IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/gam/jscscx/v9y2020i12p236-d465391.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Motherhood in Context—Life Course Interviews with Young Mothers in Contact with Child Welfare

Author

Listed:
  • Anne Juberg

    (Department of Social Work, Norwegian University of Technology and Science, 7491 Trondheim, Norway)

  • Turid Midjo

    (Department of Social Work, Norwegian University of Technology and Science, 7491 Trondheim, Norway)

  • Halvor Fauske

    (Department of Social Work, Norwegian University of Technology and Science, 7491 Trondheim, Norway
    Department of Social Work, Inland University of Applied Sciences, 2418 Elverum, Norway)

Abstract

Background: The purpose of this article is to explore how a sample of young mothers in contact with child welfare services in Norway narrate their transition to motherhood and their relation with child welfare services. Methods: The article is based on life-course interviews with the mothers, on which we have conducted a content analysis inspired by narrative theory. Results: Results show that whereas the mothers deviated from common expectations of predictability and orderliness before they became mothers, they strived to provide a “good enough” situation for their children in line with expectations in larger society ever after. Nevertheless, the complex disadvantages that the mothers said they had in several life domains concerning social networks and family support, education, working life, housing, and that were apparently already in their transition to adulthood, were likely to increase even after the mothers had decided to enter the mothering role in socially acceptable ways. Conclusions: The article concludes that child welfare services may contribute positively by acknowledging the complexity of young mothers’ living context when assessing mothering practices.

