Maternal Identity Research Articles

Experience of Late Miscarriage and Practical Implications for Post-Natal Health Care: Qualitative Study.

Miscarriage is the most common reason for pregnancy loss, affecting around one in four pregnancies. It is classified as a traumatic event, associated with an increased risk for depression, anxiety, post-traumatic stress, alcohol dependence, somatic symptoms, sexual dysfunction, suicide, and complicated grief. This study aimed to analyse experiences of late miscarriage and to describe practical implications for post-natal health care based on characteristics of pregnancy loss revealed in a qualitative study. Seven women who had late miscarriages participated in in-depth biographical interviews. A phenomenological thematic analysis was applied. Experiential characteristics of late miscarriage were described by four themes and 13 subthemes: the initial splitting state (Dissociation, An Opened Void, An impaired Symbiosis, and The Body is Still Pregnant while the Psyche is Mourning); Betrayal of the body (Symbolic Experience of Internalised Death, Shocking Materiality of the Ongoing Miscarriage, Lost control of the Body, and Confusing Body Signals); Disconnecting (Depersonalising Medical Environment, Guilt Falsifies perception, and Retreat as a means of Self-Preservation); and Reconnecting (Collecting Shatters and Reinterpretation of Maternal Identity). Based on the results of the experiential analysis, another four themes represent practical recommendations for post-natal health care: Informing, Opportunity for Goodbye, Attention to Emotional Wellbeing, and Respectful Hospital Environment.

Relationship Between Domestic Violence in Pregnancy and Maternal Fetus Attachment

Background: Attachment between mother and fetus plays an important role in maternal identity, birth outcomes, growth, and development of a newborn. In addition, domestic violence, especially in pregnancy, has been regarded as a health priority in many societies. Objectives: The study aimed to assess the relationship between domestic violence in pregnancy and maternal fetus attachment. Methods: This descriptive correlational study was conducted on 200 pregnant mothers visiting the selected Healthcare Centers of Mashhad. The questionnaires were demographic information, Straus Violence Questionnaire and Cranley’s Mother-Fetus Attachment Questionnaire. Data were analyzed using descriptive and correlation coefficient and linear regression tests as well as SPSS v.21 software. Results: Here, 54% of members had experienced domestic violence. In general, there was a reversed and significant correlation between all aspects of domestic violence and mother-fetus attachment. Moreover, 89% of research centers reported fetal attachment as good, 10% as average, and 1% as weak. Based on the linear regression test, physical violence was able to predict the variance of maternal attachment score of 4.14% in mothers. Conclusions: As a result of this article, regarding lower maternal-fetal attachment in violated women in pregnancy, much more sensitive screening should be considered for domestic violence so that adverse outcomes are prohibited.

Constructions of good mothering during lockdown learning

ABSTRACT This paper examines the relationship between school closures during the Covid-19 pandemic and the ideology of intensive mothering through analysis of posts on lockdown learning in an online mothering community. It is argued that although the school closures seemed to constitute an endorsement and normalisation of intensive mothering ideology [Hays (1996). The Cultural Contradictions of Motherhood. New Haven: Yale University Press] by the machinery of government, and increased the pressure upon many women, some mothers resisted these expectations in this online forum. The online community served as a space in which intensive mothering expectations were articulated [Lehner-Mear (2020). “Good Mother, Bad Mother? Maternal Identities and Cyber-Agency in the Primary School Homework Debate.” Gender and Education 33 (3): 285–305] but also offered an arena for cyber-agency, enabling women to express negative emotions, and normalising the rejection of expert constructions of mothering.

Mothers’ Sexual Identity and Children’s Health

Sexual minority women face a plethora of structural, socioeconomic, and interpersonal disadvantages and stressors. Research has established negative associations between women’s sexual minority identities and both their own health and their infants’ birth outcomes. Yet a separate body of scholarship has documented similarities in the development and well-being of children living with same-sex couples relative to those living with similarly situated different-sex couples. This study sought to reconcile these literatures by examining the association between maternal sexual identity and child health at ages 5–18 using a US sample from the full population of children of sexual minority women, including those who identify as mostly heterosexual, bisexual, or lesbian, regardless of partner sex or gender. Analyses using data from the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent to Adult Health (N = 8978) followed women longitudinally and examined several measures of their children’s health, including general health and specific developmental and physical health conditions. Analyses found that children of mostly heterosexual and bisexual women experienced health disadvantages relative to children of heterosexual women, whereas the few children of lesbian women in our sample evidenced a mixture of advantages and disadvantages. These findings underscore that to understand sexual orientation disparities and the intergenerational transmission of health, it is important to incorporate broad measurement of sexual orientation that can capture variation in family forms and in sexual minority identities.

