Perspectives on good mothering from low-income mothers of color with maternal depression

Keefe, Robert H.; Brownstein-Evans, Carol; Rouland,

doi:10.1080/10911359.2017.1409150

Cited by 4 publications

(5 citation statements)

References 39 publications

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“…In this study, the mothers reported experiencing ongoing depression, which echoes our earlier research (Keefe, Brownstein-Evans, & Rouland Polmanteer, 2016c; Keefe et al, 2018) in which mothers reported that often needed services are not helpful or accessible. Some mothers reported they are limited by their jobs, available appointments times, and the logistics involved in accessing services (Keefe et al, 2016c).…”

Section: Implications For Practicesupporting

confidence: 83%

“…Polmanteer, Keefe, and Brownstein-Evans (2018) argue that Womanism helps explain PPD among new mothers of color. Although having children provides women an opportunity to take on greater life responsibilities and opportunities (Freeman, 2017), new mothers also must face various oppressive economic, political, and educational systems that hinder them in fulfilling their roles (Abdullah, 2012) and that perpetuate PPD (Keefe, Brownstein-Evans, & Rouland Polmanteer, 2018).…”

Section: Literature Reviewmentioning

confidence: 99%

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The Normative Nature of Depression Among Impoverished Mothers of Color: “. . .going around this big old circle . . . it always remain the same”

Keefe

Rouland

Lane

et al. 2019

Families in Society: The Journal of Contemporary Social Service

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Perinatal depression among impoverished mothers adds an enormous burden to their family responsibilities, which are often further stressed by living in high-crime communities. Thirty impoverished mothers of color living with depression were interviewed about the difficulties they face raising their children. Qualitative interviews about living with depression revealed four themes: recognizing their own depression, feeling isolated, experiencing violence, and living with depression. This article examines how neighborhood and relationship violence, intermittently involved fathers, and isolation contribute to the mothers’ depression. Social workers working with depressed, low-income mothers of color can benefit from understanding the mothers’ lived experience and the barriers the mothers face while trying to achieve well-being for themselves and their children. This study fits within the “Close the Health Gap” area of the Grand Challenges for Social Work.

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Section: Implications For Practicesupporting

confidence: 83%

Section: Literature Reviewmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Normative Nature of Depression Among Impoverished Mothers of Color: “. . .going around this big old circle . . . it always remain the same”

Keefe

Rouland

Lane

et al. 2019

Families in Society: The Journal of Contemporary Social Service

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…This finding is reinforced by Maxwell et al's (2018) meta-analysis, which indicated that low-income mothers do their best to cope with the pressures of mothering despite often feeling isolated and alone. Keefe et al (2018aKeefe et al ( , 2018b concluded that lowincome mothers of color strive to be excellent mothers while only rarely giving themselves credit for handling the ongoing difficulties of living in poverty. When working with mothers of color, the strengths and resiliency of these individuals should be acknowledged and celebrated.…”

Section: Discussion and Implications For Practicementioning

confidence: 99%

“…To help fill this gap in the literature, the authors interviewed 30 lowincome new mothers of color living with PPD who receive services at an inner-city federally qualified health center (FQHC). Some of the issues we identified in previous analyses generated questions that led to this particular analysis (Keefe et al, 2016b(Keefe et al, , 2018a(Keefe et al, , 2018b(Keefe et al, , 2019. Specifically, this analysis examined the question: How do mothers cope with the daily stressors of caring for their children and themselves while living in impoverished, under-served, and often violent neighborhoods?…”

Section: Gap In the Literaturementioning

confidence: 99%

"I Gotta Carry The Burden By Myself"

Keefe

Rouland

Lane

et al. 2021

ASW

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Despite prevalence estimates indicating that upwards to 38% of new mothers of color will experience perinatal depression, little research has been published that investigates how they cope with the stressors in their daily lives. This article presents the findings of semi-structured in-depth interviews with 30 low-income new mothers of color about parenting their children despite the burden of ongoing depression. Narrative analyses revealed three themes: feeling alone, isolated, and overwhelmed; feeling misunderstood, betrayed, and judged by others; and having to carry their burden alone. Despite having depression, the mothers spoke of ways they were able to persevere even with the enormous burden of raising their children while living in high-crime, low-income neighborhoods. Recommendations include the need for social workers to recognize low-income mothers’ inner strengths; recognize why mothers may not trust professionals to be of help; and take the time to build strong therapeutic relationships with mothers who perceive their families, friends, partners, and often social service professionals as being of little help.

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“…In addition to being the recipients of violence and being accused of being perpetrators, poor women of color are most likely to be under pressure to fulfill a “good mother” mandate that is nearly impossible to achieve (Paxson 2004; Rubin 2018; Keefe, Brownstein‐Evans, and Rouland Polmanteer 2018). Keefe and colleagues (2018, 223) note that “Black and Latina women are frequently only recognized as good mothers when demonstrating extraordinary strength, while the inadequacy of resources challenging their mothering efforts is ignored.” Some elements of this dynamic extend to low‐income white women as well.…”

Section: ***mentioning

confidence: 99%

Blenders, Hammers, and Knives: Postpartum Intrusive Thoughts and Unthinkable Motherhood

Mason

2022

Anthropology and Humanism

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Intrusive thoughts" are common symptoms of perinatal mood and anxiety disorders such as postpartum obsessive-compulsive disorder. These thoughts can include horrific flashes of violence involving one's baby and frequently lead to shame and fear on the mother's part, but rarely result in real-world violence. Clinicians tend to downplay the importance of these images' content and calm women by reminding them that they will not act on their impulses. This article leans into the dark nature of intrusive thoughts. I intersperse theoretical and ethnographic reflections with vivid fragments of narratives about intrusive thoughts collected from several years of ethnographic research conducted with postpartum women in the United States. I explore the fear, rage, and repulsion that characterize the thoughts themselves and the racism, classism, and sexism involved in clinical, institutional, and interpersonal responses to them. I suggest that dwelling on the "unthinkable" images contained within intrusive thoughts may be important for understanding and accepting the realities of mother love. [intrusive thoughts, motherhood, postpartum, obsessive-compulsive disorder, mother love] The BlenderA woman enters the kitchen warily, a three-week-old bundle in her arms. The bundle is asleep, but the woman knows that might not last. She creeps over the threshold, the linoleum cold under her bare feet. She will be fast. The cup of water is right there. She will just creep in and grab it before anything can happen. But there are so many weapons here. The blender-the baby would fit in. Just squish him in, push down the head, and he'd be just the right size. Press on and … NO. Grab the water. The water is next to the sink, which is next to the knives. His neck is so thin, so delicate, the knife would go right through his skin, like slicing a nectarine-NO. She grabs the water, dashes out, tripping and stubbing her toe. She cries out. The baby stirs but does not wake. "Did you hear what I told you?" she is telling me. She would reach through the phone if she could, shake me, to make me understand. "I said I thought about putting my baby in the blender."

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Perspectives on good mothering from low-income mothers of color with maternal depression

Cited by 4 publications

References 39 publications

The Normative Nature of Depression Among Impoverished Mothers of Color: “. . .going around this big old circle . . . it always remain the same”

The Normative Nature of Depression Among Impoverished Mothers of Color: “. . .going around this big old circle . . . it always remain the same”

"I Gotta Carry The Burden By Myself"

Blenders, Hammers, and Knives: Postpartum Intrusive Thoughts and Unthinkable Motherhood

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