Perspectives of nurturance within the parent-child relationship in resource-constrained families

Nurturing parents raise children in an engaged, flexible, emotionally expressive and supportive manner, which is associated with positive outcomes for children. While parenting research within the South African context is increasing, there is a lack of focus on nurturance within the parent-child relationship. Thus, this study sought to explore how parents nurture their children in resource-constrained environments in South Africa.

A qualitative approach with an exploratory research design was used. Participants were purposively recruited via non-governmental institutions and key informants in the communities. A sample of 77 semi-structured interviews was conducted with participants from two rural areas, Calvinia and Lamberts Bay, in South Africa.

A thematic analysis of the data revealed two themes. The first theme is nurturance approaches, which encapsulate how parents nurture their children physically and emotionally. The second theme focuses on factors contributing to nurturance within the parent-child relationship with regard to parenting practices and external factors.

Although parents are nurturing children physically and emotionally, parenting capacity needs to be improved in the South African context.