The needs and experiences of mothers while in prison and post-release: a rapid review and thematic synthesis

BackgroundWomen in prison are a vulnerable group, often with a history of abuse, out-of-home care, mental health problems and unemployment. Many are mothers when they become involved in the criminal justice system and their gender and parenting related needs are often not considered. The aim of this rapid review was to thematically synthesize the existing research on the needs and experiences of mothers while in, and following release from, prison in Australia.MethodsWe conducted a rapid systematic search of electronic databases, search engines, the websites of key agencies, and contacted key agencies and researchers.ResultsTwenty-two publications from 12 studies met the inclusion criteria and were thematically synthesized in relation to the mothers, their children, family and community, and systems and services which mothers had contact with. We found that mothers in prison have a history of disadvantage which is perpetuated by the trauma of imprisonment. Release from prison is a particularly challenging time for mothers. In relation to their children, the included studies showed that the imprisonment of mothers impacts their maternal identity and role and disrupts the mother-child relationship. Specific strategies are needed to maintain the mother-child relationship, and to ensure the needs and rights of the child are met. In relation to family and community, we found that although family and social support is an important need of women in prison, such support may not be available. Moreover, the stigma associated with having been in prison is a significant barrier to transitions into the community, including finding employment and housing. In relation to systems and services, although limited services exist to support women in prison and on release, these often do not consider the parenting role. Evaluations of parenting programs in prison found them to be acceptable and beneficial to participants but barriers to access limit the number of women who can participate.ConclusionMothers have gender- and parenting-specific needs which should be considered in planning for corrective services in Australia. Any service redesign must place the woman and her children at the centre of the service.

‘I’m Mum and Dad in One, Basically’: Doing and Displaying ‘Good Lone Motherhood’

Popular discourse continues to equate ‘good’ motherhood with middle class, heterosexual coupledom and lone motherhood with dysfunctionality, despite ever-increasing diversity in family life. Drawing on interviews with lone mothers in two locations in the north of England, this article introduces the concept of ‘good lone motherhood’ to capture a process whereby women internalise nuclear family ideology while simultaneously resisting stigma and taking pride in their achievements in fulfilling practical and emotional demands of lone parenting. Application of a family practices framework is expanded through insights into what ‘doing’ good lone motherhood entails in everyday life and how it is ‘displayed’ to different audiences. Taking a comparative approach involving women in areas with contrasting socio-economic profiles highlights the contextual nature of display. Analysis of agential reflexivity and structural constraints demonstrates ways in which gender and class disadvantages can undermine capacity to ‘successfully’ convey a positive maternal identity.

Mothering Through Mental Illness: Exploring the Experiences of Motherhood for Criminally Involved Women on Mental Health Probation

As the number of criminally involved women has increased substantially over several decades, the prevalence of mothers impacted by criminal justice involvement has also increased. The current paper seeks to examine a specific subset of these criminally involved mothers—those with significant and long-term mental illness. This study explores how these women describe their experiences mothering through semistructured qualitative interviews with 48 women on a specialty mental health caseload in Maricopa County, Arizona. Using an inductive approach inspired by grounded theory to analyze the narrative accounts of criminally involved women with mental illness, the maternal identities of these women are placed at the forefront of the discussion, with an emphasis on examining their experiences beyond motherhood’s influence on desistance.

Experiences of transition to motherhood among pregnant women following assisted reproductive technology: a qualitative systematic review.

