Shpigelman Carmit-Noa, Karlinski Argi Limor
Department of Community Mental Health, University of Haifa, Haifa, Israel.
The Center for Mental Health Research, Practice, and Policy, University of Haifa, Haifa, Israel.
Front Psychol. 2024 Sep 25;15:1430412. doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2024.1430412. eCollection 2024.
Although motherhood plays a meaningful role in the formation of a woman's identity, most studies have focused on the process of identity transformation in the transition to motherhood among non-disabled women; less is known about this process among women with physical disabilities who become mothers.
The present study aimed to understand and describe the subjective experiences of Israeli women with lifelong physical disabilities in their motherhood journey from the perspective of the intersection of their motherhood and disability identities, and from the disability studies approach.
Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 20 Israeli mothers with visible lifelong physical disabilities who live in the community and raise their children.
Three themes emerged from the interviews: (1) the decision to become a mother: Coping with the disability identity for the first time; (2) The FIRST 3 years: Depending on others as limiting their motherhood identity; (3) after age three: Balancing the motherhood and disability identities.
The transition to motherhood led to identity transformation among women with physical disabilities. Becoming a mother increased the tension between dependence and independence in the context of disability, which also influenced the intersection of their motherhood and disability identities and their wellbeing. Practitioners should provide emotional support to mothers with disabilities and help them embrace the positive aspects of each identity and strike a balance between them.
尽管母亲身份在女性身份形成过程中发挥着重要作用，但大多数研究都集中在非残疾女性向母亲身份转变过程中的身份转变过程；对于成为母亲的残疾女性这一过程的了解较少。
本研究旨在从母亲身份与残疾身份的交叉视角以及残疾研究方法出发，理解和描述以色列终身身体残疾女性在其母亲身份之旅中的主观体验。
对20位居住在社区且抚养子女的有明显终身身体残疾的以色列母亲进行了半结构化访谈。
访谈中出现了三个主题：（1）成为母亲的决定：首次应对残疾身份；（2）头三年：依赖他人限制了她们的母亲身份；（3）三岁以后：平衡母亲身份和残疾身份。
向母亲身份的转变导致了残疾女性的身份转变。成为母亲增加了残疾背景下依赖与独立之间的紧张关系，这也影响了她们母亲身份与残疾身份的交叉以及她们的幸福感。从业者应向残疾母亲提供情感支持，帮助她们接受每个身份的积极方面并在两者之间取得平衡。
