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Please use this identifier to cite or link to this item: http://hdl.handle.net/10791/8

Title: And then there were none: the lived experience of recovering mothers who lose custody of their children
Authors: Janzen, Katherine Joyce
Supervisor(s): Melrose, Sherri (Centre for Nursing & Health Studies, Faculty of Health Disciplines, Athabasca University)
Examining Committee: Moore, Sharon (Centre for Nursing & Health Studies, Faculty of Health Disciplines, Athabasca University)
Getzlaf, Beverley (Centre for Nursing & Health Studies, Faculty of Health Disciplines, Athabasca University)
Perry, Beth (Centre for Nursing & Health Studies, Faculty of Health Disciplines, Athabasca University)
Robinson, Renee (Brandon University)
Degree: Master of Nursing (MN)
Department: Faculty of Health Disciplines
Keywords: Addictions
Women
Crack Cocaine
Custody Loss
Substance Abuse
Child Welfare
Issue Date: 30-Mar-2011
Abstract: There is little known about mothers who are recovering from addictions who lose custody of their children. This hermeneutic thesis, using Canadian phenomenologist Max van Manen’s method and a combination of both scholarly elements and rich storytelling, explores the lived experience of four women recovering from addictions who have lost custody of their children. Using a dual approach of manual and computer-assisted coding, three themes (each with three sub-themes) emerged from semi-structured interviews. The first theme, betrayal, examines three sources of betrayal for the women. The second theme, soul-ache, describes the spaces that a mother finds herself in upon losing custody of her children. The third and final theme, reclamation, follows the mothers as they learn to live again. The findings of this thesis, situated within disciplinary knowledge, extend current knowledge regarding these mothers. The implications arising from this thesis are discussed and recommendations for future research are provided.
Graduation Date: Mar-2011
URI: http://hdl.handle.net/10791/8
Appears in Collections:Theses & Dissertations

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