This systematic review aimed to identify and synthesize available qualitative evidence regarding the experiences of the transition to motherhood among pregnant women following assisted reproductive technology. Pregnant women experience unique challenges to their identity when transitioning to motherhood following assisted reproductive technology. It is important that health care professionals understand the context and complexity of emotional adaptation to pregnancy following assisted reproductive technology. Any qualitative data from empirical studies that described experiences of the transition to motherhood during pregnancy among women who conceived through assisted reproductive technology were considered for inclusion. Several databases were searched for published and unpublished studies in English or Japanese from 1992 to 2019, including MEDLINE, CINAHL, PsycINFO, ProQuest Health and Medical Collection, Google Scholar, and Open Access Theses and Dissertations (in English); and Ichushi-Web, CiNii, and the Institutional Repositories Database (in Japanese). All included studies were assessed by two independent reviewers. Any disagreements were resolved through discussion. We used the recommended JBI approach to critical appraisal, data extraction, and data synthesis. This review included seven studies that considered pregnant women's (n = 110) experiences of transition to motherhood following assisted reproductive technology. The studies were assessed as moderate to high quality (scores 7-10) based on the JBI critical appraisal checklist for qualitative research. All studies used qualitative methodologies or methods including phenomenology, narrative approach, qualitative description, and qualitative content analysis. There were two studies from Japan, one from Brazil, one from Iran, one from Israel, one from the UK, and one from the USA. In total, 51 supported findings were aggregated into 14 categories, and five synthesized findings: i) Pregnant women following assisted reproductive technology require support to decrease anxiety and improve their belief in pregnancy to internalize a maternal identity; ii) Pregnant women following assisted reproductive technology need reassurance of their lifestyles to ensure a safe passage through pregnancy because of ambivalent feelings about becoming a mother; iii) Pregnant women following assisted reproductive technology develop a maternal identity with affection for the fetus if they switch their mindset from infertility to pregnancy; iv) Pregnant women following assisted reproductive technology need to review their self-image of being infertile and prepare for childbirth or motherhood; v) Pregnancy following assisted reproductive technology contributes to the emergence of positive feelings and changing the women's sense of self and other personal relationships. Based on the ConQual approach, the confidence in the synthesized findings was rated as moderate to low. The synthesized findings highlight the importance of understanding the uncertainty and ambivalent feelings women have about their pregnancy, delayed development of attachment to their fetus and formation of a maternal identity, alteration in their relationships, and the social context of pregnancy via assisted reproductive technology among pregnant women following assisted reproductive technology. Health care professionals need to be aware of the specific care needs of these women relating to the unique pathway in the identity transition to motherhood following assisted reproductive technology. More research on development and implementation of specific intervention programs for expectant mothers following assisted reproductive technology is needed. PROSPERO CRD42019138200.

Transition of Roles Change of Motherhood in Women

Being a mother is an extraordinary experience for women. The transition to changing the role of being a mother is a process that a mother must go through in achieving her maternal identity. The purpose of this paper is to determine the transition from changing the role of being a mother to women. This type of writing is a narrative literature review, conducted in June-November 2020. Data was collected through the PubMed digital library, Science Direct and Google Scholar using inclusion and exclusion criteria. The data analysis was done qualitatively. The analysis was carried out on 19 research articles. The results of the paper show three main themes, namely motherhood, transition to motherhood in working and unemployed mothers, and the role of midwives in supporting the role transition process. The transition process of changing the role of motherhood to both working and non-working mothers, namely experiencing feelings of inadequacy, feeling alone, losing, then being able to realize, make adjustments and perform these roles. Midwives must provide care according to client needs

‘The Synergy Between You’: Mothers, Nannies, and Collaborative Caregiving in Contemporary Matroethnographies

ABSTRACT In this article I examine representations of mother/caregiver relationships in what I am calling a new genre: matroethnography. The term fuses the prefix matro (Latin root for mater) with ethnography; and further, signals a conflation of matro with the auto (autobiography) in autoethnography, itself a hybrid genre from the fields of life writing, anthropology, and sociology. Driven by auto/biographical and autoethnographical impulses, matroethnographies record maternal subjectivities that are individual and collective, personal and communal. I focus on a cluster of matroethnographies published mainly in the last fifteen years that bring together an array of mothers, who are typically white, middle- to upper-class, and Anglo-American; and caregivers, who are typically racialized, low-income-earning, and frequently (illegal) immigrants, and who are often mothers themselves. Utilising innovative combinations of interviews, testimonials, scholarship, and creative non-fiction storytelling, these matroethnographies radically re-position the mother (the traditional primary nurturer) in dialogue with her child's waged caregiver. In so doing, the texts inscribe, negotiate, and critique prevailing twenty-first-century maternal practices, identities, and ideologies.

