واکاوی تجربه زیسته روابط والد–کودک در مادران دارای تک‌فرزند براساس رویکرد پدیدارشناختی

زهرا ملکی نیا; فاطمه اخلاقی یزدی نژاد

Authors

Zahra Malekinia Department of Psychology, Si.C., Islamic Azad University, Sirjan, Iran. Author https://orcid.org/0009-0001-8016-7358
Fatemeh Akhlaghi Yazdinejad Department of Psychology, Si.C., Islamic Azad University, Sirjan, Iran. Corresponding author https://orcid.org/0009-0009-4741-2989

Keywords:

Lived experience, Parent–child relationship, Mothers of only children, Phenomenology, Overprotection, Maternal identity

Abstract

This study aimed to explore the lived experiences of mothers of only children regarding parent–child relationships and to elucidate the emotional, caregiving, and identity-related dimensions as well as challenges concerning intimacy, autonomy, and psychological boundaries. This qualitative study employed a phenomenological approach. The study population consisted of mothers of only children in Sirjan, Iran, from whom 12 participants were selected through purposive sampling. Recruitment continued until data saturation was achieved. Data were collected through in-depth, semi-structured interviews lasting approximately 40–60 minutes. All interviews were digitally recorded after obtaining informed consent and were transcribed verbatim. Participant checking and expert review of the extracted codes and themes were used to enhance the credibility and trustworthiness of the findings. Data were analyzed using Colaizzi’s seven-step phenomenological method with MAXQDA 2020 software. Analysis of the mothers’ lived experiences yielded three major themes: “deep emotional bonding and child-centered relational focus,” “excessive caregiving and overprotection,” and “intertwining of maternal and child identities.” The first theme encompassed intimacy and companionship, emotional dependency and concentration on the child, attachment insecurity, and conflict between emotional closeness and the child’s growing autonomy. The second theme comprised excessive responsibility, persistent anxiety about the child, parenting stress, controlling parenting practices, and fear of the child’s vulnerability and loneliness. The third theme reflected the linkage of maternal self-worth to the child’s performance, feelings of guilt and maternal inadequacy, emotional exhaustion, integration of personal identity into the maternal role, and the influence of social pressures and judgments surrounding having an only child. Mothering an only child appears to involve intensified emotional and psychological investment in the child. Although such concentration may promote intimacy, companionship, and support, it may simultaneously contribute to anxiety, overprotection, controlling behaviors, difficulty accepting the child’s autonomy, and blurred psychological boundaries between mother and child. Family-oriented psychological interventions should therefore emphasize healthy emotional boundaries, maternal self-differentiation, reduction of maternal guilt, self-care, and gradual support for the child’s autonomy while preserving a secure and supportive parent–child bond.

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