Mothers Face Research Articles

Improving educational and reproductive outcomes for adolescent mothers in South Africa: A cross-sectional analysis towards realising policy goals

ABSTRACT Adolescent mothers face numerous challenges. This study aimed to address the operationalisation of the new South African national policy for young mothers by testing the associations of potential protective provisions with three policy goals: School return, grade promotion, and pregnancy/HIV prevention. Adolescent mothers aged 12–24 from rural and urban communities of South Africa’s Eastern Cape completed study questionnaires between 2017–2019. Using multivariate multi-level analysis, we simultaneously estimated associations between hypothesized provisions and protective variables and all policy-aligned goals. School return was associated with using formal childcare services, higher confidence and self-efficacy scores, and remaining in school throughout pregnancy. Grade promotion was associated with greater exposure to friendly and respectful health staff, using formal childcare services, higher confidence and self-efficacy scores, and remaining in school throughout pregnancy. Pregnancy/HIV prevention (condom use) was moderately associated with greater exposure to friendly and respectful health staff. There was evidence of synergies of provisions whereby a combination of protective characteristics showed larger positive effects than receipt of any single factor alone. This study provides essential evidence for operationalising South Africa’s new policy on the Prevention and Management of Learner Pregnancy in Schools, and points to implementation strategies that provide low-cost opportunities to promote educational and health outcomes for adolescent mothers.

Workplace Breastfeeding Support and Breastfeeding Practices among Healthcare Professionals.

Working mothers face striking challenges in breastfeeding. It is important to focus on them to further improve breastfeeding rates. To assess the workplace breastfeeding support and breastfeeding practices of healthcare professionals. We conducted a cross-sectional study among two hospitals in East Delhi. All mothers having at least one child aged six months to five years and currently employed as healthcare personnel were included. For a sample size of 100, population proportionate to size sampling was done among two hospitals. The participants were randomly selected from a list of healthcare personnel. Employee perception of breastfeeding support questionnaire (EPBS-Q) was used to assess the workplace breastfeeding support. Chi-square test was used to compare proportions, logistic regression, and survival analysis to find the association between workplace breastfeeding support and IYCF parameters. The proportion of mother who perceived poor workplace breastfeeding support was 37%. The mean (SD) score obtained was 103.48 (8.93). The early initiation of breastfeeding within one hour was practiced by 54%, exclusive breastfeeding for at least six months by 60%, and timely initiation of complementary feeding for six to eight months by 64% mothers. Workplace breastfeeding support was significantly associated with exclusively breastfeeding for at least six months. More than one-third of mothers perceived poor workplace breastfeeding, and it was associated with exclusive breastfeeding.

Resilience as a “Working Mom” Dealing with Changing Situations in Era Pandemic Covid 19

As a “Working Mom” situations change and responsibilities accepted as a worker and mother. For “working mom”, changes in the situation also affect the psychological conditions such as stress, anxiety, trauma, mood disorders and even depression. Therefore, a mother needs has a resilience, for dealing with changing situations. Aim of this study to describe the resilience of a mother face various changing situations in era pandemic covid 19. Method used by semi systematic literature studies with SALSA (Searching, Appraisal, Synthesis and Analysis) technique. Searching literature about 10 years ago through google schoolar, dimensions , EBSCO, elicit.org, and research gate with the keyword "resilience in working mothers". Appraisal for screening literature to map out and categorize article. Synthesis and analysis to find and identify gap in research literature. Based on literature review that mothers need resilience to be able deal with various situations specifically before, during and after a pandemic. Resilience is influenced by internal and external factors. Internal factors include coping strategies, emotional intelligence, religiosity, self-esteem, and self-efficacy. External factors are social support from friends, work environment, partners and other family members. Furthermore, the research showed that each factors has a different impact for each conditions. Before pandemic a mother needs coping strategies, emotional intelligence and social support are enough to help has a resilience skill. For situations during until after pandemic social support has a significant impact for a mother has a resilience skill to face specific conditions. Emotional and instrumental support has a significant impact. Especially from a spouse, family member, and other people surrounding mother. Future, this research can be used a basic to arrange intervention plan to increase resilience for working mom. Beside that, we can explore this research with various methods and technique.

