A Narrative Analysis of Motherhood and Maternal-Efficacy among Women Raising Children with ASD
Abstract
Raising children with ASD is associated with increased psychological stress and illnesses that impacts mothers more than fathers (Carter, de L. Martínez-Pedraza, & Gray, 2009; Phetrasuwan & Shandor Miles, 2009;); however, few studies have examined how motherhood and maternal-efficacy are perceived by mothers of ASD children. This dissertation examined how mothers of ASD children perceived motherhood and maternal-efficacy, and how their perceptions evolved throughout their childrearing experiences. The purposive sample included nine mothers who participated in two semi-structured interviews that were later transcribed, coded and structurally analyzed. Participants narrated early experiences of obtaining a diagnosis of ASD and related feeling criticized and blamed for their child’s atypical behaviors, but later discovered how their use of solution-focused behaviors enhanced their perceptions of maternal-efficacy. Participants’ narratives also suggested that they garnered strength and empowerment from their motherhood experiences and came to appreciate and normalize their experiences as mothers raising children with ASD.
Subject Area
Social work|Womens studies|Individual & family studies
Recommended Citation
Piepenbring, Julie, "A Narrative Analysis of Motherhood and Maternal-Efficacy among Women Raising Children with ASD" (2016). ETD Collection for Fordham University. AAI10153617.
https://research.library.fordham.edu/dissertations/AAI10153617
