Thesis (PH.D.)--Syracuse University, 2003. / "Publication number AAT 3081629."

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Syracuse University, 2005. / "Publication number AAT 3176999."

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Syracuse University, 2005. / "Publication number AAT 3176989."

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Syracuse University, 2005. / "Publication number AAT 3177021."

Thesis (PH.D.)--Syracuse University, 2003. / "Publication number AAT 3081654."

Thesis (PH.D.)--Syracuse University, 2003. / "Publication number AAT 3099528."

The purpose of this thesis was to examine how first-time mothers' experiences during the transition into motherhood reflect biographical 'flows' or 'disruptions' when contextualized within their life course trajectories. I used a qualitative research design with narrative methods of data collection and analysis to explore participants' reproductive life courses. I collected data through in-depth and open-ended questions during face-to-face, retrospective, episodic narrative interviews with a purposive sample of 14 first-time mothers 12-17 months postpartum. Data indicate that all of the first-time mothers experienced the transition to motherhood as a biographical disruption, but that different types of disruption were evident. The three typologies of disruption identified are: motherhood as a 'fresh start,' a prolonged limbo between life before and after motherhood, and achievement of womanhood or adulthood. Four sub-themes are also evident in the data: weight and body-image, sexual/maternal breast usage, 'advanced maternal age', and social support provided by participants' mothers.

In this study, I aim to achieve a richer understanding of ongoing experiences of childhood loss. Hermeneutic philosophy highlights the importance of moving back and forth between the parts and the whole of any subject one might wish to comprehend. To apply such a perspective to this research, I simultaneously engage with multiple aspects of the research process. These include: dominant and alternative understandings of childhood loss, the personal experiences of my research participants, multiple perspectives on the meaning of their experiences, the relationships among researchers and participants, and my own processes of interpreting the stories that were shared with me. The relational process of research itself has been recognized and demonstrated as reflective of that which is required to effectively connect with and support grieving children.

In the present phenomenological study, mothers of children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) were interviewed using semi-structured, open-ended interview questions. The purpose of this study was to explore the stressors and joys, and parental coping associated with having a child with ASD, before and after out-of-home placement. A total of 9 mothers, six from British Columbia and three from Alberta, participated in the study. The findings suggest that along with stressors, parents experienced a multitude of joys throughout their caregiving experiences. Also, joys had an impact on caregiver's stress-coping process. This study, therefore, expanded upon current states of knowledge on the adaptational function of joys to caregivers of individuals with chronic conditions. In light of the findings, modified stress-coping process model based on the work of Lazarus and Folkman (1984), Folkman (1997), and Pearlin et al. (1990; 1980) is proposed. Also, findings shed light on mothers' lived-experiences leading up to and after out-of-home placement, illuminating an understudied aspect of caregiving for children with ASD.

In the present phenomenological study, mothers of children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) were interviewed using semi-structured, open-ended interview questions. The purpose of this study was to explore the stressors and joys, and parental coping associated with having a child with ASD, before and after out-of-home placement. A total of 9 mothers, six from British Columbia and three from Alberta, participated in the study. The findings suggest that along with stressors, parents experienced a multitude of joys throughout their caregiving experiences. Also, joys had an impact on caregiver's stress-coping process. This study, therefore, expanded upon current states of knowledge on the adaptational function of joys to caregivers of individuals with chronic conditions. In light of the findings, modified stress-coping process model based on the work of Lazarus and Folkman (1984), Folkman (1997), and Pearlin et al. (1990; 1980) is proposed. Also, findings shed light on mothers' lived-experiences leading up to and after out-of-home placement, illuminating an understudied aspect of caregiving for children with ASD.