Experiences of motherhood when suffering from mental illness: a hermeneutic study

Abstract

Being a mother is inseparable from women's existential life. Mothers with mental illness struggle with conflicting and distressing feelings related to motherhood. They seldom obtain the necessary support to increase their control over the determinants of their role as a mother, thus their opportunity of improving their own and their children's mental health is weakened. The aim of this study was to explore the experiences of being a mother with mental illness. The research question was: How can mothers' experiences of motherhood when suffering from mental illness be understood? The understanding emerged through a hermeneutical interpretation of the empirical material on four different levels of abstraction. The inductive-deductive approach, inspired by the philosophy of Gadamer, was used. The mothers' experiences were understood in their way of struggling to become good enough mothers, managing to become the mother they longed to be, being present in the caring relationship with their child, as well as being recognized as a mother and living openly and honestly in relationships with others. Addressing the existential needs of motherhood is important for their improvement and recovery, as well as for promoting their children's mental health and well-being.