| Abstract [eng] |
The main objective of this Master Thesis and research is to analyse the reasons of settling children into a residence for infants basing on subjective opinions of their biological mothers. During the research the author tried to make a deeper insight into the problem and analyse the parents‘ attitude towards not only the reasons of settling their children into a residence for infants, but also other issues, such as their mothers‘ childhood experience, possible links between mothers‘ relationship with their parents and their own children, their attitude towards education, work, efforts to survive in life and possible changing of the present situation. The Thesis raises the following goals of research: to analyse mothers‘ attitude towards the circumstances of settling their children into a care institution; compare the reasons supplied by mothers with the data taken from the children‘s files; determine what feelings mothers have when their children are settled in a residence for infants; analyse if the parents‘ family model of the women under research could have influence on these mothers leaving their children in a residence for infants; investigate mothers‘ attitude towards their present life situation and future plans. The data of the research were obtained by two survey methods: 1) according to the information accumulated in children‘s personal files and a filled in questionnaire, 2) a questionnaire directed towards the parents of the children brought up in the residence for infants. The survey included 20 mothers of the children settled in the residence for infants, and 100 children’s files were analysed in order to obtain the official data. All the material was collected in the Residence for Infants with Delayed Development of Vilnius County. The research revealed the main reasons of settling children into care institutions: parents‘ drinking, lack of parenthood skills and neglect of children. In most cases the children are visited by their mothers. Almost half of the surveyed mothers have a higher than secondary school education, a bigger half of mothers are employed and claim to be receiving average income. The research has confirmed the hypothesis that mothers do not see any reasons why their behaviour and lifestyle influenced settling their children in the residence for infants. It was noticed that the mothers do not recognize the officially declared reasons of settling their children in a care institution. However, the present situation often makes mothers feel guilty, ashamed, angry and hurt. The research has also confirmed the hypothesis that the mothers whose children are settled in a care institution but who still visit them, feel guilty and wish to have their children back. The author was not able to determine a link between the mothers‘ parents family model and relationship with their parents, and settling their children into the residence for infants. The mothers‘ attitude towards their present situation is positive and optimistic, they give a positive evaluation of most issues, the majority of them try to improve the present situation, are going to take their children back to their family and making nice future plans. |
