Investigation of the experiences of motherning of women exposed to violence

In this study; It was aimed to examine the motherhood experiences of women who were exposed to violence. The research was conducted as a phenomenology research, which is one of the qualitative research method designs. The participants of the study consisted of women who applied to the Hatay Province Violence Prevention and Monitoring Center (ŞÖNİM) and were exposed to violence. This study was carried out on the basis of confidentiality for the safety of the participants. The fact that the women who applied are from different regions of Hatay province is an important indicator in the selection of participants. Ten female participants were included in the present study. Interviews with the participants started on 23.08.2021 and the process was completed on 24.09.2021. Before the data collection process, the researcher examined the existing file information of women in ŞÖNİM and benefited from the Family Information System and ŞÖNİM service application database. The interviews in the data collection process of the research were carried out in two parts. In the first part of the study, it was aimed to identify the participant profile and collect information about the participants by using the personal information form. In the content of the semi-structured interview form in the second part; There were questions asking about the past experiences of women who were exposed to violence or the violence processes in their own families, their relationships with their own mothers, their mothers' history of violence, their experiences of motherhood, information about violence and their relationships with their children. Descriptive and content analysis was carried out on the interview forms obtained as a result of the interview. In the study, it was seen that the motherhood definitions of the participating mothers differed according to the time before becoming a mother, the pregnancy process and the postpartum period. It was observed that the participants, who were seen to use the expressions "I didn't know anything" or "it's a nice feeling" about being a mother before becoming a mother, experienced complex feelings about motherhood during pregnancy, and they experienced care anxiety along with a deep love for motherhood for their children after birth. It was observed that the majority of the participants became pregnant against their own will. In addition, it was determined that most of them were exposed to violence while pregnant, as they were before. It was found that the majority of the participating mothers who participated in the study were perpetrated by their 'mothers' of the violence they experienced during their childhood. It has been observed that there are beliefs that their mothers have justified reasons for the negative effects experienced by the abusive mother. It has been observed that the children of mothers who are in pre-school age also witness violence. It has been understood that children who witness instant violence events generally exhibit crying behavior and their reaction is to hug their mother out of fear or sadness. In addition, regardless of the type of violence that mothers are exposed to, it has been determined that violence is reflected in their behaviors and they exhibit yelling behavior at their children because they cannot control their anger. When the findings about whether the children of the mothers who were exposed to violence were also exposed to violence and how they protected them if they did; In the statements of the mothers, it is seen that their children are also exposed to violence and they only take actions such as "interfering, casting out and comforting" to protect them. However, in the process where the participants were exposed to violence; It has been determined that they have official and unofficial social support networks or that they do not take any action during the violence process. It has been observed that informal social support mechanisms are family and children, while official social support networks are mostly law enforcement agencies or Violence Prevention and Monitoring Center. Finally, of the mothers who were exposed to violence, who were interviewed within the scope of the research; In their statements, in which they expressed their thoughts on being in the social field, receiving social support and seeking their rights, suggestions were reached especially for women who were exposed to violence not to be late to seek their rights and to be brave. Keywords : Mohterhood, experience of motherhood, mother-child relations,violence, ŞÖNİM.