Research Articles (Sociology)

Permanent URI for this collectionhttp://hdl.handle.net/2263/5832

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The transformative effect of the let's talk intervention on parenting styles : experiences of female caregivers from Soweto, South Africa
Gunda , Sabastain; Sibanda, Sipho; Doh, Daniel (MDPI, 2025-09-04)
Gendered social protection interventions such as Let’s Talk are now appreciated as a significant component of family-based HIV prevention services. The intervention deliberately focuses on bridging the caregiver–adolescent relational and communication divides in the context of HIV prevention. This qualitative study used interviews to explore the caregivers’ parenting experiences after attending the Let’s Talk programme in Soweto, South Africa. Simple random sampling was used to select four Community-Based Organisations (CBOs). Twelve caregivers were purposively sampled from the four CBOs. Data analysis was accomplished through thematic analysis. The findings indicate that Let’s Talk had positive transformative effects on the caregivers’ parenting experiences and relational dynamics with adolescents. The improved parenting experiences were characterised by better communication, mutual respect and observed behaviour improvements by adolescents. In conclusion, caregivers’ reports of improved parenting experiences provide empirical evidence of acceptability to participants, effective implementation, and Let’s Talk’s efficacy in facilitating desired outcomes.
Socio-economic services for addressing effects of xenophobic attacks on migrant and refugee entrepreneurs in South Africa : a multi-sectoral perspective
Sibanda, Sipho; Murenje, Mutsa; Masinga, Poppy; Lelope, Lekopo Alinah (MDPI, 2025-11-21)
Despite the presence of strong international and regional instruments for protecting human rights and promoting social justice, migrant and refugee populations continue to experience gross human rights violations. Xenophobic attacks are a global phenomenon that have left foreigners and refugees vulnerable. This article uses a multi-sectoral perspective to explore the socio-economic services to address the effects of xenophobic attacks on refugee entrepreneurs in South Africa. A snowball sampling technique was used to select 10 participants for the study. Data were collected using one-on-one interviews. Thematic analysis was used to analyse the collected data. The findings revealed that multi-sectoral services should be provided to refugee entrepreneurs who are victims of xenophobic attacks. The paper also discusses the role of the government in providing aid and security, the role of social workers and civil society in facilitating community support, spiritual support, and support from fellow refugees, geared towards minimising the effects of xenophobic attacks. The conclusion is that social workers should coordinate relief programmes between the government and other service providers in the aftermath of xenophobic attacks. It recommends multi-sectoral and multi-disciplinary interventions to address the aftermath of the xenophobic attacks.
Livelihood strategies for adolescent girls transitioning out of residential childcare facilities : a Zimbabwean perspective
Sibanda, Sipho; Berejena Mhongera, Pamhidzayi (MDPI, 2025-10-22)
Effective transition of youth out of care has been a concern for social workers, policymakers, residential facilities, and other related stakeholders. This paper reports on the livelihood strategies and transition experiences of adolescent girls in and out of two institutions in Harare, Zimbabwe. Using the sustainable livelihood approach, this qualitative research explored and compared the livelihood strategies of 16 girls still in care with 16 who had exited. Framework analysis was used to interpret the data. The findings show that girls in institutions mainly rely on institutional support for their livelihoods, while those who leave employ a wider range of strategies including support from relatives, foster parents, institutions, and spouses. Social networks emerged as a key strategy for both financial and social security. However, differences in the resources available through these networks significantly impacted the girls’ livelihood outcomes, either positively or negatively. Overall, many adolescent girls remained unable to sustain themselves or cope with the challenges of transitioning to adulthood and life beyond institutional care. The study recommends that transition programmes that address early marriage as a means of security, expanding family and fostering care options, reducing institutional dependency, tackling economic exclusion and unemployment be developed.
