Abstract

The research on caregiving for a formerly abusive or neglectful parent has been largely quantitative and does not explain caregiver motivations or daily experiences of caregiving. This research project seeks to explore what motivates caregivers to provide care to a formerly abusive or neglectful parent and what these experiences are like for caregivers. Using in-depth interviews with caregivers of formerly abusive or neglectful parents and autoethnographic data from my own experience of caregiving for my abusive mother, which were transcribed and analyzed using thematic analysis to identify patterns. This project found that these individuals express feeling a pressure to remain connected to their parents, but they express this motivation in multiple ways, such as building empathy toward their parents, trying to build a conventional image of a good person, and some express that there is simply no one else who will provide care for their parent.

Advisor

Vicki Hunter

Committee Member

Eric Sprankle

Committee Member

Kathryn Elliott

Date of Degree

2024

Language

english

Document Type

Thesis

Degree

Master of Science (MS)

Program of Study

Aging Studies

Department

Health Science

College

Arts and Humanities

Share

COinS
 

Rights Statement

In Copyright