The presence of posttraumatic growth (PTG) in mothers whose children are born unexpectedly with Down syndrome

ABSTRACT

Background Mothering children born unexpectedly with developmental disability has historically been shown to have a profound negative impact on maternal functioning. However, this study, which was designed to capture the lived experience of mothers whose children were diagnosed postnatally with Down syndrome, demonstrated the universal presence of factors of posttraumatic growth for all participants.

Method Mothers participated in 1 in-depth semistructured interview (N = 18). Feminist theory and thematic narrative analysis framed the data analysis.

Results Participants in this study universally reported 3 positive outcomes: development of formal/informal advocacy roles, improved mothering skills, and positive personal growth demonstrating the presence of all 5 domains of Calhoun and Tedeschi’s posttraumatic growth model.

Conclusions This study highlights the potential for positive personal maternal growth for mothers unexpectedly raising children with Down syndrome, which can lead to individual personal and spiritual development, which in turn can have a powerful positive impact on the community as a whole.

KEYWORDS:

• posttraumatic growth
• Down syndrome
• mothering
• thematic narrative analysis
• qualitative

Acknowledgements

This study was completed in partial fulfilment of a Doctor of Philosophy degree at Adelphi University’s School of Social Work. The author gratefully acknowledges the participants in this study for sharing their time and their experiences.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author.

Additional information

Funding

No funding was received for the completion of this project.