Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Hong Kong, 1995. / Includes bibliographical references (leaf 408-428).

published_or_final_version / Social Work / Master / Master of Social Work

published_or_final_version / Nursing Studies / Master / Master of Nursing in Advanced Practice

This dissertation explores multidimensional social support across the perinatal period among sexual and gender-diverse (SGD) childbearing individuals living in the United States. The Social-Ecological Model (SEM) of Health Promotion and resilience theory guided this dissertation. Chapter One provides an overview of emerging health disparities among SGD childbearing people and compelling evidence of their risk for mental health disparities. It also identifies our limited understanding of perinatal social support among this population — an important modifiable risk factor for adverse mental health. Thus, social support was identified as a promising topic for this dissertation that could promote perinatal health and well-being among an understudied childbearing population. Chapter Two, Childbearing at the Margins: A Systematic Metasynthesis Review of Sexual and Gender Diverse Childbearing Experiences, evaluated and synthesized data from 25 studies on SGD childbearing. Three main themes were identified (1) Systematic Invisibility: Erasure, Structural Exclusion, Discrimination; (2) Creating Personhood Through Parenthood; and (3) Resilient Narratives of Childbearing. We found widespread structural and interpersonal harm and discrimination across the childbearing period while also emerging evidence of positive social experiences and resilience. Gaps in the literature were identified, including data on racially and geographically diverse SGD childbearing populations, perinatal support experiences beyond the healthcare context, and data derived from prospective studies. Chapter Three, “Through Our Resiliency We…Find Joy”: A Community-Placed Qualitative Study of Social Support Among Sexual And Gender Diverse Childbearing People, introduces The Study of Queer and Trans Perinatal Resilience and Experiences of Gestation (PREG). This chapter sought to understand perinatal risk and resilience among SGD childbearing individuals at the inter-and intrapersonal levels of the SEM — namely, coping skills and social support. Four main themes were identified: 1) Entering a New Season of Life, 2) Community is Family, 3) The Pain We Bear, and 4) Obligatory Resilience. We found that this new season of life came with unique support needs and sources of support. Support systems were robust and generally diffuse. Family formation signaled a time to heal old wounds among families of origin while simultaneously a time of increased harmful experiences and sacrifices to maintain access to support. Due to a history of stigma and discrimination, SGD individuals had well-developed coping strategies that mitigated harm. They found building a family a profoundly meaningful experience that provided great joy and purpose. Chapter Four, “You’re Preparing for People to Assess Whether You Can Have Your Own Child”: Structural Failures to Support Sexual and Gender Diverse Childbearing Parents, explores social support and social needs at the community, organizational, and policy levels of the SEM to understand how structural factors support or fail to support SGD childbearing people. Three main themes were identified: 1) When Protections Fail to Protect, 2) The Burden Is on Our Shoulders, and 3) When Privilege Is Protection. We found that despite advances in legal protection of SGD people, numerous factors undermine the ability to access protections across the childbearing journey. Thus, SGD individuals are faced with impossible choices when building their families and are forced to advocate for themselves, educate others, and pay to access structural support. Class and racial privilege may play a role in protecting SGD people from these burdens. Chapter Five summarizes the findings from the three manuscripts in this dissertation, highlighting the strength and weaknesses of the studies, and research, clinical practice, and policy implications. Taken together, the heterocisnormative framework of family formation creates structural stigma and contributes to interpersonal conflict and exclusion that may increase vulnerability to perinatal mental health disparities among SGD childbearing individuals. However, SGD individuals also demonstrated resilience by using well-developed coping strategies and robust social support networks, achieving what was for many a lifelong dream of having a family. This dissertation provides an important contribution to the scientific literature by describing and characterizing perinatal resilience and stigma at each level of the SEM and, in doing so, provides a roadmap to inform clinical practice, policy, and future research in pursuit of promoting perinatal health equity among a marginalized childbearing population.

