Mothers with learning difficulties and their support networks

Abstract

Mothers with learning difficulties are thought to be among the most socially isolated parents in the community. A great deal of attention has been directed to assessing their parenting abilities and teaching parenting skills, but less has been given to the support that mothers may (or may not) receive from family, friends and the service system. The present paper investigates mothers' views about the types of support which they receive and from whom they receive it. Data were derived from 70 mothers who participated in interviews using a support interview guide designed to accommodate the mothers' cognitive difficulties. The primary purpose of the interview was to explore the quantity and composition of the mothers' support networks, the frequency of contact and geographical proximity of support people, and the type of support provided. Key findings include: the central place that family members have in these mothers' lives; the importance of service providers as sources of information and advice; and the relative absence of friends and neighbours. Briefly, mothers living alone have service-centred networks, mothers living with a partner have family-centred networks with relatively dispersed family ties, and mothers living in a parent/parent-figure household have local, family-centred networks. The overall conclusion to be drawn from the present results is that these mothers do not live in a social vacuum, but many are socially isolated. The finding that so few mothers could identify supportive ties with friends and neighbours suggests that these mothers are isolated from their local communities and are potentially vulnerable if a breakdown occurs in the support provided by their families. The need for service providers to be more actively involved in linking mothers to their communities is discussed.

Descriptions of children's needs and parenthood among mothers with intellectual disability

“…They all perceived and could also articulate a need for support, seeking help when a situation was experienced as difficult. Informal good-quality support networks have been found to be important for the well-being of both children and parents in general, and their special significance for families with parents with intellectual disability has been shown in previous research (Llewellyn 1995;McGaw 2000;Llewellyn and McConnell 2002). In line with these findings, the mothers interviewed for this research reported having received useful advice and support through such networks, including the provision of parenting models helping them to strengthen their own parenting skills and reduce some of their barriers to parenthood.…”

Rede social de apoio de mães com deficiência intelectual

“…Pequena rede de apoio também foi encontrada em estudos anteriores (Aunos et al, 2008;Guinea, 2001;Kroese et al, 2002;Llewellyn & McConnell, 2002). No que diz respeito a quem fornece apoio para as mães, os resultados obtidos concordam com a literatura da área, sendo o apoio advindo majoritariamente de membros da família, com rara ajuda de amigos e vizinhos (Aunos et al, 2008;Guinea, 2001;Kroese et al, 2002;Llewellyn, 1995;Llewellyn & McConnell, 2002;Postalli et al, 2011;Traustadóttir & Sigurjónsdóttir, 2008). Desnecessário dizer que as pessoas que oferecem apoio não são pagas por essa ajuda, apesar de serem envolvidas e fundamentais para mães com defi ciência intelectual.…”

“…Em relação aos indivíduos com defi ciência intelectual, além de fornecerem tais benefícios, as redes de apoio podem ser responsáveis pela melhoria da qualidade de vida e pela manutenção da saúde física e mental e do bem-estar (Booth & Booth, 1994;Kroese, Hussein, Clifford, & Ahmed, 2002;Llewellyn & McConnell, 2002;McConnell, Dalziel, Llewellyn, Laidlaw, & Hindmarsh, 2009). Podem também estar relacionadas a estilos positivos de interação entre a mãe defi ciente e seus fi lhos (Feldman, Varghese, Ramsay, & Rajska, 2002), e à compensação de limitadas habilidades parentais (Llewellyn & McConnell, 1998).…”

“…Como pode ser observado, a literatura da área (Aunos et al, 2008;Guinea, 2001;Kroese et al, 2002;Llewellyn & McConnell, 2002) aponta para a existência de uma pequena rede social em comparação à média encontrada em pais sem defi ciência intelectual -em média 13 laços sociais (Levitt et al, 1986, como citado em Kroese et al, 2002). Além disso, indica pouca variedade na composição da rede dessas mães.…”

Représentations sociales et parentalité : les points de vue des parents présentant une déficience ou une lenteur intellectuelle

“…Ce type de soutien est encore mieux accueilli lorsque son actualisation rehausse leur confiance en leurs compétences parentales et s'arrime à leurs attentes et à leurs valeurs (Llewellyn, 1995). Or plusieurs parents présentant une DI/LI n'ont aucun ou très peu de contacts avec leur famille élargie (Llewellyn et McConnell, 2002). D'autres n'apprécient pas l'attitude de leurs proches lorsqu'ils ont des comportements semblant témoigner d'une disqualification de leurs pratiques et de leurs compétences parentales (Mayes et al, 2008;.…”