Date of Conferral

2023

Degree

Ph.D.

School

Psychology

Advisor

Gary Burkholder

Abstract

Transitional factors that help mothers to acquire higher education, community resources, and stable employment and the family dynamics that impact their success are often shadowed by domestic violence, chronic poverty, substance use, mental health, and public assistance. There are 12 million single-parent households in the United States, of which 80% represent single mothers as primary caregivers to children; the majority of which are living below the poverty level. Few extant studies have employed a strengths-based approach to investigate how single mothers rise out of poverty. The purpose of this qualitative phenomenological study was to gain an understanding of the lived experiences of seven women who had children under the age of 18 years old while living at home at the time they transitioned out of poverty and the resources that increased their mobility and helped them break the cycle of generational poverty. Bronfenbrenner’s ecological theory served as the theoretical framework. Results indicated four themes: (a) pervasiveness and culture of poverty, (b) universality of education as the most crucial step to transitioning from poverty, (c) financial and social support were vital to assisting with the transition from poverty, and (d) the importance of resiliency and coping strategies for transitioning from poverty. Implications for positive social change include helping single mothers understand how others like themselves have navigated the challenges and successfully transitioned from chronic poverty. Policymakers can use the results of this study to aid in advocating for increasing the financial and socioeconomic wealth of single mothers as well as supplying them with mentorship and literacy programs.

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