Thesis (MEd)--Stellenbosch University, 2004. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: This study was undertaken to investigate the perspectives of a group of teenage mothers from a disadvantaged community, on their need for support and suggestions for a community support programme. This study forms part of a community support project in which the Department of Educational Psychology of the University of Stellenbosch is currently involved. The findings of this study will be applied to plan effective interventions for teenage mothers. I made use of a qualitative research design and approached the study from an interpretive paradigm to gain insight in and an understanding of the participants’ perspectives. The focus group interview was my primary method of research. The data generated by six focus group interviews were verified through individual interview data. I also used a biographical questionnaire to obtain background information from each participant. Furthermore, I made comprehensive notes on my personal reflections and observations about the research process, and this became part of the research data. Through the process of data analysis, seven themes were identified. These themes are: material support; financial support; contact between the father and his child(ren); knowledge, advice and information; emotional support; practical support and access to employment. The participants also made suggestions for a support programme. The findings of the study indicate that programmes aimed at job creation, the accessibility of the government grant and support groups in the community could lead to enhanced support for teenage mothers. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Hierdie studie is onderneem om 'n groep tienermoeders uit 'n benadeelde gemeenskap se perspektiewe oor ondersteuning te ondersoek, veral ten opsigte van hulle behoeftes aan ondersteuning en hulle voorstelle vir 'n gemeenskapsondersteuningsprogram. Die studie vorm deel van 'n gemeenskapsondersteuningsprojek waarby die Departement Opvoedkundige Sielkunde van die Universiteit Stellenbosch tans betrokke is. Die bevindinge van die studie sal aangewend word om effektiewe intervensies vir tienermoeders te beplan. Ten einde insig en begrip vir die deelnemers se perspektiewe te ontwikkel, het ek van 'n kwalitatiewe navorsingsontwerp gebruik gemaak en die studie vanuit 'n interpretivistiese paradigma benader. My primêre metode van ondersoek was ses fokusgroeponderhoude. Die data wat op hierdie manier gegenereer is, is deur middel van individuele onderhoude geverifieer. Ek het ook gebruik gemaak van 'n biografiese vraelys om agtergrondinligting oor elke deelnemer te verkry. Omdat ek binne ‘n kwalitatiewe navorsingsproses werk, was my persoonlike refleksies en waarnemings deel van die navorsingsproses. Deur middel van die proses van data-analise het sewe temas uit die data na vore gekom. Die volgende temas is geïdentifiseer: materiële ondersteuning; finansiële ondersteuning; kontak tussen die pa en sy kind(ers); kennis, raad en inligting; emosionele ondersteuning; praktiese hulp en toegang tot werk. Die deelnemers het ook voorstelle vir 'n ondersteuningsprogram gemaak. Die bevindinge van die studie dui daarop dat programme ten opsigte van werkskepping, die toeganklikheid van die staatstoelaag en ondersteuningsgroepe in die gemeenskap moontlik tot groter ondersteuning van tienermoeders sal bydra.

A qualitative and quantitative approach was chosen together with an exploratory and descriptive design in order to obtain knowledge, insight and understanding regarding the utilization of social support network of teenage mothers in Botshabelo. It is necessary for social workers to identify the social support systems that exist in a social support network of teenage mothers in order to select those systems which would be relevant to meet the needs of teenage mothers. The aim of this study is to present guidelines for social workers to empower teenage mothers to utilize social support networks to fulfil their roles as parents. A sample of ten teenage mothers (14 years to 19 years of age) who are from the service area at the J clinic in Botshabelo was involved in the study. A qualitative investigation was carried out by means of conducting interviews with the aid of a semi-structured interview guide. The responses of the participants and the findings of the study were analyzed and compared with the findings of previous studies. The results of the investigation confirmed that the findings of the literature study namely that teenage parenting severely impacts daily functioning of teenage mothers. These challenges include aspects related to financial problems, responding to the baby’s needs, attending classes or seeking for a job, while expected to play a mother’s role at the same time. The results of the study gave an indication of the nature of social work intervention that is needed for this target group: talking to someone, distributing information regarding teenage parenting, distributing information regarding available services, participating in a support group and learning to cope with daily activities. The findings of the research can be used as guidelines by social workers who need to empower teenage mothers to utilize their social support network.

