In search of perfect motherhood for imperfect childhood – experiences of 22 Chinese mothers

Motherhood is subjectively defined and contextually based. This article describes and unfolds the experience of 22 Chinese mothers in Hong Kong in cultivating a sense of perfect motherhood for their children who have mental or behavioural problems that require psychiatric consultation. The mother, the significant others and the general public perceive the latter as a form of imperfection. The mothering experiences were full of frustrations, ambivalence, stresses and tensions, and were crystallized by the repeated theme of mother‐blaming and self‐blame by the mother. Despite the hardships, these Chinese mothers have gradually developed self‐confidence and pride, and have found ways to cope with the burden of care. Implications for practice are highlighted at the end of the paper.     

Negotiating motherhood: women with troubled upbringings and their self‐conceptions as mothers

This paper examines how women who experienced severe adjustment problems during adolescence, and who had troubled childhoods in families with high levels of conflict, construct their self‐conceptions as mothers. Applying data from a 30‐year‐long follow‐up study, this paper examines how participants with troubled upbringings experience social norms of motherhood. Two overall themes emerged along with their associated subcategories, and these are identified as significant findings. The first theme is the stigmatizing gaze, exemplifying how the intervention of the child welfare service is recognized as essential to the women's self‐conception; its three subcategories are prejudiced motherhood, predestined motherhood and self‐critical motherhood. The second theme is significant relationships, exemplifying the mothers' personal bonds and contributing greatly to their self‐conception; its three subcategories are the other half, next of kin and disturbed relations. The findings reveal that the way these women view themselves as mothers cannot be separated from the way that others view them, and in addition, they must negotiate their positions as mothers through the normative discourses of motherhood. The findings apply to both theoretical and practical social work, addressing the need for an understanding of motherhood within the field of child welfare.     

Distress and depression in new motherhood: research with adoptive mothers highlights important contributing factors

Feminist, sociological literature concerned with mothering and motherhood reveals that the reality of mothering within the sometimes contradictory and invalidating context of western society may bring forth a range of emotional responses, some of which are unexpected negative responses. In a recent study with adoptive mothers in Queensland, Australia, experiences at significant points across the adoption life cycle were explored. These experiences included, for mothers of babies and young children, a wide range of emotional responses in the early post-adoption period. Methods for the collection of data included the introduction of several scales, including a postnatal depression scale (EPDS), and in-depth interviews. The findings have implications for social work practice with adoptive mothers, and also for the delivery of health services to all mothers and babies.     

A qualitative exploration of parenting representations amongst mothers with young children on the edge of care

Mothers who are at risk of losing custody of their children represent a vulnerable population whose voices are seldom heard. Exploring their perspectives of parenting, their child and the relationship with their child—their ‘parenting representations’—can improve our understanding of their struggles and inform interventions. Research in this area so far has been predominantly quantitative, meaning valuable information about subjective experiences is often lost. The present study sought to address this gap by thematically analysing interviews with eight mothers with under-3-year-olds on the edge of Local Authority care, completed at the beginning of a therapeutic intervention. Results are reported around five themes: ‘Idealistic portrayal of the child and the relationship’, ‘Struggling as a parent’, ‘Shadows of the past’, ‘The child and motherhood as comfort’ and ‘Anxiety about loss and fighting for the child’. The parenting struggles of mothers in this population are complex and multi-faceted, fuelled by unresolved relational trauma, fears of further pain, adversity and difficulties in accessing and trusting support. Successful interventions are likely to require comprehensive, long-term approaches that holistically address mothers' unmet physical and emotional needs and begin with building relational trust.     

‘I want to be better than you:’ lived experiences of intergenerational child maltreatment prevention among teenage mothers in and beyond foster care

The growing body of research on teenage motherhood in foster care has largely focused on the risks involved for both mother and child, yet these mothers depict a much more complex picture of their own experience of becoming and being mothers. The current study employed interpretative phenomenological analysis to explore 18 in‐depth, qualitative interviews from six participants on the meaning and experience of motherhood among teenage mothers in foster care and in the years immediately after ageing out. This study focused on a particular dimension of motherhood: participants' efforts to break the cycle of child abuse and neglect with their own children. Two themes emerged as characteristic of these experiences: (i) treating children well/parenting differently and avoiding the system; and (ii) reducing isolation and enhancing support. Given the increased likelihood of the children of teen mothers – particularly those who have been maltreated – becoming involved with the child welfare system, study findings suggest possible strategies for disrupting cycles of intergenerational child welfare involvement generated by young mothers themselves. Practice implications for addressing possible substance abuse, mental health and relational and parenting needs are discussed.     

