Mothering at All Costs: A Process Model of Parenting Challenges and Adaptations Among Syrian and Iraqi Refugee Women

The resettlement period is fraught with financial, cultural, emotional, and psychosocial difficulties for refugee families. Women, as mothers, often play a significant role in buffering adversity and sustaining the family system during this tumultuous time. Yet, there is limited research focused on understanding their lived experiences of parenting. In the current study, an interpretive analytical process drawing from grounded theory methods was utilized to identify and examine factors and processes shaping the parenting experiences of Syrian (n = 17) and Iraqi (n = 12) women resettled in Chicago, IL, United States. A process model of Mothering at all Costs emerged, delineated by (a) confronting challenges faced by children, (b) mothering to protect, (c) accumulating maternal burden and exhaustion, and (d) reaffirming maternal roles and identities. This process model highlights women's efforts to adapt to new parenting demands in resettlement and the variable impacts that these adaptations have on maternal wellbeing. The findings highlight opportunities for family support practitioners to intervene to promote maternal adjustment during resettlement through an emphasis on building emotional regulation skills, navigating new roles, supporting co-parenting, and promoting shared household responsibilities during resettlement.