Lone Warriors: Experiences of Single Mothers Raising Children with Special Needs (original) (raw)
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Navigating Parenthood Alone: The Lived Experiences of Filipino Single Mothers in Child-Rearing
Psychology and Education: A Multidisciplinary Journal, 2024
The Philippine Statistics Authority reports a rise in the population of unwed mothers in the Philippines, increasing from 54.3% in 2018 to 57% in 2020. This growth highlights ongoing issues related to mental health, financial stability, and work-life balance among single mothers. This study aimed to explore the lived experiences of single mothers raising their children, focusing on the challenges faced by six participants from selected cities in Metro Manila. Using a phenomenological research design, data were collected through interviews and observations. The findings reveal several key themes: the challenges encountered, and coping strategies utilized, role of support systems and influence of others in the parenting process, and cultural and societal factors. These elements collectively shape the experiences of Filipino single mothers. The study underscores the importance of recognizing the difficulties faced by single mothers and advocates for targeted government and social work interventions to support them in overcoming the physiological and psychological challenges of single parenthood.
Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research), 2023
A single mother is a person who is accountable for raising their child(ren) alone because they do not have a husband or live-in partner. Single mothers claim to have no co-parenting relationships at all, comparing single parents to those who are married, cohabiting, or without children, single parents experience the worst work-life balance. A single parent may feel overwhelmed by the demands of juggling child care, a career, paying bills, and maintaining household responsibilities. Single-parent households frequently deal with several extra obligations and possible complications that other families would not. The study also emphasizes the difficulties and coping mechanisms faced by contractual single parents as well as their lived experiences. The study's findings, which were based on an Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis, were as follows: (1) Work-life balance can be difficult for single parents. They struggle to keep their jobs while taking care of their family because they are the only ones in charge of the children. (2) Single contractual mothers face particular difficulties due to a lack of resources for basic expenses. (3) Contractual single women lean on their kids, the good people in their lives, and their faith in God to get through problems
According to World Vision Philippines (2019), reasons for becoming a single parent include desertion, annulment, abandonment, death of a partner, teenage pregnancy, childbirth by a single woman or single-person adoption. Single parents are those who are left to raise their children alone because of the absence of a spouse. Furthermore, financial hardship, less quality time with children, poor academic performance of children, societal stigma, and child custody are common challenges faced by single parents. Single parents become the primary caregiver to their children, economic provider, and sole decision maker in the family (Simon et al., 2010). In coping with the challenges problem solving skills, personal resources, self-care, social support and spiritual guidance all influence a single-parent family's ability to cope. Coping techniques attempt to displace the stress or discomfort. It helps find ways in order for single parents to relieve their stressors in shouldering dual responsibilities (Chester, 2010). The present study focused on single parents difficulties encountered in raising children and their coping techniques. As a Sociology student, the researcher was motivated to extend her sympathy and empathy toward singleparent families. Also, this study inspired the researcher in helping to empower the role of the single parents in communities and society by using this study the participants stand as the voices of those other single parents as eyeopeners for them not to lose hope in facing challenges in their lives. LITERATURE REVIEW: This chapter presents the related literature and studies which the researcher finds useful in the development of the study.
Kinsenas, Katapusan: The Lived Experiences and Challenges Faced by Single Mothers
Psychology and Education: A Multidisciplinary Journal, 2023
A single mother is a person who is accountable for raising their child(ren) alone because they do not have a husband or live-in partner. Single mothers claim to have no co-parenting relationships at all, comparing single parents to those who are married, cohabiting, or without children, single parents experience the worst work-life balance. A single parent may feel overwhelmed by the demands of juggling child care, a career, paying bills, and maintaining household responsibilities. Single-parent households frequently deal with several extra obligations and possible complications that other families would not. The study also emphasizes the difficulties and coping mechanisms faced by contractual single parents as well as their lived experiences. The study's findings, which were based on an Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis, were as follows: (1) Work-life balance can be difficult for single parents. They struggle to keep their jobs while taking care of their family because they are the only ones in charge of the children. (2) Single contractual mothers face particular difficulties due to a lack of resources for basic expenses. (3) Contractual single women lean on their kids, the good people in their lives, and their faith in God to get through problems
Psychology and Education: A Multidisciplinary Journal, 2024
Single parenting is a difficult thing to do. And when people talk about it, the first thing that comes to mind is a single mother. Masculinity is a term that is linked with men that corners their feelings in an idea that they should be strong. Only a few studies can be found that are focused on the well-being and challenges that a single father faces in childrearing. In this study, the researchers aim to explore about the single fathers' story specifically their lived experiences; (1) explore about single fathers' experiences (2) to know the challenges faced by Single fathers (3) identify the childrearing practices of Single fathers (4) discover the coping mechanisms that single fathers use to cope up with problems. Using a semi-structured interview guide, 3 participants will be interviewed for data gathering and using Thematic Analysis (TA) the study interprets the following: (1) the experiences of the participants shows that most of the Single fathers go through grief and self-neglect. The pressure of providing for their children also causes them to have sacrificial love for their children to the point of overworking for them and forgetting about the well-being of oneself (2) providing the children's need, sharing custody and time management is the most effective way for the participants to take care of their children (3) challenges such as financial, emotional well-being and lack of experience on being a single father are the most common trials that the participants faced (4) the coping mechanisms varies from person to person but the participants of the study cope up with challenges by means of alcoholism, social support and turning to God.
