Intergenerational Care Perceptions of Older Women and Middle Adolescents in a Resource-Constrained Community in South Africa

Abstract

This study describes intergenerational care perceptions in a resource-challenged community. Ten women (aged 60+) and eight middle adolescents (3 boys and 5 girls) participated in the Mmogo-method®, a visual data-collection method. Textual data were analysed thematically, and visual data by applying Roos and Redelinghuys (2016) proposed steps. Both groups provided physical and instrumental care to the other. Older women cared for adolescents by teaching and disciplining them, while the adolescents cared for them by obtaining an education and by showing respect. Older women felt being cared for when adolescents helped them, obeyed and complied with instructions and discipline, while the youngsters expressed it when their basic needs were addressed and school attendance was enabled. Older women's expressions of caring about were vague, while the younger people detected, act and elicited reactions from the elders. The adopted care approach informed care perceptions. Joint intergenerational activities are proposed to discover care currencies and contributions of generational members.

An Analytical Tool for Visual Data Analysis: Application to the Mmogo-Method®

“…Older persons perceived younger people as stubborn, disobedient, and disrespectful, while younger people experienced older people as rigid, demanding, and sometimes abusive (Chigeza et al, 2021). Intergenerational interactions around mobile phone and generational expectations of giving and receiving care confirmed unsatisfactory generational experiences and perceptions (Roos & Robertson, 2019;Roos, et al, 2017). Yet it was unclear what actually occurred to activate social power and explain what deeper social structures were involved in the relational dynamics between older persons and younger people, particularly in a traditional, rural community.…”

Mechanisms in Dynamic Interplay with Contexts in a Multigenerational Traditional Food Preparation Initiative Involving Rural South African Women

“…Research on intergenerational relational experiences in rural South Africa are reportedly strained: older people are dissatisfied with younger people's caring for and about them, and treating them disrespectfully (Aboderin & Hoffman, 2015;Roos, 2016;Roos, Silvestre, & De Jager, 2017), while younger people expressed negative perceptions in anticipation of unpleasant relational interactions, frustrating contact, and a breakdown of relations with older people (Roos & Robertson, 2019). The impact of ineffective intergenerational contact is particularly profound in this and other rural settings in South Africa because it contributes to older people's vulnerability, compromised reciprocal care for generational members, and relational wellbeing in general (Roos et al, 2017).…”

“…Relational qualities are observable behavior, consisting of actions and reactions between interacting people, which manifest on a continuum from effective to ineffective (see Roos, 2016Roos, , 2018Roos & Du Toit, 2014;Vorster et al, 2013). In this particular context, research indicated that ineffective relational qualities, such as judgment (lack of empathy), conditional acceptance, and lack of perspective-taking are likely to elicit rejection from a participating person, or escalating, sometimes ineffective, attempts to address their psychological needs or social goals (Roos et al, 2017;Roos & Wheeler, 2016).…”

Hearing children’s voices in intergenerational learning and practice

“…They either visit each other by walking down the hall or driveway; or, both generations come to a common space to interact and engage with each other. Examples of these modes include the TreeHut School (United States) (Murphy 1984), PACE Maluhia (Hawaii) (Larson, 2000), Valspan community (South Africa) (Roos, Silvestre & De Jager, 2017) Stride Rite Stride Rite (United States) (Laabs, 1993) and Intergenerational Summer Program (United States) (Giglitotti et al, 2005) and ONEGeneration (United States) (Jarrott & Bruno, 2007). In the TreeHut School, PACE Maluhia and Valspan community elderly participants live at a retirement village or in a residential aged care centre, and the children attend a formal day care program.…”