Burden of Care among Mothers Having Children with Thalassemia

Introduction: Thalassemia, an inherited disorder is characterized by reduction in the ability of the body to synthesize hemoglobin. Though care giving is a normal parental duty, providing lifelong care to thalassemic children may increase burden among parents. The objective of this study was to find out the burden of care among mothers having thalassemic children. Methods: This descriptive cross-sectional study was carried out among 100 mothers attending a Thalassemia day care center in Kathmandu, Nepal. Non-probability purposive sampling technique was used to collect data through interview using Zarit Burden Interview scale. Results: Findings revealed that out of 100 mothers, 19% had little or no burden, 43% had mild level of burden of care, 34% had moderate burden of care and 4% had severe burden of care. It was found that 43% of the mothers frequently felt that child is depended upon her, 20% of the mothers, frequently felt stressed from caring their children. 35% of the mothers frequently felt that money is insufficient to care for their child. Statistically significant association was found between level of burden with economic status (p=0.002) and place of residence (p=0.03). Conclusion: The study concludes that mothers face burden of caring the child having thalassemia. Burden of care among mothers tends to be influenced by the family economic status and residence. This burden should be minimized by health personnel through proper counseling and support to mothers of thalassemic children

Women in Disasters: Unfolding the Struggles of Displaced Mothers in Talisay, Batangas during the Taal Volcano Eruption and the Pandemic

Disasters strike globally, but their impacts are often more severe on socially and economically marginalized sectors like women. This is one of the main justifications behind the 2010 Philippine Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Act, which promotes gender equality and inclusivity in all strategies to combat the adverse effects of natural hazards, especially on underrepresented populations. However, gender-based discrimination during disasters is still prevalent in local communities of the Philippines. Thus, this study attempts to unfold the struggles of displaced mothers in Talisay, Batangas, because of the Taal Volcano’s eruption in January 2020 and worsened by the COVID-19 pandemic that began in March 2020. Specifically, this study identifies the direct impacts that impede survivors’ capacity to recover from the disruptions brought about by the aforementioned catastrophes. Findings, through mothers’ narratives, reveal six (6) key themes that reveal insecurity in livelihood, shelter, education of their children, food, health and nutrition, and water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH). This only proves that displaced mothers face socio-economic issues aggravated by the changing climate that the local government of Talisay needs to address towards a gender-inclusive DRRM.

Girls in early childhood increase food returns of nursing women during subsistence activities of the BaYaka in the Republic of Congo.

Nursing mothers face an energetic trade-off between infant care and work. Under pooled energy budgets, this trade-off can be reduced by assistance in food acquisition and infant care tasks from non-maternal carers. Across cultures, children also often provide infant care. Yet the question of who helps nursing mothers during foraging has been understudied, especially the role of children. Using focal follow data from 140 subsistence expeditions by BaYaka women in the Republic of Congo, we investigated how potential support from carers increased mothers' foraging productivity. We found that the number of girls in early childhood (ages 4-7 years) in subsistence groups increased food returns of nursing women with infants (kcal collected per minute). This effect was stronger than that of other adult women, and older girls in middle childhood (ages 8-13 years) and adolescence (ages 14-19 years). Child helpers were not necessarily genetically related to nursing women. Our results suggest that it is young girls who provide infant care while nursing mothers are acquiring food-by holding, monitoring and playing with infants-and, thus, that they also contribute to the energy pool of the community during women's subsistence activities. Our study highlights the critical role of children as carers from early childhood.

The pangs of a single mother in Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie’s “Zikora”

Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie is sprawling the epic journey and emotional storms battered by women in her short story “Zikora”. The Nigerian-American author Adichie does not stick to the details of pregnancy and labour alone but she also an emphasis on single motherhood. This short story deals with the plight of women, maternal mortality, single motherhood, polygamy, societal expectations, and misinformation about the female body, pregnancy, and sexuality. Zikora, the protagonist is a 39-year-old successful lawyer whose boyfriend Kwame abandons her when he finds out she is pregnant. Zikora’s mother comes to help her through labour, and she reflects upon their relationship. Zikora is a thought-provoking story. It explores the unique challenges black mothers face in the U.S., as well as the difficulty of being a working mother.

