Abstrakt: |
Objective: The study aimed to explore how mother–child interactions shape Chinese rural–urban migrant women's maternal guilt, and vice versa. Background: Migrant mothers are documented to experience intense feelings of guilt due to long‐term separation from their children. Research on maternal guilt frequently conceptualizes guilt as a negative self‐judgement of mothers without considering the bidirectional interplay between mother–child interactions and mothers' guilt feelings. Method: Data were drawn from semistructured interviews with 24 Chinese rural–urban migrant mothers who voiced profound guilt for leaving their children behind. The research was carried out following a grounded theory approach. Results: Results demonstrate left‐behind children's power to elicit, exacerbate, and alleviate their mothers' guilt, which in turn prompts migrant mothers to engage in a wide range of compensatory practices to remedy their relationships with their children. Conclusion: These interpersonal dynamics highlight the relational nature of maternal guilt; the double victimization, both by public discourses and family members, experienced by migrant mothers; and the mutual support that can be offered between mothers and children. Implications: Mother–child interactions should be considered when studying maternal guilt. Findings from this study have important implications for policy making and interventions to support migrant families. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] |