Women Facing Psychological Abuse: How Do They Respond to Maternal Identity Humiliation and Body Shaming?

This research analyzes the decisions made by women facing simulated situations of psychological abuse. Seventy-three women (36.9 ± 13.6 years) who had been victims of domestic violence participated. The analysis was based on their coping strategies, early maladaptive schemes, and their decisions in response to vignettes describing the following domestic violence situations: humiliation to women’s maternal identity with children as witnesses and body shaming. We used Student’s t and Mann–Whitney tests to compare the results between groups. The participants presented some coping strategies (social support seeking, wishful thinking, and professional support seeking) and several early maladaptive schemes (emotional deprivation, defectiveness/shame, social isolation/alienation, failure to achieve, attachment, and subjugation) associated with their reactions facing a situation of humiliation with children as witnesses. When the humiliation was against the body image, their reactions were associated with some coping strategies (wishful thinking, professional support seeking, autonomy, negative auto-focus coping, and positive reappraisal) and one maladaptive scheme (defectiveness/shame). Women who reacted avoidantly showed higher social and professional support seeking but experienced higher indicators of discomfort and deterioration of self-esteem than those who opted for assertive decisions. The presence of children as witnesses seems to be a factor of stress in the configuration of coping strategies and maladaptive schemes in female victims of domestic violence. The evolution of early maladaptive schemes and coping strategies requires observation to avoid the risk of isolation and permanence in victimizing relationships.

Disrupted mothering in Iranian mothers with breast cancer: a hybrid concept analysis

BackgroundDefining the disrupted mothering would contribute to developing strategies to support mothers with breast cancer. The aim of this study was to analyze the concept of mothering disruption using a hybrid model.MethodsThe Hybrid method for concept analysis was implemented consisting of three phases: theoretical, fieldwork, and final analysis. In the theoretical phase, the literature was searched using electronic databases including PubMed, ScienceDirect, Scopus, ProQuest, Google Scholar, CINAHL, Wiley, Ovid, Magiran, and SID from 2000 to 2020. Any quantitative or qualitative studies published in English or Persian, which were focused on mothering disruption in mothers with breast cancer were included in the study. In the phase of fieldwork, 20 mothers were interviewed to explore the aspects of mothering disruption. The interviews were transcribed and analyzed with conventional content analysis. In the final phase, an overall analysis of the two previous phases was performed.ResultsIn the theoretical phase, the following attributes were determined: “disturbance in maternal identity and roles”, “maternal insensitivity and unresponsiveness: disconnection physically and psychologically”, “the career disruption process” and “biographical disruption”. The fieldwork phase explored three themes including “the unbalance between multiple roles”, “role failure”, and “reduced maternal sensitivity”. The final synthesis yielded that the main integrated elements of mothering disruption are “disease as threating maternal role and identity”, “inability to interpret and respond to child behaviors and needs”, and “support for transitioning from being patient toward maternal competency”.ConclusionWith a deeper understanding of the term ‘disrupted mothering’ or ‘mothering disruption’, healthcare providers will have a foundation to improve cancer care, deliver effective communication and help such mothers cross this disruption and achieve restoration of their mothering role. Future research is needed to validate this concept and explore connections with health outcomes.

Maternal and genetic correlations between morphology and physical performance traits in a small captive primate,Microcebus murinus

AbstractPhysical performance traits are key components of fitness and direct targets of selection. Although maternal effects have important influences on integrated phenotypes, their contributions to variation in performance and to phenotypic traits associated with performance remain poorly understood. We used an animal model to quantify the contribution of maternal effects to performance trait variation, in addition to the genetic and maternal correlations between performance and the relevant underlying morphology in Microcebus murinus. We showed that bite force is heritable (h2 ≈ 0.23) and that maternal effects are an important source of variation, resulting in a medium inclusive heritability (IH2 ≈ 0.47). Bite force and head depth showed a significant genetic correlation (0.70), and other genetic correlations were generally high (0.63 for bite force and head width; 0.41 for pull strength and radius length, albeit not significant), as were the maternal correlations for bite force and head dimensions (0.44, 0.73 and 0.29). Finally, we found differences in evolvability for pull strength and bite force that were also consistent with a higher potential for evolutionary change in pull force. This demonstrates clear effects of the maternal environment on performance expression and on the relationships between morphology and performance. This illustrates the importance of accounting for maternal identity when considering the heritabilities of functional traits.

