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Single motherhood, parenting and mental health : the lived experience of a single mother from a Coloured community in South Africa

Dissertation (MA)--University of Pretoria, 2012.

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Other Authors: Eskell-Blokland, Linda
Format: Thesis
Published: University of Pretoria 2013
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access_status_str Open Access
author2 Eskell-Blokland, Linda
author_browse Eskell-Blokland, Linda
author_facet Eskell-Blokland, Linda
collection Thesis
dc_rights_str_mv © 2012 University of Pretoria. All rights reserved. The copyright in this work vests in the University of Pretoria. No part of this work may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, without the prior written permission of the University of Pretoria
description Dissertation (MA)--University of Pretoria, 2012.
format Thesis
id oai:repository.up.ac.za:2263/27562
institution University of Pretoria (South Africa)
last_indexed 2026-06-10T12:38:34.370Z
license_str Other — see source repository
provenance_str_mv Harvested via OAI-PMH from UPSpace — University of Pretoria Institutional Repository
publishDate 2013
publishDateRange 2013
publishDateSort 2013
publisher University of Pretoria
publisherStr University of Pretoria
record_format dspace
source_str UPSpace — University of Pretoria Institutional Repository
spelling oai:repository.up.ac.za:2263/27562 Single motherhood, parenting and mental health : the lived experience of a single mother from a Coloured community in South Africa Eskell-Blokland, Linda edt100@yahoo.com Du Toit, Elmi Lived experience Single motherhood Mental health Parenting Prejudice Maternal characteristics Resources Support Demands Stressors UCTD Dissertation (MA)--University of Pretoria, 2012. Single motherhood is a growing phenomenon in South Africa, as it is in the world at large. The concept and structure of a family have changed over the last few decades and no single definition will suffice to describe or define it anymore. Various factors impact on the psychological wellbeing of the single mother. The psychological wellbeing or mental health of the single mother can influence her parenting abilities. The aim of this study is to explore the lived experience of a single mother with three dependent children, to gain a deeper understanding of her experiences as a single mother and the meaning she attaches to it. The point of view of this research is from a constructivist-interpretivist paradigm and from an ecological systems theory approach. This qualitative research study uses a single case study method with unstructured interviews to explore the participant’s experiences. Interpretative phenomenological analysis is used to analyse data, to identify main and sub-themes from the collected data, and to compare these themes with identified themes on single motherhood from existing research. The participant’s lived experience reveals that financial hardship is not the main contributing factor to stress experienced by this single mother. The accumulative effect of diverse stressors and the lack of social support due to prejudice and stigma seem to have a greater effect. This study generates questions around the stigma of single motherhood in South Africa. The reading of this text could raise the reader’s awareness of the challenges faced by single mothers and of prejudice against them. Single mothers are not less capable as individuals of handling the challenges of motherhood and parenting, but they are often exposed to more demands and stressors, compared to partnered mothers. Changing our perspectives on single motherhood can reduce prejudice, offer more social support and improve access to other needed resources. Psychology unrestricted 2013-09-07T11:47:00Z 2013-08-27 2013-09-07T11:47:00Z 2013-04-11 2012 2013-08-26 Dissertation Du Toit, E 2012, Single motherhood, parenting and mental health : the lived experience of a single mother from a coloured community in South Africa, MA dissertation, University of Pretoria, Pretoria, viewed yymmdd < http://hdl.handle.net/2263/27562 > F13/4/771/gm http://hdl.handle.net/2263/27562 http://upetd.up.ac.za/thesis/available/etd-08262013-134424/ © 2012 University of Pretoria. All rights reserved. The copyright in this work vests in the University of Pretoria. No part of this work may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, without the prior written permission of the University of Pretoria application/pdf University of Pretoria
spellingShingle Lived experience
Single motherhood
Mental health
Parenting
Prejudice
Maternal characteristics
Resources
Support
Demands
Stressors
UCTD
Single motherhood, parenting and mental health : the lived experience of a single mother from a Coloured community in South Africa
title Single motherhood, parenting and mental health : the lived experience of a single mother from a Coloured community in South Africa
title_full Single motherhood, parenting and mental health : the lived experience of a single mother from a Coloured community in South Africa
title_fullStr Single motherhood, parenting and mental health : the lived experience of a single mother from a Coloured community in South Africa
title_full_unstemmed Single motherhood, parenting and mental health : the lived experience of a single mother from a Coloured community in South Africa
title_short Single motherhood, parenting and mental health : the lived experience of a single mother from a Coloured community in South Africa
title_sort single motherhood parenting and mental health the lived experience of a single mother from a coloured community in south africa
topic Lived experience
Single motherhood
Mental health
Parenting
Prejudice
Maternal characteristics
Resources
Support
Demands
Stressors
UCTD
url http://hdl.handle.net/2263/27562
http://upetd.up.ac.za/thesis/available/etd-08262013-134424/