Mothering children with visual impairment in Ghana : an exploration of expectations and challenges

Cynthia Abekah Okwan, Maxwell Peprah Opoku, William Nketsia, Wisdom Kwadwo Mprah

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

2 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

Objectives: The quality of parenting arguably determines the quality of life that a child will live in the future. Although both mothers and fathers are expected to contribute toward raising their children, in the cultural context of sub-Saharan Africa, mothers automatically become the primary caregivers and managers of domestic affairs. In the event that there are children with disabilities in a family, the mother is expected to be the carer. While having a child with a disability places an additional burden on mothers due to the child’s unique characteristics, there is only a small body of literature on mothering children with visual impairments (VI) in the African context. In a cultural environment such as that of Ghana, it is important to understand mothering experiences. 

Methods: Twenty mothers of children with VI who were at least 18 years old took part in this qualitative descriptive study. A semi-structured interview guide was developed and used to collect the data, which were then subjected to thematic analysis. 

Results: Three themes were identified: opportunities for development, support services, and challenges faced by mothers. While the sample of mothers demonstrated high expectations, resilience, and a commitment toward raising their children, support services were unavailable to them.

Conclusions: While shouldering all the caregiving responsibilities, the participants remained resilient, did not appear to be stressed, and were committed to raising their children with VI.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)299-310
Number of pages12
JournalAdvances in Neurodevelopmental Disorders
Volume8
Issue number2
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - Jun 2024

Bibliographical note

Publisher Copyright:
© The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2023.

Notes

WIP in RD

Keywords

  • Attitude
  • Children with visual impairment
  • Culture
  • Ghana
  • Mothers

Fingerprint

Dive into the research topics of 'Mothering children with visual impairment in Ghana : an exploration of expectations and challenges'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

Cite this