The Harm and Prevention and Control of Gestational Diabetes Mellitus

Gestational diabetes is one of the challenges that many pregnant mothers face during this particular stage. Gestational diabetes is not only harmful to pregnant women, but also has adverse effects on offspring. Overcoming this difficulty is not so easy, expectant mothers need to control many aspects, from exercise, medication, and diet. This article analyzes the etiology and risk factors of gestational diabetes and makes recommendations based on this. The diet for gestational diabetes should be small and frequent meals, and the corresponding calorie intake should be based on one's body weight. The type of food should be less fat and easy to digest and eat more foods that have a low impact on blood sugar, such as whole grains, beans, cucumbers, and tomatoes. Patients with gestational diabetes are suitable for soothing aerobic exercise. Exercises ideal for pregnant women mainly include yoga, walking, gymnastics, etc. The time for each activity is generally 20 to 30 minutes.

Assessment of Difficulties in Breastfeeding in Infants below 6 months of Age

Background: Breast milk is very much essential for proper growth, development and wellbeing of children. They should be breastfed within 1 hour of birth, exclusively breastfed for first six months of life. Breastfeeding difficulties are common. Maternal, infant and social factors are involved in establishment of proper breastfeeding.
 Objective: To find out the difficulties that a mother face during breastfeeding.
 Methodology: Cross-sectional observational study was carried out Shaheed Suhrawardy Medical Collage & Hospital (Sh.S.MCH). All children upto 6 months of age and their mother attending in OPD, Breast feeding corner and pediatrics indoor of Sh.S.MCH during study period.
 Results: Total 19 (38%) infants had difficulty in breast feeding related to maternal factors. Majority (63%) of mother complained of not enough milk, but urine output of infants was ≥6 times within 24 hours in 7 infants of these mothers. Three mothers had stopped breast feeding due to sickness. Total 25 (50%) infants had difficulty in breast feeding related to infant factors. Majority 17 (68%) of them were crying babies, but urine output was ≥6 times in 24 hours in 12 of these infants. Refusal of breast was found in 6 (24%) infants, sickness was cause for stopping breastfeeding found in 2 (8%) infants. Total 13 (26%) infants had difficulty in breast feeding related to social factors. Majority 8 (67%) were working mother and 5 (33%) mothers said that there was lack of familial support.
 Conclusion: Most of the mothers initiated breast feeding 1 hour after birth. Most of the mothers had given honey as prelacteal feeding to their infants. Most of them were on partial breast feeding. Sixty five percent infants were given formula milk. Difficulties in breast feeding were related to infant factors and maternal factors mostly. More than one factor was present in some infant.
 EMCJ. January 2022; 7(1): 11-14

Testimonios de padres con hijos diagnosticados con trastorno por déficit de atención e hiperactividad, el reto de re-significar vivencias

IntroductionPatients with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) face multiple barriers to reach an adequate diagnosis and treatment, including the stigma they must defy. This situation generates a high emotional burden on the patient and his family. Parents with children diagnosed with ADHD play a fundamental role in the mental health care process. ObjectivesTo explore the meanings that arise in the parents of a child diagnosed with ADHD and, to identify barriers and facilitators during the diagnosis and treatment process. MethodsThis is a qualitative study developed using grounded theory techniques. Semi-structured interviews were conducted to 20 parents of children diagnosed with ADHD, which were analyzed through open coding, and later analyzed with axial and selective coding. A constant comparison of the information was carried out using a reflexive posture. These methods allowed the emergence of the theory. ResultsMisconceptions about ADHD hinder parents’ acceptance of this diagnosis. It was found that compared to fathers, mothers tend to carry more responsibilities in accompanying their children. Mothers face a difficult-to-navigate health system and unfulfilled drug delivery. In the educational system there is misinformation in schools, and parents often feel misunderstood by educators. ConclusionsThe parents included in this study had to face challenges in the health, educational and family systems. Situations that prompted them to resignify their experiences around one of their children diagnosed with ADHD.

