TY  - JOUR
PY  - 2019//
TI  - 'Lonely within the mother': an exploratory study of first-time mothers' experiences of loneliness
JO  - Journal of health psychology
A1  - Lee, Katharine
A1  - Vasileiou, Konstantina
A1  - Barnett, Julie
SP  - 1334
EP  - 1344
VL  - 24
IS  - 10
N2  - Loneliness is associated with life transitions such as new motherhood, yet there are few studies investigating the issue in this population. Using data from semi-structured interviews and an interpretative phenomenological analysis, this exploratory study sought to understand seven new mothers' experiences of loneliness. Experiences were organised around three themes, reflecting loneliness arising from making unfavourable self-comparisons with perceived mothering 'norms', from reduced social contact and relationships lacking in empathy. Accounts were homogeneous and point to potential solutions to ameliorate loneliness in new mothers; encouraging empathy in new mothers' partners and countering prevalent unrealistic representations of motherhood with more pragmatic accounts.<p />  <p>Language: en</p>
LA  - en
SN  - 1359-1053
UR  - http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/1359105317723451
ID  - ref1
ER  -