Maternal Perspectives on Parenting Adolescents: Insights from Kerala – India

Abstract

This study explores various perspectives and challenges faced by mothers while parenting adolescents in Kerala, India. Parenting in the context of raising adolescents presents a myriad of challenges for mothers, shaping their unique experiences in the family dynamics. Using thematic analysis, the study focuses on 10 mothers, exploring their lived experiences through in-depth interviews. The participants consist of mothers with lower levels of education, engaged mostly in low-level occupations or unemployed in families with two to six children. The study reveals that mothers face diverse challenges in parenting and need to be conscious of their role as psychologically demanding. These challenges encompass family dynamics, intrapersonal struggles and socio-economic factors. The study also reveals positive emotions experienced by the mothers. The implications of this study are that mothers’ parenting skills can be modified to improve the quality of care they provide, and the effects of parent-child relationships. The paper concludes that addressing these challenges can lead to smoother mother-adolescent relationships and better outcomes for the whole family.