Between the maternal and the professional: the impact of being a child welfare officer on motherhood

Child welfare officers experience stress from exposure to child neglect and abuse and the burden of responsibility for children's well‐being. This qualitative study addresses the question: How do social workers who are child welfare officers perceive and cope with the influence of their professional occupation on their relationships with their own children? The research is based on in‐depth interviews with a purposive sample of 10 child welfare workers who are mothers (of 2–4 children aged 2–23 years). The data analysis illustrates how the professional identity and the maternal identity of the child welfare officer fluctuate between two positions. The first is ‘anxious motherhood’ in which anxiety is the prism through which the welfare officer views the world as dangerous for her children, stimulating protective, control‐enhancing actions. The second position is reflective motherhood in which the welfare worker struggles with her own stresses and conflicts as a mother and searches for an experience of meaningful, positive motherhood. The findings reinforce the need to raise the consciousness of child welfare officers regarding the impact of encountering distress and trauma on their own well‐being as parents. In this way, they can prevent secondary traumatization and enhance professional and maternal growth.     

“I can be a mum or a professional,but not both”: What women say about their experiences of juggling paid employment with motherhood

Past research has identified the salience of the notion of “good motherhood” in countries such as Australia, where women are expected to invest significant time and energy, often through self‐sacrifice, to raise their children. We analysed free‐text comments provided in response to an open‐ended question from the Australian Longitudinal Study on Women's Health (ALSWH) to examine whether the discourse of “good motherhood” played any role in how women articulate their experiences of juggling paid employment with motherhood. Eighty women from the cohort born 1973–78 were included, providing 223 comments. “Good motherhood” underpinned many of the accounts about combining motherhood with paid employment. Women reported life as stressful and hectic as they attempted to juggle the demands of childcare with paid employment and domestic chores. Although some identified “good motherhood” as an unachievable ideal, most were largely unable to disengage with this discourse. Broader social structures, such as inflexible working conditions, were found to reinforce and support this ideal, contributing to the strength of the discourse.     

I am more than a mom: Stories of parental leave during the transition to motherhood in Canada

The transition to motherhood is a time of tremendous change, during which maternal subjects experience important shifts in their relationships with family, friends, employers, and state. Parental leave policies have potential to mitigate some of these changes, contributing positively to health and economic outcomes. Indeed, such policies have been identified as essential for achieving gender equality, serving to address both recognition and redistributive claims. In this paper, we explore parental leave policy through the lens of first time mothers in Canada, where two distinct policy regimes coexist. Using narrative analysis, we examine the ways in which the transition to motherhood is embodied and enacted through policy experiences. The stories we uncover, stories of helplessness, of control and resistance, and of stymied progress, illuminate how leave policies differently position maternal subjects in complex social settings.     

Parenting distress and parental investment of Hong Kong Chinese parents with a child having an emotional or behavioural problem: a qualitative study

This qualitative study aims to understand the parenting distress and parental investment of Hong Kong Chinese parents with a child having an emotional or behavioural problem. The parents of 24 children and adolescents who sought psychiatric consultation within the study period were interviewed using open‐ended questions. The data revealed a vicious reciprocal interaction in which the symptoms affected the parents’ psychosocial well‐being, which in turn impacted unfavourably on the identified patient. With three exceptions, the parents in this study had engaged in different activities prior to the psychiatric consultation, including information search, changes in the methods of parenting, attempts to reduce family stress, reliance on superstitious beliefs, and reaching out for professional help and social services. The parental investment indicated parents’ resilience in facing the child’s problems. Implications for service development and social work intervention are discussed.     

The experience of sole mothers balancing paid work with care for a child with a disability

There are increasing numbers of families in Australia headed by sole parents, but little is known about the experiences of those who also care for a child with a disability. Additional caring responsibilities have previously been shown to impact on the work participation of parents. This study involved qualitative analyses of interview data conducted with sole mothers with school‐aged children with disability (N = 11). Thematic analysis revealed four themes that enabled and supported participation in the workforce: social support; managing appointments; characteristics of the workplace; and the role of the school. Results suggest the importance of practical help from family and friends in facilitating participation in paid employment. Additionally, the importance of flexible appointment scheduling on the part of service providers was highlighted, as well as the importance of workplace flexibility and supportive workplace cultures. Such factors were important in supporting sole mothers to balance work with care, with important implications for personal and family wellbeing.     

