Graduation Year

2019

Document Type

Campus Only Senior Thesis

Degree Name

Bachelor of Arts

Department

Psychology

Reader 1

Jennifer Groscup

Reader 2

Sheila Walker

Terms of Use & License Information

Terms of Use for work posted in Scholarship@Claremont.

Rights Information

© 2018 Lauren C Shoemaker

Abstract

Building on research about low-income mothers’ perceptions of social support and well-being levels, this research will vary the types of support mothers receive to determine the most effective way to increase mothers’ well-being. The proposed study will be a quasi-experimental, longitudinal study that focuses on maternity groups as a space that provides mothers with essential parenting information in addition to emotional support. Mothers will be randomly assigned to either a control condition with daily access to free parenting supplies or a treatment condition where they will have access to the parenting supplies and be invited to join a maternity group. The participants will complete a pre-test survey and then an identical post-test survey six months later. The surveys will assess their perceived levels of social support and well-being. It is expected that mothers in the treatment condition will report higher levels of perceived social support and well-being as a result of attending the weekly maternity group. The results will stress the importance of developing policies that amend the absence of accessible support programs for low-income mothers. These programs should be dedicated to providing free supplies for mothers while helping them establish supportive social networks that increase psychological well-being.

Download

This thesis is restricted to the Claremont Colleges current faculty, students, and staff.

Share

COinS