Date of Conferral
2022
Degree
Doctor of Social Work (DSW)
School
Social Work
Advisor
Carlton Huff
Abstract
Social workers may serve marginalized groups of people such as single parents who may face challenges and barriers to raising a healthy family. African American mothers are more likely to have adverse experiences with parenting without a partner or additional supportive primary caregiver than women in other racial groups. The purpose of this qualitative phenomenological study was to explore the mental health challenges that impact African American women who are single parents. Social cognitive theory provided the theoretical framework for the study. Data were collected from individual interviews with ten parents from daycare centers in the metropolitan Atlanta area that service preschool and prekindergarten-age children. Findings from coding and thematic analysis indicated that the level of engagement from family, peers, and the community influences the parenting process for single African American mothers. The participants felt a stigma attached to being women of color needing assistance with parenting. In turn, this caused a delay in seeking professional help to assist with the mental health challenges experienced by parenting independently. However, positive self-awareness and self-actualization among this population led to the practice of resiliency. This study may contribute to positive social change by enabling social workers to develop and facilitate supportive social programs that address the mental health needs of African American women who identify as single parents residing in the Atlanta metro area.
Recommended Citation
Douglas, Tyneisha, "Social Support Needs of African American Single Parent Women Residing in Atlanta" (2022). Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies. 12330.
https://scholarworks.waldenu.edu/dissertations/12330