Influence of Student Motherhood on Academic Performance in Public Universities in Western Kenya

The challenges of balancing multiple roles of motherhood and learning greatly impact student mothers’ academic success. Having student motherhood obligations on top of their academic responsibilities make undergraduate student mothers unique. This uniqueness affects their ability to compete academically with others. The study used the role conflict theory and adopted a mixed-method research design. It adopted a stratified and simple random sampling technique. The researcher derived the desired sample size using the Krejcie and Morgan sample size formulae. Data for the research was collected using questionnaires, focus group discussions, document analysis, and interview schedules. Data was analysed via descriptive and inferential statistics. The analysis of the study findings revealed that motherhood influences learning in many ways. Student mothers face challenges such as the inability to balance studies and mothering, childcare difficulties, maternal stress, anxiety, time management, and tiredness. These challenges influence the learning of student mothers, negatively affecting their overall academic achievement. The study recommends the need for a special accommodation facility for student mothers at the university to enable them to study more smoothly. Further research can be carried out on the university management’s perception of undergraduate parenthood

Attitudes and practices of postnatal mothers and their accompanying relatives to breastfeeding in public at a university hospital in Turkey.

Mothers face social and cultural obstacles to breastfeeding in public. This study evaluated the attitudes and practices of Turkish women regarding breastfeeding in public. This cross-sectional, descriptive study was carried out in a university hospital among 200 new postnatal mothers and their 200 accompanying female relatives. Data were obtained using a questionnaire and the Infant Feeding Attitude Scale (IIFAS). Respondents mostly believed that there was nothing wrong with breastfeed in public and almost half of them thought the society would perceive breastfeeding in public negatively. Some 56.5% of the mothers who had previously had children and 37.2% of their relatives had breastfed in public before. The acceptance of breastfeeding in public increased "if the breast is covered" and "if a private space is provided". The mean total IIFAS score was 61.53 (6.19) in the mothers and 60.65 (6.69) in their relatives. Based on IIFAS, the mothers (92.0%) and their relatives (89.5%) were neutral to breastfeeding, but age, education, employment status, and opinions regarding breastfeeding in public affected the IIFAS scores. IIFAS score was significantly higher in women who had breastfed in public before. Although the women knew the importance of breastfeeding, they mostly did not breastfeed in public because of the cultural implications and the lack of private breastfeeding areas. Awareness-raising, availability of breastfeeding rooms, and education of supporting relatives can help the increase willingness of mothers to breastfeed even if it is in public.

Assessment of Risk Factors and Obstetric Outcome of Adolescent Pregnancies Through a Prospective Observational Analysis.

Background Adolescence is the most crucial stage of life. Early marriage and teenage pregnancy infringe on adolescent girls' social and humanitarian rights. Moreover, it leads to school dropouts and decreased self-autonomy. Through this study, we aimed to analyze the risk factors and obstetric and neonatal outcomes resulting from adolescent pregnancies conceived by Indian girls less than 20 years of age. Materials and methods It was a prospective observational study conducted over a period of two years. Consecutive consenting adolescent mothers visiting the antenatal clinic or the delivery wards were recruited into the study. Adolescent pregnancies constituted all pregnancies where the maternal age was between 14 and 19 years at the time of presentation. Participants were followed prospectively till delivery and postpartum visit at six weeks to assess the obstetric and puerperal outcomes. Treating obstetricians asked about the causes responsible for current teenage pregnancy. At the time of delivery, data pertaining to antenatal complications, pregnancy outcome, mode of delivery, and birth weight were noted. All women were counseled for postpartum contraception at the time of delivery. Compliance with postpartum contraception was noted, and reasons for non-acceptance were asked. Results A total of 133 antenatal women in the adolescent age group were recruited during the study time frame. The mean age at the time of delivery was 18.4 years. Most of the women were educated between the sixth and 12th standards and belonged to the upper-lower economic class. Early marriage, increased family pressure, and school dropout at a young age were the predominant risk factors for teenage pregnancy in the study population. The majority of them suffered from anemia. Pregnancy-induced hypertension, hypothyroidism, fetal growth restriction, and oligohydramnios were a few other complications seen in adolescent pregnancies. Despite counseling, only 33.8% of adolescent mothers accepted postpartum contraception (any of the standard methods). Conclusion Pregnancy has concerning health consequences on adolescent girls and their babies. For example, adolescent mothers face increased risks of pregnancy-induced hypertension, obstructed labor, and puerperal sepsis. So, it is time to create awareness through mass educational campaigns and widespread family planning services.

