The Snowballing Technique

After spending a great deal of time waiting for replies from possible respondents, a number of women were found willing to be interviewed. It was therefore decided to try the snowballing technique in which they were asked to suggest others who they thought would like to participate. This method yielded a number of women, mainly those who were not receiving therapy.

Size of the Sample

The sample finally consisted of thirty-two women, of whom the first twelve were selected for a pilot study. The size of the sample reflected the relatively recent trend of black women to seek therapeutic help. They, like members of other minority ethnic groups, tendecj to somatise their problems, (Littlewood 1982), Fernando (1988) and Rack (1982). They visited general practitioners who seldom referred them for therapy. The women who agreed to participate in the study may or may not

be representative of the population of women who experienced early separation and broken attachments. Nevertheless it is envisaged that the study will be useful in indicating trends and stimulating interest for future research.

The Interview

Some of the interviews, which lasted for approximately two hours, were conducted in the homes of the women and others in the office, whichever place, was more convenient for the women. Close attention was paid to the manner in which the women told their stories, to, for example, their body language and facial expressions, when they recalled certain memories. Care was taken to ensure that the interviewees were given time to pause and to reflect on statements they made. The women in the pilot study preferred not to have the interview recorded so the notes were written immediately after the interview. My training and long experience of counselling equipped me with the skill of recording nearly verbatim immediately after the interview. At the end of the interview time was allowed for the debriefing of the interviewees and they were reassured of the confidential nature of the interviews. It was interesting that some of the interviewees chose to add statements, especially concerning their relationships with their mothers, after the close of the interview. Some asked that sensitive material would not be recorded, and this was respected.

It was anticipated that interviewees might have been selective in what they chose to recall. I share the view of Plummer (1988) that:

“the problems of life histories are a view of the past from the standpoint of the present and this raises the question of the accuracy of recall of facts about the interpretative framework through which memories are rec^lqd" (Plummer 1988 p.23).

CHAPTER SIX

RESULTS OF THE PILOT STUDY

A pilot study w as invaluable for providing guidance in the com pilation o f the interview schedule to be used in the research It provided the opportunity to test w hether there w ere leading questions or am biguities, and w hether the ordering o f the questions w as logical.

The pilot study w as like the later m ain study in that the tw elve w om en w ere divided into tw o groups. G roup A, the experim ental group, consisted o f those w ho had received or w ere receiving therapy and G roup B, the control g roup w ho had not received therapy. One o f the w om en o f the latter group w as unable to participate as she w as going on an extended holiday and it w as not possible to find a replacem ent at the tim e. The pilot sam ple therefore consisted o f six w om en in G roup A and five in G roup B.

The Demographic Characteristics of the women in the Pilot Study

The w om en cam e from four different islands o f the C aribbean, Jam aica, Barbados, St. Kitts, A ntigua and G renada. The g reatest num ber cam e from Jam aica and this w as in accordance w ith the pattern o f the im m igration as 60% o f the im m igrants w ere from that island. A lthough the populations in each island are very diverse, all o f the w om en o f the sam ple w ere black and o f A frican heritage.

Characteristics of the Women Table I Age G R O U P A G R O U P B 1. 35 years 36 years 2. 32 years 40 years 3. 36 years 42 years 4. 46 years 45 years 5. 38 years 47 years 6. 45 years

The age range correlated w ith the peaking o f the im m igration from the W est Indies to Britain in the 1960s w hen the im m igrants realised that the likelihood o f returning hom e to the W est Indies w as rem ote. At that tim e restrictive im m igration laws w hich w ould m ake it difficult for people to gain entry w ere being discussed in P arliam ent and parents decided to arrange for the children from w hom they had been separated for som e tim e to join them

Table 2 Civil Status

G roup A G roup B Single 4 3 Co-hab. 1 1 M arried 1 D ivorced 1 Table 3 Children G roup A G roup B 1. 2 0 2. 0 1 3. 0 5 4. 1 1 adopted 5. 2 2 6. 0

Table 4 Age when left

G roup A G roup B

A ge w hen left A ge w hen reunited

A ge w hen left Age w hen reunited 1. 1 m onth 10 years B aby 8 years 2, 1 year 11 years 4 years 12 years 3. 6 years 8 years Baby 9 years 4. 1 year 11 years 5 years 13 years 5. Baby 10 years 3 years 11 years 6. B aby 9 years

Table 5 With whom left

G roup A G roup B

4 with m aternal grandm others 5 w ith m aternal grandm others 1 with m aternal great aunt

1 with paternal uncle and his wife

Table 6 Left with siblings

G roup A G roup B

Left w ith siblings A lone L eft w ith siblings Alone

Table 7 Further Education and Occupation

G roup A G roup B 1. A dm inistrator A dm inistrator 2. Clerical w o rk er A dm inistrator 3. Factory w orker F actory w orker 4. Factory w orker L aw yer

5. M ental health w orker R eceptionist 6. Student (law )

Table

s

G roup A G roup B

P ractising N on Practising Practising N on Practising 1 (Pentecostal) 3 (2 Rom an C atholic

1 Pentecostal)

T he First section o f the Interview Schedule covered experiences prior to im m igration, (A ppendix 3).

F ive o f the w om en, three in group A, and tw o in g roup B w ere left betw een the ages o f nought to five years. They had no m em ory o f being cared for by their own m others. The six year-old in group A recalled th at her m other did not pay her too m uch attention, her father w as kind to her, and she helped to look after her tw o younger sisters. N ine recalled that life at hom e w ith g ran d m o th er w as enjoyable and they believed that their grandm others and other m em bers o f the extended fam ily loved them The six year old w ho w as left w ith her uncle and his w ife recalled that she w as very unhappy because she w as badly treated in the hom e.

All o f the w om en regarded their grandm others as their m others although they knew that their biological m others w ere abroad. They w ere not rem inded about their m others through conversation. M ention o f her w as only m ade w hen rem ittances w ere received. Those w ho w ere left w ith siblings had close relationships w ith them.

Preparation for leaving

Nine of the women were not prepared for leaving home. One mother returned from England to take her and her brother back with her. She recalled that this did not make it any easier to leave her grandmother. The six year old having been so unhappy in her uncle's house approached a friend of her father and asked him to write to her father to ask him to send for her and her sisters. She was very pleased to leave the island.

Nine of the women, four in group A, five in group B, said that they did not want to leave their grandmothers. One woman in group A recalled her fantasy that everyone in England was rich and beautiful and so her mother would be. This fantasy was shattered when she met her mother and saw the conditions in which her mother lived, and she never recovered from her disappointment.