Mothering and Incarceration: A Conceptual Model Supporting Maternal Identity.

Current literature expounds on community and personal factors contributing to the rapidly growing number of women involved in the criminal justice system. Contributing factors are complex and interwoven, leaving women with life patterns of trauma exposure, mental illness, and substance use disorders. Consequences of these life patterns and incarceration have a significant impact on maternal role attainment. The conceptual model Mothering and Incarceration organizes the multifaceted life patterns of incarcerated women and the influences on a woman's ability to mother her children during and following incarceration. The model has the potential to provide direction to program developers, researchers, and correctional systems to tailor programs for women. The most significant implication of the conceptual model is ending the intergenerational influences of incarceration on children.

Spatiotemporal patterns of egg laying in the common cuckoo

Understanding egg-laying behaviour of brood parasites in space and time can improve our knowledge of interactions between hosts and parasites. However, no studies have combined information on the laying activity of an obligate brood parasite with detailed information on the distribution of host nests within an area and time period. Here, we used molecular methods and analysis of egg phenotypes to determine maternal identity of common cuckoo, Cuculus canorus, eggs and chicks found in the nests of four species of Acrocephalus warblers in consecutive years. The median size of a cuckoo female laying area (calculated as a minimum convex polygon) was correlated negatively with the density of host nests and positively with the number of eggs assigned to a particular female. Cuckoo female laying areas overlapped to a large extent and their size and location did not change between years. Cuckoo females preferentially parasitized host nests located close to their previously parasitized nests and were mostly host specific except for two that parasitized two host species. Future studies should focus on sympatric host and parasite communities with variable densities across different brood-parasitic systems to investigate how population density of hosts affects fitness and evolution of brood parasites. For instance, it remains unknown whether female parasites moving to new sites need to meet a threshold density of a potential host. In addition, young females may be more limited in their egg laying, particularly with respect to the activity of other parasites and hosts, than older females.

Story of a Mother: a Biopolitical Reading of Sindiwe Magona’s Mother to Mother

ABSTRACT Sindiwe Magona’s Mother to Mother, a fictional rendition of Amy Biehl’s murder, has been analyzed as a text that challenges the TRC’s reconciliatory philosophy, generates an empathetic dialogue across the color line, and reclaims the subdued maternal identity and voice. However, Mandisa’s narrative throws light on the condition of motherhood in apartheid South Africa. Examining Mandisa’s position as a girl, woman, and mother through a Foucauldian biopolitical lens, this paper argues that Mandisa’s story reveals the biopolitical construction of motherhood at a crucial historical juncture of South Africa. This analysis reveals that the novel is not a mere maternal testimony; rather, the narrative elucidates the creation of the docile bodies of black women under structural oppression and discursive regulation.

Maternal identity perceived by mothers with infancy children －Focused on the Application of Content Analysis Technique

Purpose : This study analyzes the perception of maternal identity of mothers who have infancy children. Methods: This study was conducted using Content Analysis with sample of 65 mothers with infant children from October 2019 to January 2020. The 65 mothers were interviewed and the outcomes of the interview and their parenting statements were analyzed with content analysis. Statements were categorized and analyzed according to the selected procedure. Results : The results of the study are as follows: the 47 statements in total on perception of the meaning of maternal identity were identified into 8 categories and the total 54 statements on the importance of maternal identity were classified into 8 categories. On the other hand, the total 61 statements as for the experience of maternal identity while raising children are grouped into 10 categories and the 33 statements in total as for the ability to demonstrate maternal identity while raising children were analyzed to have 5 categories. Finally, the total 37 statements on the intention to learn about establishing maternal identity while raising children were categorized in 9 groups. Conclusion : In conclusion: the outcomes of this study cite that it is necessary for the relevant organization to develop and apply a proper maternal identity promotion program so that they could help mothers with infant children establish their maternal identity.

