract
The article discusses the lived experiences of black African mothers following the birth of a child with Down syndrome and implications of this for the indigenisation of social work practice in South Africa. A retrospective qualitative study following a phenomenological design was undertaken. Findings indicated that giving birth to a child with Down syndrome evokes intense psychological and social reactions from the mother, family and community. The cultural norms and values of black African people, including principles of ubuntu and their belief in collectivism, provide important opportunities, support systems and resources that could be pooled for efficient and effective helping intervention.Downloads
References
ANDO, N. & TSUNDA, K. 1978. International incidence of autism, cerebral-palsy and mongolism. Journal of Autism. Child, Schizophrenia, 5(2):267-271.
ASANTE, M.K. 2000. The painful demise of Eurocentrism: an African response to critics. Trenton, NJ: Africa World Press.
ASANTE, M.K. 2003. Afrocentricity: the theory of social change (revised and expanded). Chicago Illinois: African American Images.
BERNARDT, B. 1986. Self-help/ Peer Counselling. In: WEISS, J.O., KARKALITS, J.E., BISHOP, K.K. & PAUL, N.W. (eds), Genetics support groups: volunteers and professionals as partners. March of Dimes Birth Defects Foundation. Birth Defects: Original Articles Series, 22(2):136-160.
BOSWELL, D. & WINGROVE, J. (eds) 1974. The handicapped person in the community. London: Tavistock/Open University.
BRYDON, K. 2011. Promoting diversity or confirming hegemony? In search of new insights for social work. International Social Work, 55(2)155-167.
CHRISTIANSON, A.L. & MODELL, B. 2004. Medical genetics in developing countries. Annu Rev Genomics Hum Genet, 1(5):219-265.
CHRISTIANSON, A.L., HOWSON, C.P. & MODELL, B. 2006. The hidden toll of dying and disabled children. New York: March of Dimes Global Report on Birth Defects. Report, 31-2008-05.
CHRISTIANSON, A.L., ZWANE, M.E., MANGA, P., ROSEN, E., VENTER, A., DOWNS, D. & KROMBERG, J.G.R. 2002. Children with intellectual disability in rural South Africa: prevalence and associated disability. Journal of Intellectual Disability Research, 1(46):179-186.
COWLES, F.A.L. 2003. Social work in the health field: a care perspective. New York: Haworth Press.
CUMMINS, L., SEVEL, J. & PEDRCK, L. 2006. Social work skills demonstrated: beginning direct practice text-workbook. CD-ROM and Website (2nd ed). USA: Pearson Education, Inc.
DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH. 2001. The Policy Guidelines for the Management and Prevention of Genetic Disorders, Birth Defects and Disabilities. Pretoria: Government Printers.
DEPARTMENT OF SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT, DEPARTMENT OF WOMEN, CHILDREN AND PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES AND THE UNITED NATIONS CHILDREN’S FUND. 2012. Children with Disabilities in South Africa: A situation Analysis: 2001-2011. Pretoria. Government Printers.
GRAY, M. 1998. Approaches to social work in South Africa: an overview. In: GRAY, M. (eds), Developmental social work in South Africa: theory and practice. Cape Town: David Philip Publishers, 7-24.
GRAY, M. 2005. Dilemma of international social work: paradoxical processes in indigenisation, universalisation and imperialism. International Social Work, 14(3):231-238.
GRAY, M., COATES, J. & YELLOW-BIRD, M. 2009. Indigenous social work around the world: towards culturally relevant education and practice. Aldershot: Ashgate.
GROBLER, H., SCHENCK, R. & MBEDZI, P. 2014. Person-centred facilitation: process, theory and practice. South Africa: Oxford University Press.
GROVE, S.K., BURNS, N. & GRAY, J.R. 2013. The practice of nursing research. Missouri: Elsevier.
HARPER, P.S. 2004. Practical genetic counselling (5th ed). London: Butterworth Heinemann.
HSIA, M., MORRIS, M. & BAILEY, J. 1997. Counselling in genetics. New York: Alan R. Lies, Inc.
KüBLER-ROSS, E. 1969. On death and dying. New York: Macmillan.
KUSE, T.T. 1997. The need for indigenisation of the education of social workers in South Africa. In: SNYMAN, I. & ERASMUS, M. (eds), Indigenisation in social and community work education. HSRC Co-operative Research Programme: Affordable social provision and the Institute for Indigenous Theory and Practice. Pretoria: HSRC Publishers.
LEA, S. & FORSTER, D. (eds) 1990. Perspective on Mental Handicap in South Africa. Durban: Butterworths Professional Publishers.