A multi-foci intervention for empowering adolescent girls and young women in low-socio-economic areas
Zibengwa , Enock; Gunda, Sabastain; Sibanda, Sipho (MDPI, 2025-10-30)
Adolescent girls and young women (AGYW) in South Africa remain disproportionately affected by HIV due to a complex interplay of structural, social, and gender-based vulnerabilities. This study explored the experiences of AGYW who participated in a group-based HIV prevention intervention in three low-socio-economic communities—Soweto, Alexandra, and Orange Farm—in Gauteng Province, South Africa. The intervention integrated economic strengthening with HIV prevention education, delivered through structured, mentor-led group sessions. Using qualitative methods, in-depth interviews were conducted with 18 AGYW aged 15–24 to examine how participation empowered them to reduce HIV-related risks. The findings reveal that the intervention significantly enhanced participants’ self-awareness, assertiveness, and knowledge of Sexual and Reproductive Health (SRH), while fostering personal independence, goal setting, and agency. The group-based format also facilitated peer connection and created a safe space for challenging harmful gender norms, improving health-seeking behaviours, and navigating access to SRH services. Mentorship emerged as a critical enabler of impact, providing emotional support and trusted guidance. The study underscores the value of community group-based HIV prevention models that empower AGYW through social, economic, and gender-responsive approaches, offering practical insights for policy and programme design in resource-constrained settings.
Best practices in rendering services to women survivors of human trafficking
Sibanda, Sipho; Sambo, Juliet Patience (MDPI, 2025-11-25)
South Africa is facing serious challenges in addressing the needs of women survivors of human trafficking. Trafficked women often experience health issues, physical, sexual, psychological, economic, and social abuse. Women trafficking is a multidisciplinary problem that needs the involvement of a wide range of actors to intervene and render holistic services. Based on a qualitative study conducted at five residential facilities for women in South Africa, this article highlights best practices in rendering services to women survivors of human trafficking. Data was collected from social service providers using one-on-one interviews and analysed using thematic analysis. The findings indicate that the best practices for rendering effective services to women survivors of human trafficking include rendering services that have an emphasis on emotional containment, prevalence of basic counselling, active referral for medical and other services, and ensuring accurate assessment of the needs and concerns of women survivors of human trafficking. Furthermore, the best practices include establishing a one-stop, all-inclusive service centre; engaging women in skills development and empowerment activities; and ensuring collaboration between all stakeholders involved in rendering services to women survivors of human trafficking. The conclusion is that best practices in rendering effective services to women survivors of human trafficking require an interplay of systems and the presence of sufficient institutional and infrastructural arrangements.
A review of disability protection in Nepal through social allowance : policies, practices, and paucity
Dahal, Sanjeev; Sibanda, Sipho; Doh, Daniel (MDPI, 2025-09-12)
This paper endeavors to paint a comprehensive picture of the social security provision of allowances for persons with disabilities in Nepal. It uses a rapid review to understand the policies and practices related to the social security allowances. The key findings are that the Government of Nepal has several policies focused on upholding the rights of the persons with disabilities; it has prioritized disability allowance as one of the five government-run social security allowances, but the benefits of these policies are yet to reach all persons with disabilities. It was found that a significant proportion of persons with disabilities are yet to receive disability identity cards that link them with social security benefits, and a significant gap was also noted between those who had the identity cards and those who received the disability allowances. Furthermore, the paper underscores suggestions from the extant literature on minimizing this gap.
Patterns of marital residence and spousal violence among married people in Kogi state, Nigeria
Sulaiman, Lanre Abdul-Rasheed (Elsevier, 2025-12)
PURPOSE : Spousal violence (SV) is a social problem with devastating economic, physical, and psychological consequences. Previous studies on SV have examined psychological, biological, and socio-cultural risk factors; however, the role of the patterns of marital residence and family support (including family interference, support with household chores, emotional support, financial and material support, and companionship) has not been well explored. Guided by Ukama theory, this study therefore explores how the pattern of marital residence and family support are associated with SV, arguing that while patrilocal households may provide protective kin-based support, neolocal residence and a lack of family support may increase the risk of SV for married men and women in Kogi State, Nigeria. METHODS : The study was conducted in 2022 in Kogi State, Nigeria. A cross-sectional survey design was adopted, and a multi-stage sampling technique was used to select 1026 respondents. Frequency distribution, percentages, and means were used for the descriptive analysis, while bivariate and multivariate logistic regression were used for the inferential analysis. RESULTS : The study found an association between patterns of marital residence and spousal violence, with those living in neolocal residences having higher odds of experiencing spousal violence than those living in patrilocal residences or near the wife’s family house. Social support from family members was also found to be associated with spousal violence, with those who had this support experiencing a lower risk of spousal violence. CONCLUSION : The study concluded that patterns of marital residence and family social support were associated with spousal violence. The findings suggest a need for interventions that strengthen family social support systems and promote communal living arrangements to mitigate spousal violence.
