Background
A practical intervention programme was designed to strengthen the personal and parental competencies of mothers who are living in a high-risk community in Cape Town, South Africa. While the need for the development and evaluation of a wellness programme for mothers living in high-risk communities in the South African context is well supported in extant research, practicalities regarding effective implementation and adaptation to contextual nuances required formative evaluative processing, and ongoing changes and creative reworking.
Hypotheses/Research Questions
The research question directing this study was formulated as what adaptations were made in designing and implementing the wellness programme in order to determine the effect of the programme for mothers living in a South African high-risk community.
Sample Characteristics and Sample Size
Twenty-one mothers living in the particular high-risk community partook in this study.
Design
Using formative evaluation feedback of the participants continuously provided valuable information regarding the content and the presentation of the content of the wellness programme in the high-risk and high-need community. Other forms of evaluation included qualitative processes, such as mother participants’ written evaluation of the wellness programme; and, the regular evaluation and contribution of the research team.
Results
Findings showed the significance to combine local knowledge with academically derived data, in compiling the content of the PMWP to construct an emic, context-specific programme. Process evaluation expanded the success of participatory action research practices and offered keys for programme feasibility, implementation, and participant engagement. Quantitative outcomes indicated participant satisfaction in terms of high attendance and involvement which were supported by qualitative findings.
Scientific Contribution
An important contribution of this research is the necessity of including specific content about personal wellness for mothers in this high-risk setting showing that improved mothering in this context is built upon “mattering” and its mechanisms of personal dignity.