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Article
Immigrant Women's Experiences as Mothers in the United States: A Scoping Review
MCN. The American Journal of Maternal Child Nursing
  • Sarah Oerther
  • Helen Lach
  • Daniel B. Oerther, Missouri University of Science and Technology
Abstract

BACKGROUND: Immigrant mothers are raising an increasing proportion of the population of children in the United States.

PURPOSE: The purpose of this review was to explore existing research on immigrant women's experiences of being mothers in the United States and identify key concepts, gaps in the literature, and implications for future research that builds on the strengths of immigrant women while addressing their unique challenges.

STUDY DESIGN AND METHODS: In this scoping review, Ovid MEDLINE, CINAHL, SCOPUS, Web of Science, JUSTOR, and PsycINFO databases were searched using a combination of applicable key words.

RESULTS: Twenty-two articles were selected. Few studies were identified. Analyses revealed a broad array in purpose, populations, theoretical frameworks, settings, study instruments, and practices, making comparison difficult. Although mothering is a universal experience among women who have children, little is known about the broad experiences of immigrant women from different cultures.

CLINICAL IMPLICATIONS: Immigrant mothers are not a monolithic group. More research is needed to provide a deeper understanding of strengths, challenges, and solutions of various immigrant groups, which can facilitate development of nursing interventions that support immigrant women and their children in the United States, and strengthen their families.

Department(s)
Civil, Architectural and Environmental Engineering
Document Type
Article - Journal
Document Version
Citation
File Type
text
Language(s)
English
Rights
© 2020 NLM (Medline), All rights reserved.
Publication Date
1-1-2020
Publication Date
01 Jan 2020
PubMed ID
31651421
Citation Information
Sarah Oerther, Helen Lach and Daniel B. Oerther. "Immigrant Women's Experiences as Mothers in the United States: A Scoping Review" MCN. The American Journal of Maternal Child Nursing Vol. 45 Iss. 1 (2020) p. 6 - 16 ISSN: 0361-929X; 1539-0683
Available at: http://works.bepress.com/daniel_oerther/118/