Weaving dreamcatchers: mothering among American Indian women who were teen mothers

Abstract

Aims The aim of this study was to explore the mothering experience and practice among reservation based adult American Indian women who had been adolescent mothers. Background Adolescent American Indian women are at an elevated risk for teen pregnancy and poor maternal/child outcomes. Identifying mothering practices among this population may help guide intervention development that will improve health outcomes. Design A collaborative orientation to community based participatory research approach. Methods Employing interpretive phenomenology, 30 adult American Indian women who resided on a Northwestern reservation were recruited. In-depth, face-to-face and telephone interviews were conducted between 2007 and 2008. Findings Women shared their mothering experience and practice which encompassed a lifespan perspective grounded in their American Indian cultural tradition. Four themes were identified: mother hen, interrupted mothering and second chances, breaking cycles and mothering a community. Mothering originated in childhood, extended across their lifespan and moved beyond mothering their biological offspring. Conclusion These findings challenge the Western construct of mothering and charge nurses to seek culturally sensitive interventions that reinforce positive mothering practices and identify when additional mothering support is needed across a woman’s lifespan.

Diné (Navajo) female perspectives on mother–daughter communication and cultural assets around the transition to womanhood: a cross-sectional survey

“…Analysis of both single and multiple responses to this question revealed that women admired their mothers the most but also looked up to their grandmothers, aunts, fathers, and older sisters. These findings reinforce a fundamentally Indigenous belief that childrearing is not restricted to the parents but, rather, is a role undertaken by the entire extended family [ 52 ]. Thus, these results support the recommendation that mother-daughter interventions also include extended family members who play a supportive role.…”

“…External validity is also limited due to the population-specific survey and the heterogeneity of AI tribes. With over 550 federally recognized tribes in the U.S., generalization of review findings to all AI tribes is not possible [ 52 ]. Findings are limited to the Diné and, potentially, other regional and/or matrilineal tribes.…”

“She’s the Center of My Life, the One That Keeps My Heart Open”: Roles and Expectations of Native American Women

“…Women demonstrated a desire to control their own bodies and maintain their own identities, especially when unexpected pregnancies disrupted their educational or career pursuits. Congruent with research done on teen pregnancies in NA tribes, whether children were planned or not, women's care for them shows that their children were wanted, claiming their power as mothers to keep their children in the face of historical and ongoing threats by authorities to determine their children's fate (Dalla & Gamble, 2001;Palacios et al, 2014). As Hill-Collins (1997) notes, "In such a situation, simply keeping and rearing one's children becomes empowerment" (p. 379).…”

“…including depression, mental distress, and cardiovascular health problems (Ciciolla & Luthar, 2019;Henderson et al, 2016;Manuel et al, 2012). However, relatively little research has explored the impact of these stressors for NA women (McKinley et al, 2019;Dalla & Gamble, 2001;Gurr, 2014;Palacios et al, 2014;Theobald, 2019) who are at much higher risk of postpartum depression (Baker et al, 2005), maternal morbidity and mortality (Gurr, 2014;Theobald, 2019), and death by suicide (Curtin & Hedegaard, 2019). These health implications underscore the importance of examining the responsibilities and expectations for contemporary NA mothers to inform social work practice with NA communities.…”

Storytelling

“…All interviews were digitally recorded and later transcribed verbatim. Analysis comprised the triadic process (paradigm case, thematic analysis, and exemplars) described by Benner (1994) to obtain major themes that are presented in depth elsewhere (Palacios, Chesla, Kennedy, & Strickland, 2012; Palacios & Kennedy, 2010; Palacios, Strickland, Chesla, Kennedy, & Portillo, 2013).…”