“Single Parents of School Children: Tales of Survival”
2016
The purpose of this qualitative phenomenological study was to shed light and find out the realities faced by single mothers with school aged children. Fourteen single parents with school aged children from Bansalan, Davao del Sur were carefully chosen to participate in this study through purposeful sampling. The results of the interviews were transcribed, translated as well as coded to produce major themes and core ideas. In-depth interviews and focus group discussion were conducted to find out the experiences of single parents these are the following: adversities, fears and insecurities, steadfastness, disenchantment and self-sacrifice. Insights from single parents were also presented as what they can share to other single parents in rearing school aged children, these are: endure and have courage, stay positive, have faith, forgive yourself, love unconditionally, dream on, and learn from experience. This study is significant in education to understand the students with single pare...
Proceedings of MICoMS 2017
Purpose-The study is aimed to identify the openness, empathy, supportiveness, positiveness, and equality between mother and child as the key factors for successful children. If the parents are not able to give attention and love to their children, it will form feelings of insecurity and hatred towards themselves and to their surroundings. Similarly, if the parents are not able to create discipline in education, the probability of unclear future for their child will increase. A single mother has to endure a lot of problems and face the biggest challenge in their life; to be a single parent who must be able to hold multiple roles, that is as a father who works for a family living and as a mother who nurtures and educate her children. As a mother, she is required to be able to manage everything by herself; some of them include financial management, jobs, and nurture time for her children. Methodologyemployed in this study was in-depth interview to observe inhibiting factors that experienced by single parents in parenting pattern that they apply in nurturing their children. Finding-Result showed that frequency and intensity play important role in creating openness, empathy, supportive attitude, positive attitude, and equality as well as automatically able to form inclusion, control, and affection between mother and children. The expected final result is the discovery of an ideal way of single parent role for their children.
The Psychological Well-Being of Single Mothers with School age Children : An Exploratory Study
International Journal of Scientific Research in Science and Technology, 2021
The significance of family structure on the well-being of family members is a major concept to be discussed in contemporary society. There is an impact on the overall well-being of the families due to the lack of major relationships. Hence, the major consequences that lead to the sole responsibility of children to mothers differ among locality, culture, language, etc. This study explores the psychological well-being of single mothers in relation to their role in the family, the major concepts that impact the psychological well-being, the impact of parenting, and the modes in which the single mothers cope up with the challenges they encounter. This is a qualitative (exploratory) study conducted with nine participants chosen from a convenient method of sampling located in the Kandy District of the Central Province, Sri Lanka. The sample of the research includes three each of widowed, divorced, and separated mothers. The data is thematically analyzed based on the challenges, the economic well-being, and relationship with the family and the society, the ideologies about the current status, society’s stereotypes, autonomy, the satisfaction to the present life, and their future expectations. The results of the study demonstrated that the responsibility of children, the financial crisis, confronting the society, and lack of emotional dependence to be the major challenges of single motherhood. It further stated that most of them had a strong relationship with their children and the family in comparison to the society, they found themselves to be often treated by stereotypes, and that they preferred autonomy in women. The findings of the study demonstrate that the Government should help them with self-employment, assist in the studies of their children, and conduct certain awareness programs to enhance their lives.
A phenomenological study of children who were raised by single mothers
2021
This study explored the lived experiences of children who were raised by single mothers; either from birth or at later stages of their lives due to fathers passing away or parents separating and divorcing from one another. It focused on how they relate to themselves by being raised by single mothers and what effect it has had on their relationships with significant partners, paternal siblings, and other paternal family members. Five participants between the ages of 25 and 33 were from Vryheid, Kwa-Zula Natal and the one was from the East Rand, Gauteng. Qualitative research paradigm was used in this study. Data was collected using semi-structured interviews. Interpretive Phenomenological Analysis (IPA) was used to make sense of data. Findings revealed that although most participants viewed father presence as important, they also gave homage to their mothers and that mothers can raise successful children single-handedly. Particularly since some cited having experienced difficult relationships with their mothers but are still grateful for the sacrifices made by their mothers. Some participants had strict mothers and others have subsequently formed close friendships with their mothers as they went into adulthood. The majority of the participants had no relationship with the paternal families, and some attributed their success to their mothers or their maternal families. Although some participants experienced more than one form of abuse (financial and/or emotional), they have become positive contributors to society and do not view their childhood circumstances as a hinderance to them succeeding in life.
THE PHENOMENOLOGICAL MAKE – UP OF SOLO PARENTS' DEPENDENTS IN REGIONS 2 AND 3 IN THE PHILIPPINES
Single parenting is a crucial challenge to all who lost their loved ones because of various accidents, separations, or any other means. This research focuses on the two subsections of the law that give emphasized of the whole picture of a solo parent dependents regarding their psycho-social behavior, experiences, challenges and aspirations. To be familiar with the challenges, coping mechanism, aspirations. Qualitative type of research through a case study approach was utilized. Samples were came from the provinces of Regions 2 and 3 such as Nueva Viscaya, Isabela, Nueva Ecija, Bulacan, Pampanga, Bataan, Zambales, Tarlac, and Aurora. Interviews, observations and checklists were the instruments used. It deduced that the samples possessed individual differences on their social makeup, lifestyles, psycho social aspects on their emotional conditions, behaviors, attitudes and academic performance that include positive and even traumatic experiences. The challenges on personal problems were brought out, behavior pattern, social and emotional and other problems were tackled .The coping mechanism and aspirations for their future were presented. The samples differs on their profile such as gender, age, course enrolled, years in college, civil status of parents, occupation of their parents, monthly take home pay, educational attainment of parent, number of years as single parents, causes of separation of parents, ordinal position of birth of the respondent and their descriptions.