Strengthening female-headed households: exploring the challenges and strengths of mothers with substance-problems living in a high-risk community

Abstract

When mothers are dealing with substance-problems, there are serious health, emotional, social and economic issues and these problems impact the entire household. This study was conducted within the positive psychology approach to uncover the strengths and challenges of female-headed households (FHHs) living in a South African high-risk community. In this qualitative research, the researcher used purposive sampling and 24 mothers meeting the inclusion criteria participated. Data were collected via unstructured interviews (phenomenological research design) and the World Café method (qualitative descriptive design). Descriptive-interpretive analysis of data collected via unstructured interviews and thematic data analysis for data collected via the World Café method was used. Findings revealed the spill-over effect of mothers’ past successions of difficulties upon their families’ present structure and functioning. While the vulnerabilities of female-headed households cannot be denied, it seems that motherhood and the desire toward effective mothering offer a key toward the strengthening of these households