Master of Arts / Department of Sociology, Anthropology, and Social Work / Lisa A. Melander / The number of women incarcerated within the American penal system has been increasing in recent years. Coinciding with this rise in the incarceration rate for women, there has been increasing concern regarding women parenting behind bars and how incarceration impacts a woman's identity as a mother. As such the purpose of this paper is to examine the connection between participation in contact maintenance programs at the Topeka, Kansas Correctional Facility and their resulting impact on identity work using a sample of 34 incarcerated mothers who participated in this contact maintenance program. Results revealed that through participation in contact maintenance programs incarcerated mothers begin to develop and sustain a more pro- social image of themselves as 'good mothers.' Foundational practices of parenting and the development and sustainment of the mother-child bond are reinforced to facilitate the development of a positive self-image and to lay the groundwork for successful parenting post- release.

The dissertation begins by discussing the essence of the current study, which sought to accurately portray the experiences and realities of fulltime mothers, followed by a comprehensive literature review surrounding issues pertinent in motherhood. Subsequently, an explanation of the methodological approach utilized in the current study is provided, in addition to the overview of a pilot study which exemplified potential themes, obstacles, and assets anticipated within the actual research. The case studies of four women chosen to represent issues relevant to fulltime mothers are presented. Finally, the creation of a substantive Stay-at-home-mothering (i.e., SAHM) Model is offered, along with two SAHM portraits and a conclusion section, which includes an implications section along with an exploration of the personal discoveries made by the current researcher. / Ph. D.

Cette thèse de doctorat propose, à partir d’une lecture psychanalytique, d’aborder le sentiment de culpabilité maternelle face au traumatisme de la naissance prématurée de l’enfant. Il s’agira, à partir de quatre études de cas, de questionner le sens, la fonction et les effets de ce sentiment sur l’enfant. La première hypothèse propose d’envisager ce sentiment dans sa dimension paradoxale de « lien malgré-tout », « à ce prix-là » c’est-à-dire offrant une possibilité de subjectivation, d’appropriation subjective du devenir mère et du lien à l’enfant, mais aussi présentant le risque de la désubjectivation pour la mère et l’enfant, la culpabilité devient alors persécutoire et ouvre la voie à la possibilité d’un lien « trop proche », en proie à l’incestualité. La seconde hypothèse envisage le risque d’un défaut de liaison, en lien avec le sentiment de culpabilité, des sentiments d’amour et de haine dans le lien à l’enfant, aboutissant à un échec de la structuration de l’ambivalence maternelle. Enfin, une troisième hypothèse questionne les effets de ce sentiment maternel de culpabilité sur l’enfant, en postulant l’idée d’une recherche par l’enfant d’un lien « coûte-que-coûte », aboutissant à une modalité masochiste dans le lien mère/enfant. / This doctoral thesis proposes, from a psychoanalytic reading, to analyse the feeling of maternal guilt following the traumatism of a child born premature. It will be based on four studied cases and it will question the meaning, function and effects of this feeling on the child. The first hypothesis proposes to consider this feeling in its paradoxical dimension: "link in spite of everything", "at that price", i.e. offering a possibility of subjectivation, of the mother’s subjective appropriation of becoming a mother and her bond to the child. It proposes also to present the risk of desubjectivation for the mother and the child, then, guilt becomes persecutory and paves the way to the possibility of a “too close” bond, to be prey to incestuity. The second hypothesis contemplates the risk of a lack of bond on the same level, linked to the feeling of guilt, feelings of love and hatred in the bond to the child, leading to a failure in the structuring of the maternal ambivalence. Finally, a third hypothesis questions the effects of this feeling maternal of guilt on the child, giving the idea of a child's search for a bond “whatever it costs”, leading to a masochistic mother / child bond.

