Child‐rearing experiences and home environment concerns among Southeast Asian immigrant mothers in transnational marriage families in Taiwan

• Published in: Journal of advanced nursing 2020-02, Vol.76 (2), p.632-641
• Main Authors: Liang, Hwey‐Fang, Wu, Kuang‐Ming, Wang, Ying‐Hsiang, Chen, Yong‐Chuan
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Brides; Children; Children & youth; child‐rearing; Culture; Discovery; Families & family life; family nursing; Health care; Home environment; Husbands; immigrant mothers; Immigrants; Intuition; Marriage; Mothers; Noncitizens; Nurses; Nursing; Pediatrics; Policy making; Subjective experiences; Suffering; transnational marriage families; Transnationalism
• ISSN: 0309-2402; 1365-2648
• DOI: 10.1111/jan.14259

Aims To explore the child‐rearing experiences of immigrant mothers and their concerns about children's home environments in the contexts of transnational marriage families and non‐native culture. Background Immigrant mothers are often disadvantaged by a relative lack of information on and access to children's healthcare, but little research exists on the experiences of mothers in transnational marriage families as they attempt to provide a secure home environment while navigate an unfamiliar culture. Design A descriptive phenomenological research design based on intuition was employed to explore immigrant mothers’ unique lived reality through their subjective experiences and perceptions. Methods Semi‐structured interviews with 15 immigrant mothers from 15 transnational marriage families were conducted between May 2016–February 2017. Narratives were analyzed using the descriptive phenomenological method because it permits systematic discovery of the lived experiences from the perspective of the study's participants. Results Three major themes were identified: (a) striving to maintain a secure home for children; (b) suffering and struggling with difficulties; and (c) trying to overcome difficulties and build an adequate family environment. The essential, prevailing concept of immigrant mothers’ experience in child‐rearing was identified as ‘Where my child is, is home.’ Conclusion Immigrant mothers bond emotionally and physically to their new land via their children. Their child‐raising experiences are interwoven with their roles in their new familial and cultural homes. Impact Immigrant brides often become mothers soon after marrying to continue their husbands’ family line. Understanding their unique child‐rearing experiences and challenges in providing a secure home in a non‐native culture will help nurses provide effective care. Study results will benefit paediatric/family nurses in any setting where care for transnational marriage families is provided, those families themselves, public policymakers and future researchers. 目的 探讨在跨国婚姻家庭和非本土文化背景下,移民母亲的育儿经验及其对儿童家庭环境的关注。 背景 移民母亲往往由于相对缺乏有关儿童医疗保健的信息和获取途径而处于不利地位,但关于跨国婚姻家庭中的母亲经历的研究很少,因为她们试图在陌生的文化中提供一个安全的家庭环境。 设计 采用基于直觉的描述性现象学研究设计,透过移民母亲的主观经验与看法,探讨其独特的生活实相。 方法 2016年5月至2017年2月,对来自15个跨国婚姻家庭的15名移民母亲进行半结构式访谈。叙述使用描述现象学方法进行分析,因为它允许从研究参与者的角度系统地发现生活经验。 结果 确定了三大主题:(a)努力为儿童维持一个安全的家;(b)在困难中受苦挣扎;和(c)努力克服困难,建立一个适当的家庭环境。移民母亲育儿经验的基本的、流行的概念被确定为“我的孩子在哪里,哪里就是家”。 结论 移民母亲通过她们的孩子在情感和身体上与新国家联系在一起。她们的育儿经历与她们在新的家庭和文化家园中的角色交织在一起。 影响 移民新娘往往