A system stretched beyond Its elastic limits : the South African foster care grant system
Sibanda, Sipho (Cogitatio Press, 2025-09-04)
Foster care placements are temporary care arrangements for children removed from their biological families due to a plethora of reasons. The social worker investigates the circumstances of the child and then compiles a report to the presiding officer of the children’s court recommending that a child be placed in foster care. Upon placement in foster care, the foster parent then qualifies to receive a foster care grant on behalf of the child. Foster care grants are meant to assist families in the upkeep of children placed in their care. The number of children in foster care in South Africa continues to grow, which has resulted in the foster care grant system being overwhelmed and the caseloads of social workers becoming extremely high. This raises concerns about the feasibility and appropriateness of foster care grants as a vehicle for providing income to children in foster care. This qualitative desktop review explores the South African foster care grant system, and highlights challenges faced by the system, and the reasons that contributed to the challenges, such as the lapsing of foster care orders, which led to the discontinuance of foster care grants. Moreover, the use of money from foster care grants and their contribution in providing income support to families and children is highlighted. In addition, the shortcomings and unsustainability of foster care grants and their perpetuation of dependency syndrome are explored. Recommendations for the proper use of foster care grants and for addressing the foster care grant crisis in South Africa are outlined.
It takes a village to raise a child : asset-based community development as a pathway to integrated social protection for sustainable child protection in Zimbabwe
Masuka, Tawanda; Sibanda, Sipho; Tladi-Mapefane, Olebogeng (MDPI, 2026-04)
Children are some of the most vulnerable members of society who must be protected at all costs. Zimbabwe has a long history of disjointed formal and indigenous social protection systems, which have resulted in the exclusion of many children, leading to high levels of child abuse, neglect, exploitation and violence. In policy and practice, there is a strong bias towards the ineffective statist formal system, yet the indigenous social protection system is the mainstay for the protection of most children. The study aimed to explore how asset-based community development can be used as a strategy to integrate the fragmented formal and indigenous social protection systems for sustainable child protection. An explanatory sequential mixed-methods research design was employed, collecting both quantitative and qualitative data from 76 participants. The study findings indicate that asset-based community development by positioning the indigenous social protection system at the centre of the social protection framework provides a blueprint for a community-led and integrated social protection system, which can translate into effective child protection. This system, which utilises a wider network of community and external resources, can counteract the limits of fragmented social protection and sustainably promote child protection among impoverished households in Zimbabwe and similar contexts. The recommendation is that asset-based community development should be promoted as a strategy towards integrated social protection and sustainable child protection.
Family reunification is a distant possibility for some children in alternative care : practice perspectives from South African social workers
Sibanda, Sipho; Doh, Daniel; Lekganyane, Robert; Tladi-Mapefane, Olebogeng (MDPI, 2026-04)
Placement of children in alternative care is to ensure that they are protected while social workers address the circumstances that led to their removal. However, in the rendering of family reunification services, social workers have realised that some instances make it challenging for some families to be reunified with their children in alternative care. As such, permanency planning should be prioritised for those children to ensure their stability. This article explores factors that seem to make family reunification a distant possibility for some children in alternative care. Social workers employed by five child protection organisations in South Africa participated in the study. Employing a mixed-methods research design, data were gathered by means of interviews and questionnaires, and analysed using Creswell’s model of thematic analysis and a statistical package for the social sciences. The findings indicate that factors that contribute to challenges in reunifying some children in alternative care range from the circumstances of parents to the preferences of children. Although the reunification of a child with the family of origin is every child’s human right, such a right must be balanced with the child’s right to be protected from all forms of harm and neglect. We conclude that it is not all children in alternative care that family reunification services should be rendered to. It is recommended that further studies be conducted to explore how a rights-based approach can be used in identifying children and families that are not eligible for family reunification. Moreover, proper permanency plans and strategies should be put in place for such children.
