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ABSTRACT
Becoming a mother is a major life experience eliciting a range of physical, psychological, and social changes, resulting in high levels of stress and an increased need for support. Research suggests that mothers’ participation in a community playgroup can facilitate social support, increase parenting confidence, and effectively reduce maternal stress. However, there is currently insufficient research on community playgroups in Australia, particularly in relation to why some mothers reject playgroup. Semi-structured in-depth interviews were conducted with 10 mothers residing in Perth, Western Australia. Using an interpretative phenomenological approach, four main themes were identified: the presence of support; perception of playgroup; identity as a mother; and other sources of information. Understanding the reasons why mothers reject playgroup, and how they experience parenting and social support outside a playgroup setting, provides a vital perspective on the ways in which service providers can improve parent engagement in the program. Further research is required to assess gaps in parental education and awareness of playgroup to improve service delivery.
做母亲是一个重要的人生经历，会带来一系列生理、心理及社会的变化，会造成很大的压力，需要更多的支持。研究发现，母亲参与社区游戏群的活动有利于得到社会支持，提高抚育上的信心，有效减少做母亲的压力。不过关于澳大利亚母亲参加社区游戏群活动，尤其是关于一些母亲何以拒绝参加此类活动，以往的研究并不充分。本文对居住在西澳大利亚佩尔斯的十位母亲做了半固定深度访谈，采用了阐释现象学研究方法，确定了四个主题，包括社会支持、对游戏群的感受、母亲的身份、其他信息来源。了解母亲们拒绝游戏机群的原因以及她们在游戏群环境之外的养育经历及社会支持，为服务人员如何改进家长参与提供了重要的视角。将来尚需研究母亲们在养育教育以及对游戏群的了解方面存在的空白，以期改进服务的发放。