Date of Conferral

8-28-2026

Date of Award

August 2026

Degree

Ph.D.

School

Social Work

Advisor

Tracey Phillips

Abstract

Low-income single mothers often manage financial, caregiving, emotional, and logistical demands with limited resources and rely on informal support networks that may be inconsistent. This problem matters to social workers, community-based practitioners, and researchers because a greater understanding can guide interventions that reduce isolation and role overload and improve resource access. The purpose of this generic qualitative study was to explore how low-income single mothers used trust, reciprocity, social norms, and collective support to maintain informal networks in the post-COVID era. Guided by Bourdieu’s social capital theory, the study included 10 English-speaking U.S. mothers with household incomes at or below 150% of the federal poverty guideline. Audio-recorded semistructured interviews were transcribed verbatim and analyzed using inductive thematic analysis. The five themes that emerged were role overload under constrained support; self-reliance as both a strength and limitation; informal networks as the primary source of limited support; inconsistent and gendered support gaps; and continued adjustment and collective support. Findings showed that informal networks remained essential but were often unreliable and insufficient to reduce caregiving and financial strain. Social workers and community-based practitioners can use family-centered, trauma-informed, and community-based approaches to strengthen support and healthy help-seeking. The implications for positive social change include the potential for these professionals to improve emotional well-being and access to reliable emotional, practical, and financial support for low-income single mothers and their networks.

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