‘’Summer Doesn’t Come with a Single Rose’’ : A Qualitative Research of Turkish Mothers’ Social Support Systems who Have a Chıld with ASD
Abstract
Being a mother is defined as a serious life event in which women often
experience physical, psychological and sociological changes. Parenting a child
diagnosed with autism can be associated with a high risk of presenting mental
health problems such as anxiety and depression. Therefore, researchers,
educators or professionals have focused on family members, as well as ASD
individuals. Involvement of a child with special needs in the family can often
bring stressful and challenging experiences. The purpose of this study is
twofold; first, to explore their perspectives on children and social support
systems of women with children who have autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and
second, to unfold their life experiences. The
study was structured using qualitative research method. Qualitative
interviews were conducted with mothers of children diagnosed with ASD in
Ankara, Turkey. Interviews were
conducted with 11 middle age, unemployed Turkish mothers. Data
was collected through semi-structured interviews and content analysis was used.
The results are interpreted in two main themes (perspectives of mothers on their
children and social support). According
to the research findings, women mostly don’t have social support and they
gradually lose connection to their husbands and other family members or peers.
Finally, the findings obtained from the study were discussed in the light of
the relevant literature.
Keywords
References
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Details
Primary Language
English
Subjects
Sociology (Other)
Journal Section
Research Article
Publication Date
May 30, 2019
Submission Date
February 12, 2019
Acceptance Date
May 6, 2019
Published in Issue
Year 2019 Volume: 30 Number: 2
Cited By
Experiences of Mothers of Multiple Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder: An Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis Study
Ankara Üniversitesi Eğitim Bilimleri Fakültesi Özel Eğitim Dergisi
https://doi.org/10.21565/ozelegitimdergisi.1013765