Migrant mothers and the role of social support when child rearing

Abstract

To raise children in a new country without the support of family and community may prove problematic for some women. This study explored the possible impact of a lack supportive social network on mothering. A cross sectional design using both quantitative (questionnaire) and qualitative approaches (interview) was used to investigate the child rearing experience of migrant women from the United Kingdom (UK) (N = 154) currently living in Western Australia (WA); 40 women were selected for interview. Bowlby's (1969) mother-infant attachment theory provides the theoretical framework to investigate the perceived loss of attachment to the homeland, attachment figure, country, culture and family. The results indicated that migrant women with children missed the close support of family networks; and indicate that all migrant mothers, regardless of origin, require a social support network to survive.