The perspective of mothers of their relationship with their children in the context of domestic violence while residing in a shelter

Abstract

Intimate partner violence affects not only the health of the mother and children but also the dynamics of the mother-child relationship. The purpose of this study is to explore the mothers’ perspective of their relationship with their children in the context of domestic violence and their experience within the shelter. A qualitative approach guided this study. In-depth semi structured interviews were conducted with five mothers who currently reside or have resided in a shelter. Reflexive thematic analysis was used to analyse the data gathered from the interviews. Seven master themes emerged from the interviews. The mothers’ experiences were described in the context of the domestic violence that they went through, including their current physical and mental health challenges. They described that they have a good relationship with their children and good communication, but this was challenging when the father undermined the relationship. They were aware of how their children was impacted by the domestic violence. Some were unsure of whether to talk about the violence with their children. The concept of ‘good mothering’ was another important theme. Furthermore, the provision of support by shelter staff was another prominent theme amongst all participants. This support varied from being provided with material things to access to resources like psychological therapy.