Degree

BS (Social Sciences & Liberal Arts)

Faculty / School

School of Economics and Social Sciences (SESS)

Department

Department of Social Sciences & Liberal Arts

Date of Award

Spring 2024

Date of Submission

2024-09-12

Advisor

Dr. Ayesha Zia, Assistant Professor, Department of Social Sciences

Committee

Soha Macktoom,Lecturer, School of Economics and Social Sciences (SESS) and Associate Director, Karachi Urban Lab (KUL)

Project Type

SSLA Culminating Experience

Access Type

Restricted Access

Keywords

First-Time Mothers, Postpartum Challenges, Social Support, Emotional Well-Being, Support From In-Laws

Abstract

This qualitative research investigated the physical, social, and emotional challenges faced by first-time mothers during the postpartum period and how social support helped them cope with these challenges. This research aims to explore the physical, emotional, and social challenges faced by first-time mothers during the postpartum period and examine the role of social support in helping them cope with these challenges. The key research question that this study aims to investigate is: Does social support help first-time mothers cope with postpartum challenges? The sample consisted of four married women aged between 20 and 30 years, recruited via WhatsApp through family contacts. Semi-structured, in-depth interviews were employed to gather data about the lived experiences of these new mothers during the postpartum period and to understand their perspectives on the importance of social support during this new phase of their lives. Interpretative phenomenology was used as the primary research methodology, with thematic analysis and inductive coding (performed manually) employed to analyze and present the collected data comprehensively. The data were represented in tabular coding. In the first table, three main themes were identified: physical, social, and emotional challenges. Several sub-themes were also identified under these three major themes and were supported by evidence analyzed from the data. In the second table, four themes were identified regarding the importance of social support. The study also suggested implications and directions for future research.

Pages

7, 96

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