Resilience of migrant single mothers from Syria

The objective of this study was to examine the resilience of single parent mothers who have settled in Turkey following forced migration. The research was conducted using a qualitative design. The sample comprises of mothers in single-parent families who settled in Ankara province after forced migration from Syria. Ten mothers who migrated from Syria were included in the study group based on the following criteria: migration to Ankara due to war and being a single parent. The participants' ages ranged from 23 to 60, with an average age of 41. The interviews conducted as part of the research employed the Semi-Structured Interview Form and Personal Information Form, which had been prepared by the researcher. The data were analyzed using the thematic analysis method, resulted in two main themes and 22 sub-themes. The primary themes were designated as "Factors Increasing Resilience" and "Factors Decreasing Resilience." The research findings revealed both protective and risk factors influencing the resilience of mothers. Mothers evaluated a range of factors, including economic difficulties, a lack of social support, abusive attitudes towards women, past traumatic experiences, a language barrier, and parenting stress, as potential risk factors for resilience. The protective factors identified by the mothers included developing ways of coping with internal and external resources, having social support, experiencing gender equality, meeting their basic needs, preserving cultural values, and the presence of children. Findings of the study were discussed in the light of the relevant literature.