Mothering Occupations When Parenting Children with Feeding Concerns: A Mixed Methods Study

Background. The occupations of mothering have gained attention in occupation-based research and literature; however, many aspects of mothering remain unexplored. Purpose. The purpose of this study was to gain insight into mothers' perceptions of their occupations when mothering a child with feeding difficulties. Methods. Study design used mixed methodology utilizing the Parental Stress Scale (PSS), Life Satisfaction Index for Parents (LSTP), and phenomenological interviews. Findings. Comparison of the datasets illuminated the quantitative findings with the words of the women interviewed. Although there was only one statistically significant finding in the quantitative data in terms of satisfaction with leisure and recreation, the qualitative data provided rich descriptions of mothers' perceptions of stress and life satisfaction. Implications. Mixed methods data analysis revealed the complex nature of the interaction between mothering occupations and mothering a child with feeding concerns as well as how these concerns might influence occupational therapy practice.