Parenting perceptions of low-income mothers.
OBJECTIVE
The purpose of this descriptive qualitative study was to gain understanding of perceptions of low-income pregnant women and mothers about parenting.


METHODS
Participants were 65 low-income, primarily African American, women in their 20s and 30s who were recruited from a faith-based social service center in Memphis, Tennessee. Interviews were conducted by nursing, social work, and psychology students. The existential phenomenological method was used to analyze verbatim responses of participants to vignettes depicting parenting behaviors of hypothetical mothers.


RESULTS
Five global themes were identified: (a) Focus on baby's development: "Because I'm the Mother, I'm the First Teacher"; (b) Focus on baby's safety/security: "The Baby Could Be Hurt"; (c) Focus on conveying love: "She Just Wants the Baby to Feel Her Love"; (d) Focus on learning the rules of good childcare: "It's Important to Know the Do's and Don'ts"; and (e) Focus on doing it differently (better) than parents did: "When You Know Better, You Do Better."


CONCLUSIONS
Findings suggest that these mothers care deeply about providing a better life for their children than the life they have had. They desire to learn about being the best parents they can be. As nurses, we can help to provide educational opportunities for mothers through a variety of evidence-based interventions delivered across the childbearing years.
Jenny Webb is a PhD Student, University of Tennessee at Knoxville, Knoxville, TN, and an Instructor of Nursing, Bethel University, McKenzie, TN. She can be reached via e-mail at jstout4@vols.utk.edu and jstout4@utk.edu Melanie Hall Morris is a PhD Student, University of Tennessee at Knoxville, Knoxville, TN, an Instructor of Nursing, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN. Sandra P. Thomas is a Professor, University of Tennessee at Knoxville, Knoxville, TN. Terri Combs-Orme is The Urban Child Institute Endowed Professor, University of Tennessee at Knoxville, Knoxville, TN.
Jenny
J
Webb
Melanie Hall
MH
Morris
Sandra P
SP
Thomas
Terri
T
Combs-Orme
D001741:Black or African American / Q000523:psychology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D009035:Mothers / Q000523:psychology*; D016487:Parenting / Q000523:psychology*; D010465:Perception; D011203:Poverty / Q000523:psychology*; D011247:Pregnancy; D036301:Qualitative Research; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D013714:Tennessee / Q000208:ethnology