Single-parent households are on the increase in our society and especially single-father households where fathers are fulfilling the role of both parents in rearing their children. In this qualitative study, three single fathers who are primary caregivers were interviewed regarding their experience of primary caregiving, adjusting and coping with the transition to primary caregiving and their needs and concerns for their children's future. This study utilised a phenomenological approach to look at single fathers as the best and most informed individuals to explore and describe their lived experiences of being primary caregivers. The rationale for using interpretive phenomenological analysis (IPA) is that it is concerned with individuals' subjective reports and assumes that participants seek to interpret their experiences into some form that is understandable to them. The researcher utilised three semi-structured, in depth, face-to-face interviews as a method of data collection. Each interview focused on eliciting different sets of data, firstly the researcher look at identifying the participants' experience of primary care giving, then moved onto their adjusting and coping with the transition and finally focused on the primary needs and concerns of participants with regards to primary care giving. The sub-themes that emerged from the study include the loss of a partner, shifts in the role the fathers play as parent, dealing with children's reaction to the "loss" of a mother in the home, good parenting: biology vs upbringing, social construction of men and woman, the value of self-care for single fathers, where self-care incorporates both physical and mental care, internal support from family or friends, external support from the community, relationship between fathers and children and sibling relationships. These led to the various super-ordinate themes. The super-ordinate themes and categories that resulted from the analysis of the material include: (1) The transition to being a single-parent and primary caregiver was difficult, (2) Parenting is not biological it is cultural and fathers can fulfil the role, (3) Self-care is important, (4) Support comes from family and friends but social support is rare, (5) Close family relationships are formed

Unemployment is a worldwide issue which is one of the toughest challenges that South Africa is facing. It has become a social problem because it has an impact on a large number of people. Unemployment has a serious impact on parents’ dignity and affects his/her emotional and socio-economic status, as he/she cannot function effectively. In the view of the above, the goal of the study was to investigate the influence of unemployment on parenting skills in the Waterberg District of the Limpopo Province. The research question that guided the study was: What is the influence of unemployment on parenting skills in the Waterberg District of the Limpopo Province? A qualitative, explorative research study was conducted, with the following objectives: <ol> <li> To theoretically conceptualize unemployment as a social problem and the family as a social system.</li> <li> To empirically investigate the influence of unemployment on parenting skills in the Waterberg District of the Limpopo Province.</li> <li> To make recommendations, based on the results of the study, regarding strategies to help unemployed parents to enhance their parenting skills.</li> </ol> The population of this study was all the black parents who were at least three years unemployed, who were between the ages of 25 – 50 years, parents who had children of school going age, stayed in an informal settlement in the Waterberg District and who were registered clients of the Department of Health and Social Department (DHSD) during the period January 2003 – June 2006. A sample of 10 respondents was selected by using a combination of stratified and simple random sampling to represent the population. The five sub-district offices in the Waterberg District were regarded as strata and from each stratum two respondents were selected randomly. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews guided by a schedule with a set of predetermined questions. The main conclusions drawn from the research findings were that parents expressed negative feelings about their unemployed situation and that they experienced a lack of certain parenting skills namely: communication, decision making, problem solving and conflict management. Based on the results of the study, recommendations were made regarding strategies to help unemployed parents to enhance their parenting skills. / Dissertation (MA)--University of Pretoria, 2009. / Social Work and Criminology / unrestricted

This study is made from a practical standpoint. I shall endeavor to answer some of the questions that may arise in the minds of prospective parents as they consider the adoption of a child. There are many questions that will not be answered because the problems involved are so broad and take in so many angles that it is impossible to consider them all. The central problem itself begins when prospective adoptive parents first consider adopting a child.

Submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts (Clinical Psychology) in the Department of Psychology University of Zululand 1992. / Single parenting is becoming much more common today for a variety of reasons. The single parent family is a result of divorce, desertion or separation, death or having a child illegitimately, Some women make this choice for palitico-feminist reasons, wanting parenthood but being unwilling to cohabit with a man. It may well reflect a deep seated need to prove her independence. The present study has been motivated by the fact that becoming a single parent is usually a traumatic process with much heated and confused emotion in relationships over and above the basic problem of just one adult figure having to cope with small children. The aim of the study was to elicit from a group of single mothers their needs, to prioritize these needs, then form an on-going self—help group programme. It was hypothesized that a self-help group programme for single mothers would improve parental attitudes, parenting skills and interpersonal functioning. Parental attitudes, parenting skills and interpersonal functioning were assessed over three assessment periods, i.e. pretest, post test and fallow up. The following psychological measures were used: Maternal chi1d—rearing attitude scale, Parenting skills qualitative and quantitative ratings and Carkhuff scales far levels of interpersonal functioning. The project consisted of meetings with the group of single mothers at weekly intervals over two months. The group meetings were videotaped for evaluation by independent judges, for levels of interpersonal functioning. A short written qualitative evaluation of the programme was required of the mothers. After the programme was instituted there was no significant change in parental attitudes and parenting skills* One can assume that this group of single mothers had an extensive knowledge of child-rearing practices and parenting skills. This might be so because the group was composed of educated and professiona1 mothers. At the same time one cannot cone 1ude that educated and professional mothers have good parental attitudes and parenting skills because there is no available literature or research findings to support that cone 1usion. Interpersonal functioning improved remarkedly in terms of empathy, respect, genuineness and se1f—disc1osure. The single mothers evaluated the programme as goad and helpful to their children. They all wished that the programme could continue. One of the limitations of the study was the fact that the sample was small. But the number met the requirements for a group. Another limitation was that the group only comprised of one category of single mothers, i.e. educated and professional mothers. Perhaps if the group has a mix of categories, i.e. lay mothers and teenage mothers, resu1ts yielded would show a significant change in child—rearing attitudes and parenting skills. Single motherhood is very stressful. Single mothers find it difficult to cope with the role strain, isolation and 1one1iness. Even though some single mothers might be financially adequate they still need emotional support. Interpersonal functioning is improved if people with a similar problem are put in a group. Members recognize that they are not alone in having an emotional problem. The simple sharing of experiences is an important human need.

Parenthood is a common experience, in the sense that it is almost universal among married couples, but it is a unique experience in the sense that there are great individual variations in its meaning and its impact upon the life of each parent.

Becoming a new parent can cause both immense joy and immense stress that leads to increases and decreases in a new parent’s feeling of life satisfaction. In addition, working as a mental health clinician is a frequently challenging career. Given that many clinicians also become parents while working during the course of their careers, it is surprising that there is not more research on the experience of clinicians who become new parents. More research is needed to find out how people balance the stresses of new parenthood and their emotionally challenging jobs. There is some research on “stress-related growth” that suggests that people can experience stressful or traumatic events and emerge on the other side feeling like they have achieved positive personal growth. This study attempted to find out if this occurs when clinicians become parents. This was a narrative study aimed to add to the research literature on parent clinician’s (clinicians who were also parents) lives by presenting their stories of becoming new parents. Five parent clinicians were interviewed on two separate occasions and those interviews were transcribed; the transcriptions were edited into five individual stories that detail the parent clinician’s unique challenges, how they navigated their challenges, and how they reflected on their experiences and their personal growth. The five parent clinicians recounted many positive and negative experiences that new parenthood had on both their clinical work and personal lives. In addition, they described how their families and identities helped them to make meaning out of the challenges they faced. The parent clinicians all talked about how either the presence or absence of social support, or their personal and professional relationships, impacted their lives when they became new parents. Social support included institutional support such as their employers or graduate departments and personal support such as their co-parents, families, and friends. This support either helped or hindered the parent clinician’s ability to balance the demands of parenthood and work. Furthermore, the findings supported previous research on stress-related growth that suggest that cognitive processing (thinking about an event after it occurred) and social support predict the perception of positive personal growth. This was the first known narrative study on the impacts of new parenthood on mental health clinicians and the study adds to the research literature on clinician’s lived experiences. In addition, the findings from the study can help training directors, clinical supervisors, and agency directors to develop new policies that increase new parents’ social support which may help them weather the storms of becoming a new parent while working as a clinician.

