The Parenting Experience of Low-Income Single Women with Serious Mental Disorders

Abstract

The author describes an exploratory, qualitative research study focusing on 10 single, low-income mothers with chronic mental illness who lived with their children in a supportive residential program. The mothers were interviewed and observed at the child-care center associated with the program. In addition, a comparison group of eight low-income, single mothers whose children attended a community day-care center were interviewed. The two groups of mothers viewed their children as central to their lives. Both groups of spoke of struggles. The mentally ill mothers’ struggles pertained to maintaining custody, whereas the non-mentally ill mothers focused on economic survival. Overwhelmingly, the mothers with mental illness wanted to live normal lives as mothers, wives, and workers.