Submitted by MARCIA ROVADOSCHI (marciar@unifra.br) on 2018-08-22T17:38:53Z No. of bitstreams: 2 license_rdf: 0 bytes, checksum: d41d8cd98f00b204e9800998ecf8427e (MD5) Dissertacao_NeliaMariaPortugalFlores.pdf: 1461802 bytes, checksum: f8accedf3629c8d2a961653f805fb264 (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2018-08-22T17:38:53Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 2 license_rdf: 0 bytes, checksum: d41d8cd98f00b204e9800998ecf8427e (MD5) Dissertacao_NeliaMariaPortugalFlores.pdf: 1461802 bytes, checksum: f8accedf3629c8d2a961653f805fb264 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2018-02-22 / Introduction: The number of children and adolescents with mothers in prison is increasing and has been demanding debates among researchers, public representatives, non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and society in general, with a view to planning actions to minimize the negative impacts of the prison system, on the health and psychological development of the child / adolescent. The overall objective: of the study was to construct a video technology material to present the experience of motherhood to women prisoners in a closed regime and, as a result, to promote the debate about the reality of the mother-child relationship in the prison context. Method: the research had an exploratory and transversal design with a qualitative approach. Fifteen women were arrested in a closed regime. There were 13 individual semi-structured interviews and 3 focus groups. Data collection took place in a regional mixed prison in the period between April and July 2017. The data were transcribed and submitted to the content analysis proposed by Bardin. For the production of the documentary, the images were collected during an action carried out by Projeto Inspira, in its 5th edition. This action occurred on November 10, 2017 with 12 distressed mothers of the Regional Prison of Santa Maria, four of them recorded testimonials for the documentary. They were encouraged to talk about their experience from the following question: What is the experience of being a parent of children in the childhood / adolescence phase and being stuck? In addition to the inmates participated in the documentary: a caregiver grandmother and professionals involved in the issue. After being videotaped, the content was edited through the process of visualization and decupagem. Results: the results of this research reveal that mothers' experiences are permeated by feelings of their children's homesickness, blame for being wrong, shame before them for the prison situation. The mothers of this study were aware of the damage caused by the crime and, consequently, their arrest in the children's lives. It was found that maternity in the prison system is also hampered by the precariousness of the interpersonal relationships established during the execution of the sentence. The final product: of this study is the production of a documentary titled: A hug without grids: real stories of women prisoners and their children. Endings considerations: mothers in prison are deprived and fragile, deprived of power, voice and self-esteem to exercise parenthood. It adds up the lack of coexistence and the mother-child bond is threatened. In this way, improvements in the prison environment are suggested that allow for the assiduity and the quality of the interaction during the visits and, with this, the maintenance and strengthening of the mother-child bond, considering the evidence of a scenario of double helplessness, in which mothers and children are deprived of coexistence and reciprocal affection. / Introdução: O número de crianças e adolescentes com mães presas é crescente e vem demandando debates entre pesquisadores, representantes públicos, organizações não governamentais (ONGs) e a sociedade em geral, com vistas ao planejamento de ações destinados a minimizar os impactos negativos do sistema prisional, na saúde e no desenvolvimento psicológico da criança/adolescente. O objetivo geral: do estudo foi construir um material tecnológico em vídeo sobre a vivência da maternidade para mulheres presas em regime fechado. Método: a pesquisa teve um delineamento exploratório e transversal com abordagem qualitativa. Participaram 15 mulheres presas em regime fechado. Foram realizadas 13 entrevistas semiestruturadas individuais e 3 grupos focais. A coleta de dados ocorreu em um presídio misto regional no período entre abril e julho de 2017. Os dados foram transcritos e submetidos à análise de conteúdo proposta por Bardin. Para a produção do documentário, as imagens foram coletadas durante uma ação realizada pelo Projeto Inspira, em sua 5ª edição. A referida ação ocorreu no dia 10 de novembro de 2017 com 12 mães apenadas do Presídio Regional de Santa Maria, 4 delas gravaram depoimentos para o documentário. Elas foram estimuladas a falar sobre sua experiência a partir da seguinte questão: Como é a experiência de ser mãe de filhos na fase da infância/adolescência e estar presa? Além das detentas, participaram do documentário: uma avó cuidadora e profissionais envolvidos na temática. Depois de gravado em vídeo, o conteúdo foi editado através do processo de visionagem e decupagem. Resultados: os resultados desta pesquisa revelam que as vivências das mães são permeadas por sentimentos de saudades dos filhos, culpa por terem errado, vergonha diante deles pela situação prisional. As mães deste estudo mostraram ter consciência sobre os danos causados pelo crime e, consequentemente, pela prisão delas na vida dos filhos. Constatou-se que a maternidade no sistema prisional é dificultada, também, pela precariedade das relações interpessoais estabelecidas durante o cumprimento da pena. O produto final: deste estudo foi a produção de um documentário intitulado: Um abraço sem grades: histórias reais de mulheres presas e seus filhos. Considerações finais: as mães presas encontram-se carentes e fragilizadas, desprovidas de poder, voz e autoestima para exercer a parentalidade. Soma-se a falta de convivência e o vínculo mãe-filho(a) fica ameaçado. Assim sugere-se melhorias no ambiente prisional que propicie a assiduidade e a qualidade da interação durante as visitas e, com isso, a manutenção e o fortalecimento do vínculo mãe-filhos, considerando a evidência de um cenário de duplo desamparo, no qual mães e filhos estão privados de convivência e afeto recíproco.