Attitudes of primiparous women toward childbirth were studied longitudinally as they varied with the intervention of childbirth education classes before delivery; and as they varied with the experience of labor and deli very and having a baby in the home after delivery. An anxiety scale was used measuring anxiety toward labor, delivery, the parenthood role, and stress on the marriage relationship. Measurement on the anxiety scale was taken prior to childbirth education when primiparous mothers ranged from 4 months to 7-l/2 months gestation. Measurement II on the anxiety scale was taken after childbirth education, one month prior to delivery. Measurement III on the anxiety scale was taken one month following delivery . The sample consisted of primiparous women selected from two Childbirth Education Classes at the Logan L. D. S. Hospital, Logan, Utah, in September and October of 1974. The following numbers of women responded on each of the three questionnaires: Measurement I - 77 Measurement II - 69 Measurement III - 66 Total Matched sample including all three measurements - 56. H was found that anxiety toward delivery increased significantly alter childbirth education and as time for delivery drew nearer, while anxiety toward labor decreased slightly but not significantly. One month following delivery, however, anxiety decreased toward both labor and delivery, as was expected, but anxiety toward delivery dec rea ed to a lower level than did anxiety toward labor. H appears that these primiparous women experience more anxiety toward delivery prior to the experience, but after experiencing labor and delivct·y, some feel more anxious about labor than about delivery. No differctlCC was found between any of the three measures on anxiety toward the role of parent. The participation of husbands in labor and delivery was viewed by over !JO percent of these primiparous mothers as a positive factor, on all th rcc measurements. Earlier in pregnancy, prwr to childbirth education on Measurement 1, a strong positive correlation was found between physical symptoms of pregnancy and overall an.xiety level. However, this relationship seemed to disappear after childbirth education, one month prior to delivery on Measurement II. An analysis of variance showed significant variation in the anxiety or stress of the childbearing cycle on the marriage relationship with the highest stress being just prior to delivery.

The philosophical aim of this dissertation is to determine the best social arrangements for bearing and rearing children in the context of emerging reproductive technologies. A novel feature of my account is that it follows the form of a thought-experiment—imagining a world where artificial womb technology offers a nonphysical alternative to pregnancy. In chapter one, I consider whether gestational motherhood ought to be abolished and replaced with a state-run institution of artificial wombs. While the latter arrangement would admittedly promote equality of opportunity among fetuses, I argue that it conflicts with the fundamental rights of gestational mothers. In chapter two, I consider whether the state should impose licensing regulations on parents and procreators to ensure children are provided adequate care. I offer a series of objections to licensing by challenging the analogical argument between parents and professionals, as well as the assumption that parents’ incompetence is responsible for the harms done to children. I then defend a less invasive alternative to licensing, suggesting that the focus of reform should be on ensuring adults acquire obligations to provide childcare voluntarily. However, limited reproductive options pose a problem insofar as a woman who finds herself unintentionally pregnant may have no choice but to continue providing gestational care. Thus, in chapter three, I argue that artificial wombs ought to be a widely-available reproductive option such that women can opt-out of pregnancy. On my account, childbearing should be performed by willing mothers, and childrearing should be performed by willing parents. In chapter four, I shift focus to determine what children are morally owed. More specifically, I defend a new interpretation of the child’s right to an open future that pays special attention to the challenges of parenting in a morally imperfect world.

Parenting roles and occupations are complex and become even more challenging when navigated with a physical disability. Physical, social, and political barriers are among many factors that shape experiences in parenting and disability. Occupational therapy practitioners (OTPs), with their holistic and client-centered approach, are ideally positioned to provide professional support to alleviate or adapt to environmental barriers. However, OTPs confront their own barriers to providing services, including a deficit in and accessibility to occupation therapy-specific resources and education on disability and parenting. These factors together result in a gap in service between disabled parents and occupational therapy. This doctoral manuscript offers a potential solution to these issues in the form of Adapting Parenthood, an online resource and education platform for OTPs. The platform is designed to provide occupational therapy specific professional education for practitioners working with parents who experience barriers in their parenting roles due to disability or related factors. Adapting Parenthood offers a user-friendly, digital interface that allows users to navigate at their own pace, fostering autonomy, and learning motivation. It incorporates a range of multimedia resources, catering to various learning styles and preferences, to enhance user engagement and information retention. The platform is organized into topic areas comprised of resources and educational modules. The resources include a diverse range of documents, manuals, recommendations, and legal information intended to supplement interventions and enhance the practice of healthcare professionals. The educational modules focus on topic areas where practitioners may need to refine their skills and knowledge when working with parents with physical disabilities. These topics include adapting parenting occupations, home modification and universal design, as well as disability-affirming education on interdependence, social support, and disability rights related to parenting. The content and design of Adapting Parenthood underscores the importance of disability-affirming practice. It emphasizes understanding the unique lived experiences of disabled individuals, particularly those who are parents, and the development of support that mitigate and alleviate the challenges they face. Ultimately, this dissertation provides an in-depth analysis of the unique challenges faced by parents with physical disabilities and proposes a comprehensive online platform to support and educate OTPs working with this population. Adapting Parenthood aims to bridge the service gap and foster a more inclusive and supportive environment for disabled parents.

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