Social work practitioners' experience of the clinical utility of the Home Observation for Measurement of the Environment (HOME) Inventory

Clinical utility of an assessment instrument can provide important information about the potential value of that instrument when used in practice. The aim of this study was to describe social work practitioners' experiences of the clinical utility of a Swedish version of the Home Observation for Measurement of the Environment (HOME) Inventory. Because knowledge of clinical utility in this area is scarce, a qualitative method based on semi‐structured interviews was used to gain a deeper understanding of the phenomenon. Data were collected through 16 interviews and then analysed by qualitative manifest content analysis. The analysis yielded five categories: improves quality of child protection investigations, supports practitioners, HOME has drawbacks and difficulties, certain issues are important for future applications and basic conditions are crucial. The findings supported the clinical utility of the HOME Inventory though some critical issues have to be addressed, especially concerning the category basic conditions are crucial. A thorough education, the possibility to practice activities related to the administration of the method and support from management were found to be essential. Replication and further studies are needed in the Swedish context to confirm the applicability of the HOME Inventory.     

Parental experiences in cases of child sexual abuse: a qualitative study

This paper describes the themes which emerged from in-depth interviews with parents of a small number of Australian children who were believed to have been sexually abused. The parents' experiences in the wake of the abuse, including their involvement with three services - a hospital counselling service, the statutory child protection service, and the police - were explored in home interviews conducted 3 months following termination of the case by these services. The themes include: issues related to trust and authority in the casework relationship; expectations of counselling; contamination of normal sexuality in the family; the perception of the sexually abused child as'damaged'; and relationships within their family and social network. Some of the implications for practice are discussed.     

我国法定离婚理由的社会性别分析

法定离婚理由是当事人请求国家审判机关作出离婚判决的法律依据,是离婚法律制度的重要内容之一。从历史角度进行考察,我国法定离婚理由的发展经历了漫长而曲折的过程;从社会性别视角进行审视,法定离婚理由的演进表现为从男性专权到男女平权的轨迹;从立法内容上看,我国现行《婚姻法》中已经明确规定法定离婚理由平等适用于男女两性;从法律适用上分析,我国法定离婚理由在司法实践中仍存在一定的性别差异。因此,我国法定离婚理由应根据时代发展的需要相应地增加列举内容,以增强司法实践中的可操作性,同时还应注意对司法人员社会性别意识进行培养,从而推进性别平等的法律进程,并最终实现促进社会和谐发展的立法目的。     

(Un)‐blaming mothers whose partners sexually abuse children: in view of heteronormative myths,pressures and authorities

Mothers of children who have been sexually abused are often shamed, blamed and held guilty for their male partners' sexual perpetrations. These feelings are constrained by the dominant heteronormative discourses, institutions and systems that devalue women, that silence them and which subsequently blame women for the abuse as well as their silence. Paradoxically, the risks for mothers speaking out are reinforced by social criticism and professional response that draw on heteronormative discourses that accuse women for ‘failing to protect’ their children, for being ‘bad’ mothers or for making poor choices in their lovers. With these issues at the forefront, this paper illuminates how heteronormative discourses may operate to not only shame and blame women unable to leave their adult relationships and protect their children, but they also strengthen the perpetrator's power as strategic actors in concealing child sexual abuse. It is argued that the heteronormative discourses that reinforce women's sense of guilt obstruct professional intervention and make service engagement of these women difficult. In light of the power of discourse, the importance of combining an overlapping systems approach in which individualized client‐centred support is provided to each family member involved in child sexual abuse matters, including for the mothers in their own right, is discussed.     

The bumpy road to ‘becoming’: capturing the stories that teenage mothers told about their journey into motherhood

Understanding the experience of women who become mothers during their teenage years is central to ensuring that the support that is offered is appropriate to meet their needs. This paper reports on a small part of a larger ethnographic study that captured the lived experience of young mothers who were between the ages of 16 and 19 years that potentially typifies and illuminates the experiences of young women who become mothers in their teenage years. By collecting data from narrative interviews as well as participant and non‐participant observations over an extended period of time it was possible to identify how the young women experienced a range of difficulties as they made their transition into motherhood. Drawing on the findings, this paper argues that this transition for teenage mothers can be significantly different from the experience of older mothers, and it identifies the importance of appropriate support to mediate the challenges that they face. Understanding the young women's journey to ‘becoming’ is critical when planning services because if their experience of support is negative, it can lead to increased levels of maternal stress and reluctance to engage with support services.     