미술치료사의 모성정체성에 관한 자전적 내러티브 탐구

본 연구는 연구자가 살아온 삶을 되돌아보며 자신의 모성정체성이 무엇인지를 경험하고 그 의미를 찾아가는 데 목적이 있다. 연구는 연구자가 체험하는 삶의 이야기를 진실되게 드러낼 수 있는 내러티브 방법으로 조망하였다. 연구 자료는 연구자의 자기분석과 집단미술치료, 슈퍼 비전, 자전적 저널, 그림 작업, 시 쓰기 등의 다양한 표현방법을 활용하였다. 또한 모자의 관계 회복을 위해 두 자녀와 1년간 미술작업 시간을 가졌고 어머니와도 미술작업을 하였다. 탐구의 여정에서 6개의 플롯이 구성되었으며, 이 주제들을 통해 발견한 모성정체성의 탐구 의미는 다 음과 같다. 첫째, 탐구의 여정은 ‘관계 속의 나’를 알아가는 소중한 시간이었다. 둘째, 나의 내 면아이는 타인들의 또 다른 엄마가 되어 인정욕구를 채웠음을 알게 되었다. 셋째, 내가 힘겹고 지칠 때마다 그림은 나에게 엄마의 품이 되어 내 감정과 욕구를 수용하고 위로해 주었음을 알 게 되었다. 넷째, 좋은 엄마 됨은 세상이 원하는 완벽한 엄마가 아니라 나 자신이 되는 것임을 알게 되었다. 모성정체성의 탐구는 두 아이의 엄마이자 미술치료사로서 과거, 현재, 미래의 나 를 통합하여 모성정체성을 확립해 나가는 의미 있는 과정이 되었다. 또한 자전적 탐구는 자기 를 이해함으로 나와 관계하는 타자를 새롭게 바라보는 지평이 되어 나와 내 삶을 변화해 나갈 수 있었다.

Biologically normal sleep in the mother-infant dyad.

We examine infant sleep from evolutionary, historico-cultural, and statistical/epidemiological perspectives and explore the distinct conceptions of "normal" produced by each. We use data from the "Sleeping Like a Baby" study to illustrate how these perspectives influence the ideals and practices of new parents. The "Sleeping Like a Baby" study investigated maternal-infant sleep in north-east England. Sleep data for exclusively breastfeeding (EBF) and formula-feeding (EFF) dyads were captured every 2 weeks from 4 to 18 weeks postpartum through actigraphy and maternal report. Mothers also reported their infant sleep ideals and practices. Results explore objective and maternally-reported infant sleep parameters, and concordance of maternal ideals and practices with public health guidance. Comparison of sleep measures showed that mothers overestimate infant sleep duration compared with actigraphy; EFF mothers' reports were significantly more inaccurate than those of EBF mothers. For infants moved to a separate bedroom, maternally-reported sleep increases were not borne out by actigraphy. Across the study period, concordance of maternal ideal sleep location with public health recommendations occurred on average for 54% of mothers, while concordance in practice fell from 75% at 4-8 weeks to 67% at 14-18 weeks. Discordance for EBF dyads occurred due to bedsharing, and for EFF dyads due to infants sleeping in a room alone. Beliefs about "normal" infant sleep influence parents' perceptions and practices. Clinical and scientific infant sleep discourses reinforce dominant societal norms and perpetuate these beliefs, but biological and evolutionary views on infant sleep norms are beginning to gain traction with parents and health practitioners.

Changes in Importance of Motherhood Following Pregnancy Loss

Pregnancy loss (i.e., miscarriage, stillbirth) is a relatively common and often traumatic experience. Although prior research has examined mental health consequences of pregnancy loss, to our knowledge, none have examined how the experience of pregnancy loss affects how women perceive or value the importance of motherhood. Using longitudinal data from the National Survey of Fertility Barriers, we applied change-score regression analysis to examine how a pregnancy loss that occurred between survey waves was associated with a change in importance of motherhood scores, controlling for sociodemographic and pregnancy-specific characteristics. We found that women who experienced a pregnancy loss reported an increase in importance of motherhood compared to women without a pregnancy loss. The findings suggest that an increase in the importance of motherhood following a pregnancy loss could be a grief response. Health care professionals should consider validating maternal identity following a pregnancy loss, as women highly associate with this role.