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      • HARVEST
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      “You’re not able to be yourself because people always expect you to be this ideal:” Women’s Experiences with Contemporary Norms of Mothering, Help-Seeking, and Postpartum Emotional Difficulties

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      DECAE-THESIS-2017.pdf (1022.Kb)
      Date
      2017-10-03
      Author
      Decae, Chandra J 1984-
      Type
      Thesis
      Degree Level
      Masters
      Metadata
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      Abstract
      The purpose of this study was to examine women’s experiences with contemporary norms of mothering and help-seeking while living with postpartum emotional difficulties. Research showed that few women seek help for postpartum emotional difficulties (Fonseca et al., 2015; Henshaw et al., 2013). A review of the literature revealed many barriers to help-seeking including structural barriers, lack of knowledge of postpartum depression symptoms, stigma, shame, fear, and discomfort discussing symptoms (Corrigan & Watson, 2002; Edwards & Timmons, 2005; Fonseca et al., 2015; Foulkes, 2011; Leham, 2015; Sword et al., 2008; Thomas et al., 2014). In addition, contemporary norms of mothering were presented as a barrier to help-seeking (Leham, 2015; Thomas et al., 2014). However, neither of these two studies examined women’s experiences with contemporary norms of mothering and how it related to help-seeking. Therefore, the research question for this study was: What are women’s experiences with contemporary norms of mothering and help-seeking while experiencing postpartum emotional difficulties? Four women who self-identified with experiencing depressive-like symptoms within a year after giving birth, who felt as though they were unable to seek help, and who felt impacted by contemporary norms of mothering participated in this study and shared rich narratives about their experiences. The data were analyzed using Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (Smith, Flowers, & Larkin, 2009). Two super-ordinate themes emerged: Stigma: A Barrier to Help-Seeking with the constituent themes Self-Stigma, Unaware of Symptoms, and Perceived Stigma: Expectations from Others; and, Resilience: A Catalyst for Help-Seeking with the constituent themes Helping Oneself and Seeking Help from Friends, Family, and Professionals. The themes describe the women’s experiences of their shift in help-seeking. Initially, they were unable to seek help because of stigma; however, overtime the participants developed resilience within themselves which led to helping themselves and seeking help from others. This study provided valuable insight into four women’s experiences with postpartum emotional difficulties, contemporary norms of mothering, and help-seeking. Considerations for mental health practitioners are discussed.
      Degree
      Master of Education (M.Ed.)
      Department
      Educational Psychology and Special Education
      Program
      School and Counselling Psychology
      Supervisor
      Martin, Stephanie
      Committee
      Nicol, Jennifer; Janzen, Bonnie; Mousavi, Amin
      Copyright Date
      September 2017
      URI
      http://hdl.handle.net/10388/8163
      Subject
      postpartum emotional difficulties
      postpartum depression
      help-seeking barriers
      contemporary norms of mothering
      stigma
      resilience
      qualitative research
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