Cette recherche exploratoire longitudinale a pour objectif principal d'évaluer l'impact psychologique de la découverte et du traitement de cancer chez la femme enceinte et chez la femme en post-partum. De manière plus précise nous évaluons l'influence de la maternité sur l'ajustement à la maladie cancéreuse et l'influence de la survenue du cancer sur le processus de parentalisation. Cette recherche permet d'appréhender le risque psychopathologique réel de cette situation comportant de nombreux éléments dépressiogènes et anxiogènes ainsi que le risque de pathologisation du lien mère-enfant. L'analyse quantitative et qualitative des données permettra in fine d'établir des recommandations concernant l'accompagnement psychologique des femmes rencontrant cette situation. Ce travail a pour particularité de faire le lien entre deux champs théoriques distincts: la psychologie périnatale et la psycho-oncologie. / This longitudinal exploratory study aims at assessing the psychological impact of the discovery and cancer treatment in pregnant women and in women postpartum. More specifically we evaluate the influence of motherhood on adjusting to cancer disease and the influence of the occurrence of cancer in the parentalisation process. This research allows us to understand the real psychopathological risk of this situation with many elements dépressiogènes and anxiety and the risk of pathologizing the mother-child bond. The quantitative and qualitative analysis of the data will ultimately establish recommendations for counseling of women encountering this situation. This work has the particularity to make the connection between two different theoretical fields: perinatal psychology and psycho-oncology.

Objective: Many women experience traumatic events already prior to or during pregnancy, and delivery of a child may also be perceived as a traumatic event, especially in women with prior post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Birth-related PTSD might be unique in several ways, and it seems important to distinguish between lifetime PTSD and birth-related traumatization in order to examine specific consequences for mother and child. This post-hoc analysis aims to prospectively examine the relation of both, lifetime PTSD (with/without interpersonal trauma) and birth-related traumatization (with/without postpartum depression) with specific maternal and infant outcomes. Methods: In the prospective-longitudinal Maternal in Relation to Infants’ Development (MARI) study, N = 306 women were repeatedly assessed across the peripartum period. Maternal lifetime PTSD and birth-related traumatization were assessed with the Composite International Diagnostic Interview for women. Maternal health during the peripartum period (incl. birth experience, breastfeeding, anxiety, and depression) and infant outcomes (e.g., gestational age, birth weight, neuropsychological development, and regulatory disorders) were assessed via standardized diagnostic interviews, questionnaires, medical records, and standardized observations. Results: A history of lifetime PTSD prior to or during pregnancy was reported by 25 women who indicated a less favorable psycho-social situation (lower educational level, less social support, a higher rate of nicotine consumption during pregnancy). Lifetime PTSD was associated with pregnancy-related anxieties, traumatic birth experience, and anxiety and depressive disorders after delivery (and in case of interpersonal trauma additionally associated with infant feeding disorder). Compared to the reference group, women with birth-related traumatization (N = 35) indicated numerous adverse maternal and infant outcomes (e.g., child-related fears, sexual problems, impaired bonding). Birthrelated traumatization and postpartum depression was additionally associated with infant feeding and sleeping problems. Conclusion: Findings suggest that both lifetime PTSD and birth-related traumatization are important for maternal and infant health outcomes across the peripartum period. Larger prospective studies are warranted. Implications: Women with lifetime PTSD and/or birth related traumatization should be closely monitored and supported. They may benefit from early targeted interventions to prevent traumatic birth experience, an escalation of psychopathology during the peripartum period, and adverse infant outcomes, which in turn may prevent transgenerational transmission of trauma in the long term.

RYŠAVÁ, J. A child under 3 years of age at preschool. Prague, 2012. The thesis. Charles University in Prague. Faculty of Education. Department of Primary Education. Thesis supervisor E. Opravilová. The work followed the specifics of the educational work between 2-3 years of age in an ordinary preschool. The theoretical part is based on developmental psychological characteristics of this period. It monitored the impact of early interactions mother - child, influence of family environment and other factors affecting the child's separation from the mother and the subsequent adaptation and socialization in a preschool environment. The survey includes six case studies of selected two-year old children (position of the child), 24 selected parents of preschool children within one preschool (parents' position) and 51 preschools (teacher's position). The research followed the specific impact of key factors influencing the course of adaptation and socialization of a child under 3 years of age in a preschool environment, including the anticipated impact of key chronological age. In addition, it monitored and defined the conditions of preschools in the legislative, organizational and personnel conditions, and when their fulfillment can be considered suitable for education of a child under 3 years in a...