Browsing by Subject "Attachment theory"
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Item Can I get a witness? African American mothers, parenting networks, and attachment(2012-12) ValandraThis qualitative study using a phenomenological constructivist approach examined the meaning African American mothers give to experiences of sexual mistreatment and their perceptions of how those experiences influenced their approach to parenting within extended family structures. I expected that mothers' experiences of trauma management, their use of parenting networks, and their sociocultural environment influence their parenting practices. Additionally, I expected that mothers' experiences of trauma management mediated the quality of parent-child-family relationships. Twenty-one currently parenting African American mothers receiving services for homelessness, substance misuse, and/or recovery from prostitution/domestic sex trafficking participated in an in-depth semi-structured audio-taped face-to-face interview. I used the procedures of multiple case study analysis to modify my expectations based on mothers' narrative accounts of their experiences. Findings suggest that the parenting practices of African American mothers who are survivors of sexual mistreatment are influenced by the intersections of their (a) mental representations of themselves as caregivers and their attachment-related relationships across their life course, (b) their trauma management experiences, (c) their utilization of supportive parenting networks, and (d) their accessibility to socioeconomic resources. Implications for practice, policy, and future research are discussed.Item The voices of mindfulness, attachment-related strategies and the mother-child relationship(2013-04) Little, MegAttachment security and mother-child relationships serve a critical role in human development. Several studies have demonstrated an association between the salutary effects of security-based attachment strategies and mindfulness. This descriptive research study explores this relationship through semi-structured interviews, the Five Facet Mindfulness Questionnaire (FFMQ) and the Experiences in Close Relationships (ECR) Scale. Five recently homeless mothers were offered eight mindfulness training sessions. Interviews were interpreted using the Listening Guide, a qualitative, feminist, relational, voice-centered method of analysis to describe the perceived effects of mindfulness practices on the qualia of mindfulness, attachment-related strategies, and the nature of mother-child relationships. Mothers report increased mindfulness, reduced stress, improved parenting experiences, and mutually fulfilling relationships with their children.