Department of Biomedical and Molecular Sciences, Queen's University, Kingston, ON K7L 3N6, Canada.
Department of Political Science, University of Kinshasa, Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of the Congo.
Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2021 Oct 2;18(19):10399. doi: 10.3390/ijerph181910399.
: It is well-documented that single mothers in sub-Saharan Africa face unique psychosocial challenges which can lead to child health and developmental disadvantages, often impacting life trajectories for both the mother and child. Years of instability, conflict, and widespread poor governance within the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) have resulted in magnified challenges for parents, making it more difficult to provide supportive and effective parenting. To address gaps in knowledge regarding the specific challenges experienced and adaptations made among single mothers raising children in contexts of adversity, the present study aimed to investigate the phenomenon of single mother parenting in the DRC. : Cognitive Edge SenseMaker, a mixed-method data collection tool, was used to collect self-interpreted narratives among parents in eastern DRC. Quantitative SenseMaker data were uploaded into Tableau, a data organization and analysis tool, to visualize differences in response patterns between single mother ( = 263) and two-parent family study participants ( = 182). Single mother micronarratives ( = 251) were then coded line-by-line and analyzed thematically. Qualitative themes identified in the single mother micronarratives were used to facilitate a deeper and more nuanced understanding of key quantitative SenseMaker findings. : Our study found that single mothers experienced immense challenges raising children in the DRC, including financial-, health- and parenting-related hardships. Single mothers described negative emotions and higher levels of household adversity while providing for their children in situations of extreme poverty compared to two-parent family respondents. Self-reliance was exhibited among most single mothers in an attempt to overcome challenges, primarily financial barriers, and to prioritize the health and well-being of their children. However, many children still lacked access to sufficient food, education, and healthcare. Limited governmental and social security support for single mothers was identified as contributing to heightened challenges and the self-reliance observed among single mothers. Findings emphasize that additional research and attention should be directed towards identifying the specific needs of, and available resources for, single mothers in different localities in an effort to inform policies and programs that best support families.
有大量文献记载，撒哈拉以南非洲的单身母亲面临着独特的社会心理挑战，这可能导致儿童健康和发育不良，对母亲和儿童的生活轨迹都产生影响。多年来，刚果民主共和国（刚果（金））内部的不稳定、冲突和普遍的治理不善，给父母带来了更大的挑战，使他们更难以提供支持和有效的育儿方式。为了填补关于单身母亲在逆境中育儿所面临的具体挑战和适应措施的知识空白，本研究旨在调查刚果（金）单身母亲育儿现象。
使用混合方法数据收集工具 Cognitive Edge SenseMaker，收集刚果（金）东部地区父母的自我解释叙述。将定量 SenseMaker 数据上传到数据组织和分析工具 Tableau 中，以可视化单身母亲（n=263）和双亲家庭研究参与者（n=182）之间的反应模式差异。然后对单身母亲微叙述（n=251）逐行编码并进行主题分析。在单身母亲微叙述中确定的定性主题用于促进对关键定量 SenseMaker 发现的更深入和更细致的理解。
我们的研究发现，单身母亲在刚果（金）抚养孩子面临巨大挑战，包括经济、健康和育儿相关的困难。与双亲家庭的受访者相比，单身母亲在为孩子提供极端贫困情况下的生活时，描述了更多的负面情绪和更高水平的家庭逆境。大多数单身母亲表现出自力更生，试图克服挑战，主要是经济障碍，并优先考虑孩子的健康和幸福。然而，许多孩子仍然缺乏足够的食物、教育和医疗保健。政府和社会安全对单身母亲的支持有限，这被认为是导致挑战加剧和单身母亲自力更生的原因之一。研究结果强调，应该有更多的研究和关注，确定不同地区单身母亲的具体需求和可用资源，以便为支持家庭制定最佳政策和方案提供信息。
