Adaptation and Resilience in African American Mothers

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to examine factors influencing adaptation and resiliency of inner-city low-income, African American mothers. The number of studies that examine the lived experience of African American mothers in low-income inner-city settings is limited. The factors explored in this study, which determine the family's ability to adapt to their life situation, include vulnerability, adaptation, and resiliency. Survey data and narrative inquiry were used to determine maternal adaptation and resilience. Quantitative data were gathered using a demographic inventory, a Family Adaptation, Partnership, Growth, Affection, and Resolve; Family Adaptation Inventory; and Family Dynamics Questionnaire. Qualitative data were gathered as the mother described her life history and answered semistructured interview questions. The mothers, who participated in this study, were clear about the principles and morals in which they believed and spent much of their time teaching those principles to their children. They believed that these rules would protect their children and ensure that their children would make good decisions in the future and help them reach their goals. They feared that their living situation could prevent their children from reaching their full potential in life. Preventing current risk situations and protecting their children from future harm was an urgent concern. This study provides evidence for resiliency in inner-city low-income African American mothers.

Families with young children during the COVID-19 pandemic—The importance of family type, perceived partnership roles, parental stress, and social support for changes in the home learning environment during lockdown

“…Although all three family types perceived similar availability of social support, among single parents, we could not demonstrate relations between social support and changes in HLA. Previous findings considered the lack of social support as the greatest risk factor in single parent adaptability ( Jackson and Kiehl, 2017 ; Martin-West, 2019 ). It is conceivable that the single parents in our study were already making extensive use of social support before the lockdown and therefore we could find no relations.…”

“…As early as the 1990s, Bowen et al (1993) studied the adaptability of single parents and found that the lack of social support was the greatest risk factor among single parents in this context. Studies that are more recent also follow these findings (Maldonado and Nieuwenhuis, 2015;Jackson and Kiehl, 2017;Martin-West, 2019). Educational research has not yet sufficiently mapped out the extent to which the factors influencing adaptability differ in other family types.…”

Adaptation in pregnant women: a descriptive phenomenological study using Giorgi’s approach

“…모성 전환은 보통 임신, 출산과 산후 초기에 걸쳐서 이루어지며, 여 성의 전 생애주기에서 가장 역동적인 시기이다 [1]. 임신 과정 동안 여성들은 위험하고 취약한 상황에 놓여 있기도 하지만 생존하기 위 한 다양한 측면의 보호적 요인을 강구하는 현상이 나타난다 [2]. 임 신 여성들의 경험으로부터 확인된 임신 여성 간호 실무 표준에서는 충분한 휴식과 영양 공급, 공동체 안에서의 소속감, 배우자와의 관 계 북돋우기, 출산 계획에 참여하여 역량 강화하기 등 다양하고 전 인적 측면의 간호를 제공하도록 제안하고 있다 [3].…”