Environmental citizenship and social work : reflections on the significance of social work services in the informal settlements of South Africa
Lekganyane, Robert; Sibanda, Sipho (MDPI, 2026-05)
Social workers can play a significant role in promoting environmental citizenship to benefit vulnerable groups, such as those residing in informal settlement areas. With the proliferation of informal settlements in many African countries, the role of social workers in advocating for environmental citizenship is even more crucial. Their involvement should be evidence-based and entrenched in research that promotes an understanding of the impact of environmental degradation on human lives and their roles in environmental citizenship. Such knowledge should then inform environmental citizenship policies and programmes. Despite this crucial role as imposed by their professional mandate, policies, legislations and international treaties to address the conditions of marginalised and vulnerable people, environmental degradation continues to aggravate the vulnerability of people living in informal settlements. Furthermore, the scholarly contribution of social workers to environmental citizenship is delicate, with limited knowledge around the subject matter. Following the integrative literature review method, this paper outlines the nature of environmental citizenship, the relevance of social work to environmental citizenship, and the approach that social workers can adopt to contribute towards environmental citizenship in informal settlements. Literature around environmental citizenship in informal settlements, environmental disasters and informal settlements, and social work, as well as environmental citizenship and social justice, served as a population, from which a sample meeting predetermined inclusion criteria was purposefully drawn and analysed. The study confirms that, by its nature, environmental citizenship is central to social work and that there is a need to empower social workers around the subject matter.
A qualitative inquiry into the realities of caregivers caring for children living with HIV in South Africa
Sibanda, Sipho; Lekganyane, Robert; Maubane, Gontse (MDPI, 2026-06)
With the introduction of antiretroviral treatment, HIV has become more of a chronic disease, resulting in people living with HIV living longer. This progress has also been realised among children and adolescents living with HIV, whose primary caregivers have always been instrumental in supporting and caring for them. Despite the general progress in the fight against HIV and the crucial role of caregivers in supporting children living with HIV, the reality is that the struggle is not yet over. The existing literature demonstrates that there are some untold sufferings not only of those children who are living with HIV but also their families and primary caregivers. Drawing from the biopsychosocial theoretical framework, this exploratory qualitative study sought to explore the experiences, challenges and coping strategies of caregivers of children living with HIV/AIDS in South Africa. A total of eight participants were recruited from Pretoria and Cape Town through purposive sampling. Semi-structured interviews were conducted and analysed through Braun and Clarke’s thematic model of qualitative data analysis. The findings revealed various experiences, including reluctance to disclose the child’s HIV-positive status, financial challenges, experiences involving support systems and the coping strategies for managing challenges. The study demonstrated the complexity of HIV as a condition involving the interaction of biological, psychological and social dynamics.
Addressing challenges faced by social workers in providing family reunification services to children in out of home care
Sibanda, Sipho (Routledge, 2025-12)
In a bid to reunify children in out of home care with their families of origin, social workers in South Africa face a plethora of challenges ranging from institutional and infrastructural barriers to human resource and relationship challenges. Drawing from the findings of an exploratory sequential mixed methods study conducted in child protection organisations, this paper highlights ways of addressing challenges faced by social workers in providing family reunification services. Data was collected from social workers by means of interviews and questionnaires and analysed using thematic analysis and descriptive statistics. The findings indicate that ways of addressing challenges faced by social workers in providing family reunification services are: refresher training courses for foster parents, regular contact between social workers and parents, life skills training for birth parents, and a family reunification plan. The conclusion is that social workers are aware of what needs to be done to address challenges they face in providing family reunification services to children in out of home care.