A resilience enhancing trauma-informed program for children and mothers in domestic violence shelters: A qualitative study

In domestic violence (DV) shelters, offering psychosocial support services to mothers and children is vital. The program ‘Time for Tony the Turtle’ has been developed for mothers and children residing in DV shelters in the Netherlands. It aims to foster attachment and regulation skills, which can also prepare for trauma treatment if sought after later on. This qualitative study explores the experiences of mothers, children and professionals with the program and its perceived impact and what components function as facilitators and barriers in the implementation of such a program in DV crisis shelters in the Netherlands. We conducted in-depth interviews with 15 mothers, 11 children and 18 professionals from three organizations offering DV shelters. We used thematic analysis to identify patterns of meaning in the interviews. Mothers, children and professionals valued that the program provided a calm moment for reflection in hectic times and that the playfulness in which the program addressed trauma-related topics. However, mothers find it difficult to attend the program in the beginning of their shelter stay, therefore hampering the applicability of the program. Our findings suggest that integrating the topic of discussing father in a program in crisis shelters is complex and deserves more attention.     

Learning from parents: A qualitative interview study on how parents experience their journey through the Dutch child protection system

The quality of parents' experiences with the child protection system (CPS) is related to the outcomes of their family's process in the system. The importance of collaboration with parents in child protection is underpinned by human and children's rights conventions addressing the right for family life and parents being first responsible in fulfilling children's rights. We interviewed 20 parents about their experiences with the Dutch CPS. Our thematic analysis shows that a CPS serving the best interests of their children is most important to parents. To realize this, professionals should (1) “not let it happen but do something,” (2) “get a clear picture of the family's situation,” and (3) “take parents seriously.” Parents emphasize that a system providing sufficient “money, time, and knowledge” is needed to facilitate professionals. Their experiences seem to influence their trust in the system and their attitude towards it. This study shows new insights in parents' experiences, such as their advice to professionals to determine the truth and to be decisive. This deepened knowledge about parents' experiences is essential for evaluating and improving the CPS.     

The Heterogeneity of Socially Isolated Older Adults: A Social Isolation Typology

Recent statistics show a growing number of older adults who are living alone and are socially isolated. It is against this background that, in recent years, many interventions have been developed to address social isolation among the elderly. Evaluative studies show that most interventions are hardly effective, though. An important reason for this is the heterogeneity of the socially isolated. This article offers insight into this heterogeneity by presenting a typology with different profiles of socially isolated older adults and the intervention implications of this typology. The typology is derived from an extensive qualitative study on socially isolated elderly individuals in the Netherlands. The typology imposes some degree of order to a diversity of circumstances, ambitions, and possibilities of the socially isolated elderly, thereby deepening the understanding of the heterogeneity of this population. The definition of social isolation used in this study starts from a societal angle of incidence, namely the current policy context of Western European welfare states, in which governments emphasize the importance of independence and self-reliance of their citizens. Developed from that perspective, the typology provides a theoretical basis for applying interventions aimed at increasing self-reliance of social isolated elderly. This perspective on social isolation also has consequences for the way in which the effectiveness of interventions to alleviate social isolation is assessed.     

The Effect of Socioeconomic Status and Family Structure on Parental Warmth and Parental Control in a Chinese Context: Implications for Social Work Practice

We report the results of a telephone survey conducted in 2008 in Hong Kong, which aimed to identify Chinese parents' parental warmth and parental control (guan) and to explore their relationship with the sociodemographic characteristics of the parents. The respondents perceived themselves to be warm (mean = 3.44) and educating their child (mean = 3.46). The results of multiple regression analysis showed that the five sociodemographic characteristics explained 15.8% and 8.2% of the variance in parental warmth and guan respectively. The mothers were warmer than the fathers; parents with higher monthly household income, higher educational attainment and with their smallest child young in age were warmer than parents of lower household income, lower educational attainment and with their smallest child older in age. However, parental guan did not vary among the five sociodemographic characteristics except educational attainment. Implications of the study for social work practice are discussed.     

The transition of Israeli men to fatherhood: a comparison between new fathers of pre-term/full-term infants

The study compared a group of 62 new Israeli fathers of pre‐term infants with a comparison group of 58 new fathers of full‐term infants with respect to parental stress, depression symptoms, mastery, self‐esteem and involvement with the child. Findings indicated that fathers of pre‐term infants had significantly greater stress and depression scores and lower involvement rate with the child compared with fathers of the matching group. No differences were found with respect to the fathers' mastery and self‐esteem. New fathers of full‐term infants, aged 30 years and more, had significantly higher self‐esteem compared with fathers aged less than 30 years. Findings are discussed with respect to practice in neonatal units.