Forced migrant women’s Mental Health in the perinatal period in Germany- A mixed-method study

Abstract Background After forced migration, pregnant women and new mothers face specific challenges in the host country. Little research focuses on the impact these challenges have on forced migrant (FM) women’s mental health (MH). The study’s aim shed light on FM women’s mental wellbeing in the perinatal period. Methods For this mixed-method study 15 individual problem-centered interviews were carried out in Arabic with FM mothers living in Germany within the postnatal period to one year postpartum. The transcripts were analysed using the Framework Analysis. In addition, structured quantitative interviews with 3070 new mothers were conducted on 3 obstetric wards in Berlin over a period of 23 months using an adapted version of the MFMCQ and the PHQ4. FM women (n = 187) were compared with immigrant (n = 1192) and non-immigrant women (n = 1673). A Kruskal-Wallis-Test was performed to compare the three groups. Results In the qualitative interviews mothers stated having depression and varied emotions (e.g. unavoidable sadness, relief). Most FM mothers indicated contextual factors (e.g. bad housing conditions) and structural barriers in perinatal healthcare as negatively impacting their MH. The preliminary quantitative analysis of the interviews conducted in birth clinics directly after birth showed no significant differences in the mean scores of the PHQ-4 within the compared groups (mFMW= 2.83; mimmi=2.61; mnonimmi= 2.5; p=.72). Conclusions While the quantitative study part indicates that PHQ-4 scores are independent of FM experience, the qualitative part shows that FM new mothers face particular burdens in their living conditions that make them vulnerable to MH issues. Inconsistent results could be attributed to the different timing in which the structured questionnaires and qualitative interviews were conducted. Key messages • To promote Mental health of new mothers, we advocate for a diversity oriented, responsive healthcare system. • Effective approaches must be provided to include FM mothers in existing Early Childhood Intervention programs.

Deactivating attachment strategies associate with early processing of facial emotion and familiarity in middle childhood: an ERP study

ABSTRACT Neurophysiological evidence suggests associations between attachment and the neural processing of emotion expressions. This study asks whether this relationship is also evident in middle childhood, and how it is affected by facial familiarity. Attachment strategies (deactivation, hyperactivation) were assessed in 51 9- to 11-year olds using a story stem completion task. Event-related potentials (ERPs) were recorded during children's passive viewing of mother and stranger emotional faces (angry/happy). At the stage of facial information encoding (N250), attachment deactivation was associated with a pattern pointing to increased vigilance towards angry faces. Further, the attention-driven LPP was increased to happy mother faces as highly salient stimuli overall, but not in children scoring high on deactivation. These children did not discriminate between mothers’ facial emotions and showed a general attentional withdrawal from facial stimuli. While our results on attachment deactivation support a two-stage processing model, no effect of hyperactivation was found.

Global mental health experiences of single mothers: A mixed methods research synthesis.

The aim of this research is to synthesize findings from primary studies (quantitative and qualitative) that investigated the global mental health experiences of single mothers to provide a deeper understanding to better care and respond to the support needs of single mothers. Hayvaert et al.'s mixed methods research synthesis approach. The search process in the following databases, CINAHL, PsycINFO, and Scopus resulted in eight high-quality studies (5 qualitative and 3 quantitative) published between June 2016 and July 2021. Descriptive statistics and instrument scores were provided in summary form. Themes were analysed using Krippendorff's content analysis. A joint display was provided to reveal a complementary relationship between two different data sets. A total of 348 single mothers participated. Amongst the pooled sample, women identified as: Japanese (n=174), Israeli (n=147), Black African (n=18), African American (n=9), Native American (n=5), Burundian-Australian (n=8), UK British (n=12), Asian (n=3), South Korean (n=7), Indian (n=2), Malaysian (n=44), Hispanic/Latina (n=1) and Eastern European (n=3). Four themes were identified: (1) Learning to let go of the past, (2) It takes a whole village: Importance of social support, (3) Seeking a self-reliant life: Challenges with balancing career & childcare and (4) Finding strength within: Personal growth. Only one intervention utilizing creative group counselling was found to significantly decrease depression (p=.008), anxiety (p=.005), and stress (p=.012) whilst increasing self-compassion (p=.013). It is important for clinicians who care for single mothers, particularly if they recently immigrated, are multiparous, and an ethnic minority to encourage engagement in peer-initiated counselling and obtain mental health care as necessary. This study identified and addressed the mental health issues that single mothers face worldwide. This is also the first mixed methods research synthesis to report single mothers' ethnicity in nursing and midwifery literature. Thus, findings from this mixed methods research synthesis can help nurses worldwide build culturally-concordant programs in their respective community organizations and partners (e.g. community health centres, mother-child enrichment clubs), inform health policies, and promote safer spaces for many single mothers, particularly for those who will immigrate to the Global North (i.e. UK, US, Canada) and become an ethnic minority.

