‘it was…a mixed time really…’ Becoming an adult during the Covid-19 pandemic: Stories from mothers of young adults with Down Syndrome

Davies, Eleri 2024. ‘it was…a mixed time really…’ Becoming an adult during the Covid-19 pandemic: Stories from mothers of young adults with Down Syndrome. DEdPsy Thesis, Cardiff University. Item availability restricted.

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Abstract

The aim of this research was to explore the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on transition into adulthood for young adults with Down Syndrome, from their parents’ perspectives. The study adopted a qualitative methodology with an interpretative phenomenological analysis method (Smith et al., 2021). The researcher interviewed three mothers of young adults with Down Syndrome, between the ages of 20-24 years old at the time of interview, and who were 17-21 years old when the first lockdown commenced in Wales and England (March 2020). Interviews elicited the mothers’ retrospective stories from the start of the pandemic, during it, and adapting to post-pandemic life in the immediate aftermath and the long-term. There was freedom within the semi-structured open-ended design to follow the mothers’ foci such that they had an ‘important stake in what (was) covered’ (Smith et al., 2021, p. 4). The researcher upheld interpretative phenomenological analysis principles, whilst adopting a flexible and non-linear approach to data analysis, to evoke and derive meaning from the mothers’ sense-making. Hence, themes were generated through the researcher’s close and contemplative interpretation of the mothers recounting their/their young adults’ experiences. The three themes are: Autonomy – a kaleidoscope of forms; Routine – a multi-edged sword; and Parents striking a precarious balance. Each theme is subject to in-depth analysis and discussion, whereupon researcher/practitioner relevance is highlighted, with specific attention paid towards considerations and/or implications for educational psychologists.

Item Type:	Thesis (DEdPsy)
Date Type:	Completion
Status:	Unpublished
Schools:	Psychology
Date of First Compliant Deposit:	25 July 2024
Last Modified:	25 Jul 2024 10:17
URI:	https://orca.cardiff.ac.uk/id/eprint/170915

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