PEREIRA, Valéria Brandão    LEITAO, Heliane de Almeida Lins. Overload and support network: the motherhood experience after marital separation. []. , 15, 1, pp.1-12. ISSN 1809-8908.

Considering the experience of motherhood as a psychosocial process, this study sought to analyze the experience of separated women living with their children. It was based on interdisciplinary studies on family, as well as on the concept of the environmental provision developed by Winnicott. Six mothers with children between 1 and 13 years old participated in the study. The research has qualitative character and focused on the mothers' reports through semi-structured interviews, where they were submitted to content analysis. It was found that the main impact of separation on the life of mothers is the overload of assignments. In contrast, it was observed that the relational network composed of relatives, friends, and neighbors represents an important support to the mothers, assisting them in the exercise of the parental function. The study suggests expanding the environmental provision to support these families through the fortification of public policies and assistance programs.

: Separated mothers; Motherhood; Psychosocial processes.

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