1. Objectifs

Intentions :
«In this paper, we analyzed narratives of motherhood gathered from women between 29 and 33 years old who, in adolescence, were placed into residential care due to serious problem behaviors. We focused on the possible effect of motherhood and on how these women felt they were faring as mothers.» (p. 81)

2. Méthode

Échantillon/Matériau :
«Qualitative data on the lives of participants were gathered as an extension of a four‐wave longitudinal study on the social and personal adjustment of French‐Canadian adolescents who were placed in residential care (see Lanctôt, 2005). The longitudinal study, covering the period from adolescence to adulthood, was originally conducted with a quantitative design among 150 adolescent girls. All participants were placed in residential youth centers in the region of Montreal, Canada, in 1992–1993. [Of this sample,] 13 [women] reported giving birth to at least one child in the last 15 years. These 13 women constitute our final sample […].» (p. 81-82)

Instruments :
Guide d’entretien semi-directif

Type de traitement des données :
Analyse de contenu

3. Résumé

«The original contribution of our study was its focus on mothers who were turning 30 years old, so they were not in that period of generalized instability that usually characterizes the transition from care and into adulthood. […] Our analysis suggests that the vulnerabilities of mothers with a history of placement in residential care can persist long after the dual transition of aging out of care and becoming an adult. Even if the official motive of their placements was serious problem behaviors, most participants referred to experiences of child neglect and abuse or to intimate partner violence in their adult years. […] Based on our observations, the women we interviewed were inhabited by two highly related concerns. The first was the possibility of “creating monsters” out of their children, whether by transmitting them “deficiencies” and “weaknesses” or physically endangering them. The second was to see their children “stolen” away by child protective services. As a result, our interviewees set themselves standards of good mothering that resulted in a general belief that limitation of their personal freedom is the only way to “break the cycle”. […] We can also suggest with some degree of certainty that our participants felt they were the object of a heightened social surveillance and that it could explain why they imposed themselves to such restrictive standards of parenting.» (p. 84-85)