This thesis explores the stories of mothers subject to child removal by the state, contributing to narratives about mother’s mental distress and power. Twelve mothers took part in two narrative interviews guided by the Power Threat Meaning Framework. Power Stories were developed to allow mothers to define and locate their own understandings about how power operates. I employed the Listening Guide narrative method of analysis across all transcripts, followed by a method based on Arthur Frank’s Letting Stories Breathe in which each mother’s interview was brought into relationship with the other interviews and existing narratives about this group of mothers. Having heard stories of child removal, mental distress and power, I constructed a narrative framework of Collateral, Chaos, Existence and Individual Responsibility. All the mothers’ stories were underpinned by the Narrative of Collateral in which mothers drew on life experiences, their families, their social backgrounds, and the political times they live in to make sense of their mental wellbeing to show how they and their distress was collateralised or offset in the systems which seek to protect their children. Chaos and Existence narratives frame stories about the everyday experience of life and mental health after child removal. Chaos stories are characterised by dramatic ruptures and loss of power, while Existence stories portray the slow monotony of lives continuing despite huge loss. Finally, Individual Responsibility stories tend to be in line with modernist view of mental health, in which mothers tell stories of agency and personal change to manage their emotional pain. Accounting for their experiences was important for mothers to strive for a good sense of well-being. Mothers drew on all four narratives to tell their unique stories which were complex and at times contradictory, treading a fine line between contextualising their distress in terms of collateralisation and taking responsibility for their past and telling stories about a future which they can live well with. Having drawn on the Power Threat Meaning Framework, the Listening Guide analysis complemented the use of the Power Stories tool in the study design, each playing a significant role in placing stories at the heart of making sense of power and distress. This thesis contributes to relational understandings of power for mothers subject to child removal. Findings highlight the need for practice which is less adversarial, and support which is both flexible and unconditional.
| Date of Award | 2 Dec 2024 |
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| Original language | English |
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| Supervisor | Brid Featherstone (Co-Supervisor) & Kate Smith (Main Supervisor) |
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