What distinct opportunities could relational wellbeing as framework offer to advance wellbeing research? A purposive review of evidence
Wildschut, Angelique; Abrahams, Hayley; Ntsepe, Yoliswa; Groenewald, Candice; Swartz, Sharlene (Frontiers Media, 2026-07-01)
The notion of wellbeing emerged in resistance to deficit characterizations of people's lives in mental health theory and intervention. It is an approach that rejects compartmentalization and stigmatization, with the aim of centering and presenting a more holistic view of personhood. Informed by a new program of research on youth wellbeing in the Global South, this paper seeks to engage critically with the potential value of an emergent framework called relational wellbeing for advancing research on youth wellbeing. As a formative step, a scoping review was conducted and published in 2024 covering the period 2013–2022. To update and capture possible changes in the literature since then, the authors embarked on a mini review framed by the following two overarching questions: how has relational wellbeing been applied in the more recent academic literature, and to what extent is it being employed as a distinct approach? The mini review confirms that relational wellbeing, understood as a distinct framework, is emergent, but not solidified. The term continues to be used to challenge individualistic models of wellbeing, firmly positioning relationships, culture and context as central to wellbeing. However, the construct continues to lack unified operationalization—used variably as a theoretical lens, analytic framework and still quite strongly as a measurable construct. While this reveals a field conceptually rich and influential, it remains methodologically diffused. Insights across different sections of the review, however, provide guidance for prospective scholars hoping to expand research that applies a relational framework to foster greater understanding and positive impact on youth wellbeing.
What racial spatial inequality tells us about racism in post-apartheid South Africa
Steyn, Ibrahim (Routledge, 2026)
Racism remains a key theme of debate inside and outside the South African academy. Some contend that the inclusion of the Black majority into liberal democracy and the growth of the Black middle class in post-apartheid South Africa render racism insignificant for understanding social inequality. Others converge on the view that race continues to shape inequality in contemporary South Africa. Both perspectives suffer from important conceptual and theoretical weaknesses. Importantly, much of the commentary on race and class lacks an analysis of how neoliberalism shapes racism and its relationship with capitalism in post-apartheid South Africa. This article addresses this blind spot. In the article, based on a combination of primary and secondary documentary sources, I argue that racial spatial inequality in post-apartheid South Africa's urban geography epitomises the intersection of neoliberalism and capital accumulation in the perpetuation of historically produced racial inequalities as well as the systemic nature of racism.
Work-family conflict, sociodemographic characteristics, role demands and health-seeking behaviour of working mothers in urban Ghana
Abrefa Busia, Kwaku; Arthur-Holmes, Francis (Springer, 2026-08)
Research has primarily focused on the direct health outcomes of work-family conflict (WFC), such as subjective health and well-being, while overlooking health-seeking behaviour (HSB) as a critical behavioural response. Based on the Married Women and Work-Family Interface in Urban Ghana dataset, this study employed a generalised ordered logit model to examine the influence of WFC and sociodemographic factors on the frequency of HSB of working mothers (n=1194). Results show that increased WFC significantly reduces the likelihood of frequent healthcare visits, indicating that competing demands between work and family roles hinder timely healthcare access. Additionally, older age and family demands decrease the frequency of health-seeking behaviour, while informal employment and higher work demands are associated with increased healthcare utilisation. The reduced frequency of healthcare engagement associated with WFC has implications for compromised physical and mental well-being and diminished overall quality of life of working mothers, with potential consequences for families and communities more broadly. Our study underscores the critical need for workplace policies that mitigate WFC, such as flexible working hours and mental health support, to promote proactive health behaviours. The findings call for comprehensive interventions that consider both work and family contexts to foster healthier, more balanced lives among working mothers navigating multiple roles.
Social and personal relationship experiences of parents in South Africa during the COVID-19 pandemic
Sibanda, Sipho; Sparg, Courtney; Gunda, Sabastain (Springer Nature, 2026-06-04)
COVID-19 has disrupted social and personal relationships, as well as various aspects of the ecological systems of parents in South Africa. Several researchers have explored the impacts that families have experienced worldwide during the pandemic. However, no studies have explored the relationship and lived experiences of South African parents during the COVID-19 pandemic from an ecological systems perspective. The study was qualitative in nature. Eight participants were recruited using non-probability, purposive sampling methods. The researcher ensured that all participation was voluntary, the participants gave their informed consent to participate, and their rights to confidentiality, privacy, and anonymity were upheld throughout the study. Data was gathered using one-on-one semi-structured interviews and subsequently analysed using thematic analysis. The findings suggest that the negative outcomes of COVID-19 experienced by South African parents included a loss of connection and support in relationships, marital conflict, the engagement in multiple roles and responsibilities, experiences of negative feelings and concerns, and the impact that COVID-19 had on their children. On the contrary, the positive outcomes included a deepened sense of connection and support in relationships, increased marital support, higher-quality family time, the experience of remote work, and an increased recognition of inner resilience. The study also found the personal and family coping strategies utilised by parents to manage Covid-19-related stressors. The study’s findings could help professionals design interventions that provide additional support to parents during the COVID-19 pandemic, particularly in developing countries.
