Social networks, social support and identity among single-parent mothers

• Grant number: 21/05436-8
• Support type: Scholarships in Brazil - Scientific Initiation
• Effective date (Start): August 01, 2021
• Effective date (End): July 31, 2022
• Field of knowledge: Humanities - Psychology - Social Psychology
• Principal researcher: Sabrina Mazo D Affonseca
• Grantee: Luana Mota Oliveira
• Home Institution: Centro de Educação e Ciências Humanas (CECH). Universidade Federal de São Carlos (UFSCAR). São Carlos , SP, Brazil

Abstract

Bearing in mind phenomena such as the increasingly expressive participation of female single parenting arrangements in Brazilian family settings; the importance of social support for maintaining health and quality of life, particularly in the context of solo mothers; and the emergence of new standards of sociability and spaces for (re) discussion of normative representations, with the advent of the internet and online social networks; the present study aims to verify the impact of participation in virtual groups aimed at solo mothers, on social networks, in the construction of identity and in the perceptions about social support of solo mothers. This is exploratory research with a mixed design, which will count with the participation of 50 women in the quantitative stage, using the Social Support Satisfaction Scale (ESSS) as an instrument, and 4 women in the qualitative stage, using the semi-structured interview as an instrument. This research aims to contribute to the construction of de-stigmatized and de-romanticized understandings of solo motherhood, enabling the strengthening and expansion of sheltering strategies for this group, within the scope of women's health.