Suggested Citation

  • Anne Juberg & Turid Midjo & Halvor Fauske, 2020. "Motherhood in Context—Life Course Interviews with Young Mothers in Contact with Child Welfare," Social Sciences, MDPI, vol. 9(12), pages 1-16, December.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jscscx:v:9:y:2020:i:12:p:236-:d:465391
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2076-0760/9/12/236/pdf
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2076-0760/9/12/236/
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Viola Angelini & Jochen Mierau, 2018. "Late-life health effects of teenage motherhood," Demographic Research, Max Planck Institute for Demographic Research, Rostock, Germany, vol. 39(41), pages 1081-1104.
    2. Wells, Kathleen, 2011. "A narrative analysis of one mother's story of child custody loss and regain," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 33(3), pages 439-447, March.
    3. Brännström, Lars & Vinnerljung, Bo & Hjern, Anders, 2015. "Risk factors for teenage childbirths among child welfare clients: Findings from Sweden," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 53(C), pages 44-51.
    4. Halvor Fauske & Bente Heggem Kojan & Anita Skårstad Storhaug, 2018. "Social Class and Child Welfare: Intertwining Issues of Redistribution and Recognition," Social Sciences, MDPI, vol. 7(9), pages 1-13, August.
    5. Berzin, Stephanie Cosner, 2010. "Vulnerability in the transition to adulthood: Defining risk based on youth profiles," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 32(4), pages 487-495, April.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Pelton, Leroy H., 2011. "Concluding commentary: Varied perspectives on child welfare," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 33(3), pages 481-485, March.
    2. Klapp, Alli, 2019. "Differences in educational achievement in norm- and criterion-referenced grading systems for children and youth placed in out-of-home care in Sweden," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 99(C), pages 408-417.
    3. Wolfe, Joseph D. & Thomeer, Mieke Beth & Reczek, Rin, 2023. "Age at first birth and women's midlife health: Cohort and race differences across the 20th century," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 331(C).
    4. Brännström, Lars & Karlsson, Henrik & Vinnerljung, Bo & Hjern, Anders, 2018. "Childhood risk factors for disability pension among adult former Swedish child welfare clients: Same or different as for majority population peers?," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 84(C), pages 94-102.
    5. Heyman, Janna C. & White-Ryan, Linda & Kelly, Peggy & Farmer, G. Lawrence & Leaman, Tara Linh & Davis, Henry J., 2020. "Voices about foster care: The value of trust," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 113(C).
    6. Elena Ierardi & Alessandro Albizzati & Margherita Moioli & Cristina Riva Crugnola, 2022. "Psychopathological and Psychosocial Risk Profile, Styles of Interaction and Mentalization of Adolescent and Young Mother–Infant Dyads," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(8), pages 1-16, April.
    7. Viola Angelini & Jochen Mierau, 2018. "Late-life health effects of teenage motherhood," Demographic Research, Max Planck Institute for Demographic Research, Rostock, Germany, vol. 39(41), pages 1081-1104.
    8. Hansson, Åse & Gustafsson, Jan-Eric & Nielsen, Bo, 2018. "Special needs education and school mobility: School outcomes for children placed and not placed in out-of-home care," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 94(C), pages 589-597.
    9. McDougall, Stewart & Moore, Tim & Cox, Sarah & Arney, Fiona, 2023. "Parenting aspirations of Australian young people who have experienced adversity: “I’ll work on everything else before working on having a kid”," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 145(C).
    10. Ham Andrés & Maldonado Darío & Guzmán-Gutiérrez Carlos Santiago, 2021. "Recent trends in the youth labor market in Colombia: Diagnosis and policy challenges," IZA Journal of Labor Policy, Sciendo & Forschungsinstitut zur Zukunft der Arbeit GmbH (IZA), vol. 11(1), pages 1-62, January.
    11. Jackie Sanders & Robyn Munford & Joe Boden, 2017. "In Transition – Patterns of Development and Change Among Vulnerable Young People," Child Indicators Research, Springer;The International Society of Child Indicators (ISCI), vol. 10(3), pages 761-780, September.
    12. Kenny, Kathleen S. & Barrington, Clare, 2018. "“People just don't look at you the same way”: Public stigma, private suffering and unmet social support needs among mothers who use drugs in the aftermath of child removal," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 86(C), pages 209-216.
    13. Suzanne J. van den Toren & Amy van Grieken & Wico C. Mulder & Yvonne TM Vanneste & Marjolein Lugtenberg & Marlou LA de Kroon & Siok Swan Tan & Hein Raat, 2019. "School Absenteeism, Health-Related Quality of Life [HRQOL] and Happiness among Young Adults Aged 16–26 Years," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 16(18), pages 1-11, September.
    14. Williams, Terrinieka T. & Sánchez, Bernadette & Hunnell, Jessica, 2011. "Aligning theory with practice: Understanding school-family partnerships at an inner-city high school," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 33(5), pages 689-697, May.
    15. Wojciak, Armeda Stevenson & McWey, Lenore M. & Waid, Jeffery, 2018. "Sibling relationships of youth in foster care: A predictor of resilience," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 84(C), pages 247-254.
    16. Margherita, Giorgia & Troisi, Gina & Tessitore, Francesca & Gargiulo, Anna, 2017. "Teen mothers who are daughters of teen mothers: Psychological intergenerational dimensions of early motherhood," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 83(C), pages 294-301.
    17. Shpiegel, Svetlana & Fleming, Tammi & Mishraky, Lisa & VanWert, Sheila & Goetz, Blanca & Aparicio, Elizabeth M. & King, Bryn, 2021. "Factors associated with first and repeat births among females emancipating from foster care," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 125(C).
    18. Straatmann, Viviane S. & Jackisch, Josephine & Brännström, Lars & Almquist, Ylva B., 2021. "Intergenerational transmission of out-of-home care and the role of mental health problems: Findings from Stockholm birth cohort multigenerational study," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 284(C).
    19. Joseph M. Boden & Jackie Sanders & Robyn Munford & Linda Liebenberg, 2018. "The Same But Different? Applicability of a General Resilience Model to Understand a Population of Vulnerable Youth," Child Indicators Research, Springer;The International Society of Child Indicators (ISCI), vol. 11(1), pages 79-96, February.
    20. Borgen, Nicolai T. & Frønes, Ivar & Raaum, Oddbjørn, 2023. "Every tenth child: Heterogeneity in characteristics and life-course patterns among children in contact with child welfare services," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 155(C).

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:gam:jscscx:v:9:y:2020:i:12:p:236-:d:465391. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: MDPI Indexing Manager (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://www.mdpi.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.