The Effect of Childbirth on Women’s Formal Labour Market Trajectories: Evidence from Uruguayan Administrative Data

The motherhood penalty for developed countries is well-established in the economic literature. Childbirth intensifies the traditional gender roles that affect paid and unpaid work and contributes to the persistence of the gender labour gap. However, little is known about this phenomenon for developing contexts. This paper investigates the motherhood effects on women’s formal employment and wage trajectories in Uruguay. We document significant and robust motherhood penalties in the labour market, applying an event study method to almost 20 years of social security administrative data. One year after childbirth, formal monthly labour earnings decrease by 22 per cent. This drop fails to recover over time, and ten years after the arrival of children, women’s earnings are 40 per cent below their level just before childbirth. This penalty is mainly driven by a drop in formal employment and, to a lesser extent, a wage decline for those remaining employed. Heterogeneous analysis shows that low-wage women face higher motherhood penalties than high-wage women. Interestingly, these negative effects on wages and formal employment have reduced over time, and recent mothers face lower motherhood penalties.

Young mothers in Australia: prioritising motherhood and resisting stereotypes

ABSTRACT This paper examines young women’s experiences of early motherhood focusing on their aims and goals for the future. Young mothers face a particularly complex set of life circumstances by virtue of entering parenthood outside the normative age of motherhood and are likely to experience discrimination, stereotyping and economic disadvantage. We report data from a small-scale qualitative study designed to gather evidence about the experiences, goals and aspirations of young mothers. While the main programs supporting young mothers in Australia focus on education and employment support, we find that young mothers prioritise mothering and focus on the importance of providing full-time care to their children. We find evidence that parenthood is potentially a catalyst for transitioning to more rewarding employment, but this is a secondary goal after motherhood priorities. We also find evidence of active resistance to stereotyping and the challenges these women face as they navigate motherhood outside the standard normative age for this transition. Our findings highlight the need for longitudinal work that can provide evidence of journeys through motherhood, heterogeneity in outcomes, support programs that cater for changing needs and greater recognition of the value of unpaid mothering and care work.

Challenges of Single Motherhood in Socio-Cultural Context: A Qualitative Study in Rural areas of Bangladesh

The growing number of divorces and separations induces the frequency of single mothers facing challenges in the mainstream socio-economic realities in Bangladesh. Past studies focused on structural aspects, economic hardship, and psychological issues of single mothers, mainly in the urban context. Nevertheless, the challenges in rural settings vary from urban single motherhood, and this aspect remains understudied. This qualitative narrative aims to analyse the challenges of single mothers in rural settings in Bangladesh. Twenty-eight in-depth interviews and ten key informant interviews were conducted using semi-structured interview guidelines. Thematic analysis identified four major themes of the rural single mothers’ challenges, social, economic, cultural, and psychological, leading a single mother to become dependent on other family members or relatives. The underlying factor of the challenges was the deprivation of property, patriarchal social structure, and social stigma. Rural single mothers face more complex challenges than urban ones because of the lack of income opportunities, insecurity, and self-dependencies. Findings will contribute to recommending and formulating a policy for the single mother considering the local realities of the rural single mothers in Bangladesh.

The impact of digital technologies and social networks in young women and young mother’s entrepreneurship and employability

Young mothers face various obstacles in the labour market due to lack of skills in job search techniques, unpaid domestic labour responsibilities and, in developing countries, social isolation and restrictions. Business training programs targeting young mothers must be demand-driven and linked with private sector labour demands. In addition, life skills training programs aiming at work and life balance combined with the provision of childcare, are measures that if taken, can enhance young mothers’ entrepreneurship. Except for entrepreneurial program curricula, special attention should be given to the dissemination and implementation methods of lifelong learning programs in order to be able to reach young mothers where they are.