Thesis (M Social Work)--Stellenbosch University, 2004. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: This research investigates the social support networks of single mothers. The basic premise underlying this research is the importance of social workers' understanding of the social support networks of single mothers. It is necessary for social workers to identify the social support systems that exist in a social support network, and to select those systems which would be relevant to the needs of the single mother. The aim of this study is to present guidelines for social workers to empower single mothers to utilise social support networks to fulfil their roles as parents. The research report includes identifying personal information, issues faced by singleparent families, the nature of single-parenthood, emotional and functional changes experienced since becoming a single mother and the social support networks of single mothers. Knowledge of these indicators will increase the awareness of social workers of the needs of single mothers. The research report includes identifying personal information, issues faced by singleparent families, the nature of single-parenthood, emotional and functional changes experienced since becoming a single mother and the social support networks of single mothers. Knowledge of these indicators will increase the awareness of social workers of the needs of single mothers.The research report includes identifying personal information, issues faced by singleparent families, the nature of single-parenthood, emotional and functional changes experienced since becoming a single mother and the social support networks of single mothers. Knowledge of these indicators will increase the awareness of social workers of the needs of single mothers. The research report includes identifying personal information, issues faced by singleparent families, the nature of single-parenthood, emotional and functional changes experienced since becoming a single mother and the social support networks of single mothers. Knowledge of these indicators will increase the awareness of social workers of the needs of single mothers. The empirical research involved the use of both qualitative and quantitative methods in order to explore the theoretical part of the research. This section was divided into two phases. The first phase was devoted to acquiring a sufficient understanding of the nature of what single-parenthood with an emphasis on single mothers, and also to get a better understanding of the single mothers' existing social support network. The second phase included conducting interviews with the single mothers (N=10) with the help of a questionnaire. The findings and responses of the respondents were analyzed and compared with the findings from previous studies undertaken by various authors. The findings of this research can be used as guidelines for social workers who need to assist a single mother with a need or problem, and more specifically can help the single mother to utilize her social support network. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Hierdie navorsing ondersoek die maatskaplike ondersteuningsnetwerke van enkel moeders. Die uitgangspunt van die navorsing is dat dit belangrik is dat maatskaplike werkers begrip sal hê vir die maatskaplike ondersteuningsnetwerke van enkelmoeders. Dis belangrik dat maatskaplike werkers die maatskaplike ondersteunings sisteme wat in die maatskaplike ondersteuningsnetwerk bestaan sal identifiseer, en om dan die sisteme wat relevant is tot die behoeftes van die enkelmoeder te selekteer. Die doel van die studie is om riglyne daar te stel vir maatskaplike werkers om enkelmoeders te bemagtig om maatskaplike ondersteuningsnetwerke te gebruik om hul rol as ouers te vervul. Die navorsings verslag sluit die volgende in: identifiserende persoonlike inligting, probleme wat enkelouer gesinne kan ondervind, die aard van enkelmoederskap, emosionele en funsionele veranderinge ondervind sedert enkelmoederskap en die maatskaplike ondersteuningsnetwerke van enkelmoeders in, Kennis van hierdie indikatore sal maatskaplike werkers se bewustheid van die behoeftes van enkel moeders verhoog. Vir die empiriese navorsing is kwalitatiewe en kwantitatiewe metodes gebruik om die teoretiese aspekte van die navorsing te ondersoek. Hierdie afdeling is in twee fases verdeel. Die eerste fase is uitgevoer om genoegsame begrip te verkry van die aard van enkelouerskap met die klem op enkelmoeders, asook om 'n beter begrip te kry van die enkelmoeder se bestaande maatskaplike ondersteuningsnetwerk. Die tweede fase behels die voer van onderhoude met enkelmoeders (N=10) met behulp van 'n vraelys, in Guguletu. Resultate en respondense is ontleed en vergelyk met die bevindinge van vorige studies wat deur verskillende navorsers onderneem is. Die bevindinge van die navorsing kan deur maatskaplike werkers gebruik word as riglyne om enkelmoeders wat behoeftes of probleme ondervind by te staan, en die enkel moeder meer spesifiek kan help om haar maatskaplike ondersteuningsnetwerk te gebruik.

published_or_final_version / Social Work / Master / Master of Social Sciences

published_or_final_version / abstract / Social Work and Social Administration / Doctoral / Doctor of Philosophy

published_or_final_version / Social Work / Master / Master of Social Sciences