African mothers experiences of the "New Beginnings" mother-infant group psychotherapy programme : reflecting on mothering while living in a shelter.
Year: 2013
Type: dissertation
Abstract: Infant mental health in South Africa has been receiving more attention in recent \nyears. Mothers appear to be the main caregivers of infants but they face many \npsychosocial, economic and cultural challenges. There exists very little evidence \nsuggesting that mothers living in shelters or institutions have access to the \nnecessary support and education to help them to understand their circumstances \nand how this may impact on the attachment with their infant. The New Beginnings \nProgramme, as an early intervention model, is aimed at improving attachment \nbetween mother and infant so as to reduce the potential risk of mental health \nproblems later in life for the infants, the mothers and future generations. This \nevidence based intervention focuses on the mother and her capacity for \nmentalisation, which refers to the mother’s capacity to hold her infant in mind and \nrecognise and respond to the inner states of the infant. The pilot study of the New \nBeginnings Programme within a South African context took place in two shelters in \nthe Greater Johannesburg area. This particular study formed part of this bigger \nresearch effort. The aim of this study was to explore the experiences of the mothers \nwho attended the New Beginnings programme. A secondary aim was to explore \nthese mothers’ experiences of the programme within the context of living in a shelter. \nThe adaptation of this programme to a South African context could contribute \nsignificantly to bridging the gap in mother-infant attachment which could influence \nthe future mental health of the infant and their ability to foster ongoing healthy \nattachments later in life. This qualitative study used semi-structured interviews and a \nnarrative analysis from the theoretical perspective of psychoanalytic attachment \ntheory. Thirteen mothers from two shelters participated in this research study.
Author: Hasmita Hardudh-Dass
Language: English
Subfield: Clinical Psychology
Field: Psychology
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W2261491133