LORENZ, W. 2008. Paradigms and politics: understanding methods paradigms in an historical context. British Journal of Social Work, 1(28):625-644.
MANGALISO, M. 2001. Building competitive advantage from Ubuntu: management lessons from South Africa. Academy of Management Executive, 15(3):23-34.
MAZAMA, A. 2003. Creole in Maryse Conde’s work: the disordering of the Neo-Colonial order? The Romantic Review, 94(3-4):377+.
MIDGLEY, J. 2008. Promoting reciprocal social work exchanges: professional imperialism revisited. In: GRAY, M., COATES, J. & YELLOW-BIRD, M. (eds), Indigenous social work around the world: towards culturally relevant education and practice. Aldershot: Ashgate, 31-45.
MUELLER, R.F. & YOUNG, I.D. 2001. Emery’s elements of Medical Genetics (11th ed). New York: Churchill and Livingstone.
MUELLER, R.F. & YOUNG, I.D. 2005. Emery’s elements of medical genetics (12th ed). New York: Churchill and Livingstone.
NEUMAN, W.L. 1997. Social research methods: qualitative and quantitative approaches (2nd ed). London: Allyn and Bacon.
OSEI-HWEDIE, K. & RANKOPO, M.J. 2008. Developing culturally relevant social work education and practice in Africa: the case of Botswana. In: GRAY, M., COATES, J. & YELLOW-BIRD, M. (eds), Indigenous social work around the world: towards culturally relevant education and practice. Aldershot: Ashgate, 361-386.
OSEI-HWEDIE, K. 1997. Southern African regional approaches to indigenising social work education and practice: the case of Botswana. In: SNYMAN, I. & ERASMUS, M. (eds), Indigenisation in social and community work education. HSRC Co-operative Research Programme: affordable social provision and the Institute for Indigenous Theory and Practice. Pretoria: HSRC Publishers.
OSEI-HWEDIE, K. 2002. Indigenous practice – some informed guesses, self-evident and possible. Social Work/Maatskaplike Werk, 38(4):311-323.
PARITZKY, J.F. 1986. Self-help for families in crisis. In: WEISS, J.O., KARKALITS, J.E., BISHOP, K.K. & PAUL, N.W. (eds), Genetics support groups: volunteers and professionals as partners. March of Dimes Birth Defects Foundation. Birth Defects: Original Article Series, 22(2):96-102.
PAYNE, M. 2005. The origins of social work: continuity and change. Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan.
PILLAY, P. 2001. South Africa in the 21st Century: some key socio-economic challenges. South Africa, Jhb: Friedrick Ebert Stiftung.
ROSENKRANZ, R. 2004. The shackles of mental disability. [Online] Available: http://ww.iol.co.za/news/south-africa/the shackles of mental disability-1.217194. [Accessed: 23/06/2015].
RYKE, E., NGIBA, T. & STRYDOM, H. 2003. Perspective of elderly Black on institutional care. Social Work/Maatskaplike Werk, 39(2):139-148.
SCHIELE, J.H. 2000. Human services and the Afrocentric paradigm. Binghamton, NY: The Haworth Press.
SEWPAUL, V. 2005. Global standards: promise and pitfalls for re-inscribing social work in civil society. International Journal of Social Welfare, 14(3):210-217.
THABEDE, D. 2008. The African worldview as the basis of practice in the helping professions. Social Work/Maatskaplike Werk, 44(3):233-245.
TIPS, R.L., SMITH, G.S., PERKINS, A.L., BERGMAN, E. & MEYER, D.L. 1963. Genetic counselling problems associated with trisomy 21 Down’s Disorder. American Journal of Mental Defic, 69:334.
TSHABALALA, M. 1991. Kinship networks: an analysis on the use of kinship systems for promotion of mental health among the Nguni. Social Work/Maatskaplike Werk, 22(2):72-79.
VAN DER WALT, B.J. 1990. Being human: a gift and a duty. University of Potchefstroom: Central Publication Department.
WEIHS, K.L.1998. Review of family caregiving in mental illness. Family Systems and Health, 16(4):455-457.
Downloads
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
This journal is an open access journal, and the authors and journal should be properly acknowledged when works are cited.
Authors may use the publishers version for teaching purposes, in books, and with conferences.
The following license applies:
Attribution CC BY-4.0
This license lets others distribute, remix, tweak, and build upon your work, even commercially, as long as they credit you for the original creation.
Articles as a whole may not be re-published with another journal.
