How Mothers of Adults With Profound Intellectual Disabilities Experience Their Everyday Life? A Qualitative Retrospective Study From Poland

Introduction Little is known about the experiences of mothers who care for adult children with profound intellectual disabilities (ID). The aim of this study was to explore these experiences from their perspective. Parenting adult children with profound ID presents a type of maternal experience that differs from that commonly experienced by other mothers. Methods Researchers conducted narrative interviews with 34 Polish mothers with adult children with profound ID. A narrative interview was used, a process that resembles an in-depth, free-flow conversation. Through follow-up questions, researchers encouraged the interviewees to share stories of their personal experiences of motherhood. The information was shared during the participant interviews using analytical methods, based on theoretical and methodological concepts developed within the biographical sociology framework outlined by Fritz Schutze. The respondents were asked to share their thoughts about their experiences as mothers from past, present, and future perspectives. Implications Gaining a better understanding of and uncovering details about the motherhood experiences of women with adult children with profound disabilities are important so as to better understand ways to better support mothers in such situations. It is especially important to know about the ways in which these women perceive their experiences and to understand the social context that impacts their experiences and perceptions.