Caring in adversity : experiences of caregivers providing day-to-day personal care and support for activities of daily living to children with physical disabilities in the Hardap region of Namibia
Gunda, Sabastian; Ndadzungira, Allan; Sibanda, Sipho; Chougule, Mahesh (MDPI, 2026-04-03)
Caring for children with physical disabilities can be a daunting responsibility, often placing significant financial, psychological, social and health-related strains on the primary caregivers. This qualitative study explored the experiences of caregivers caring for children with physical disabilities in the Hardap region of Namibia. Using purposive sampling, twenty caregivers were selected as participants in the study. Data was collected using semi-structured interview schedules. Following the interviews, the data were manually analysed and categorised into distinctive themes and sub-themes and summarised in the final report as verbatim quotations. Study findings reveal that caregivers are motivated and determined to provide optimum care for children with physical disabilities under their care by acquiring assistive devices for them and assisting the children with activities of daily living. However, poverty and the general shortage of assistive devices, mostly wheelchairs, provide adverse conditions that are inimical to the development of children’s functional independence in daily living tasks. The burden of carrying the children was noted to be potentially deleterious to the caregivers’ physical health. The study concluded that providing assistive equipment for the children will ease the caregivers’ burden of care while equalising socioeconomic opportunities for both children with physical disabilities and their caregivers. The study only covered a small sample size in a small geographical area of Namibia. Therefore, interpretation and generalisation of the findings need to account for the specific context in the Hardap region of Namibia. Therefore, there remains scope for conducting further research with a larger sample size and one that is more geographically representative of Namibia.
Child abuse as a predictor of the level of involvement in gang activity among children in rural North-Central, Nigeria
Raji, Abdullateef; Sulaiman, Lanre Abdul-Rasheed; Issah, Moshood; Akor, Sunday Joseph (National Association of Social Workers (Zimbabwe), 2025-04)
The menace of child abuse is serious malady with devastating consequences. While the influence of child abuse on crime has generally been investigated, its effects on the level of involvement in gang activity among underage individuals have not been examined in Nigeria. This study examined how exposure to child abuse, in terms of its degree and form, predicted the level of involvement in gang activity among underage individuals. The individual-in-family theory was the theoretical framework used for this research. The sample comprised 264 male and female underage gang members aged 9-17 years residing in rural communities in north-central Nigeria. The cross-sectional data were analyzed using t-tests and regression. The findings of the study revealed that children who experienced child abuse were more actively involved in gang activity than children who did not experience child abuse. Regarding the characteristics of the abuse, the age at first abuse, the form of abuse, and the frequency of abuse were predictors of the level of involvement in gang activity. These findings imply that social workers need to raise awareness about the harmful effects of child abuse and neglect, especially, regarding child gang involvement.
Components of a holistic family reunification services model for children in alternative care – a South African perspective
Sibanda, Sipho (National Association of Social Workers (Zimbabwe), 2025-02)
The goal of alternative care is to ensure that children are well taken care of whilst the circumstances that led to their removal are being addressed. It is therefore imperative to have a holistic model that guides the implementation of family reunification services. In the absence of a guiding model, most children end up staying for longer periods in alternative care than needed. This article highlights several aspects of family reunification, based on a study conducted at child protection organisations in South Africa, which was underpinned by ubuntu and rights-based approaches, and employed a mixed methods research design. Data was collected from social workers by means of interviews and questionnaires and analysed using thematic analysis and a statistical package for social sciences. The components of a holistic family reunification services model are: the involvement of extended family members and significant others; guidelines for the role of a social worker; the standard of the best interests of the child; the fact that reunification should be a gradual and holistic process; the provision of parenting skills, and a strong relationship between foster parents and biological parents. The article concludes that family reunification services should be rights-based and holistic to be effective.

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