Award Date

5-15-2026

Degree Type

Doctoral Project

Degree Name

Occupational Therapy Doctorate

Department

Brain Health

First Committee Member

Sharon Jalene

Number of Pages

86

Abstract

Becoming a mother is a meaningful life event that occurs amid complex physical, psychological, and social changes. During this period, individuals undergo an occupational role transition as they assume new caregiver responsibilities while navigating contextual demands. The ease of this transition influences overall maternal adjustment. The dominant sociocultural model of intensive mothering promotes child-centered caregiving, often at the expense of maternal well-being and adjustment. Efforts to meet these expectations may disrupt an individual’s transition into motherhood and place them at risk for developing postpartum mental health challenges.

The concept of matrescence provides a developmental framework that views motherhood as an evolving role transition shaped by biological, psychological, and social changes that take place in the perinatal period. The degree to which an individual can adapt to matrescence can influence their vulnerability to, or protection against, perinatal mental health challenges. The occupational therapy discipline can address these factors by supporting role development, occupational balance, and contextual adaptation to promote maternal well-being.

This capstone project aims to enhance an existing maternal wellness website, Luna Wolf Coaching (LWC), by developing occupation-based educational modules designed to support and strengthen perceived maternal role transition through the lens of matrescence. These modules provide education and normalization of common perinatal physical, psychological, and social changes. Participant feedback was collected and analyzed to evaluate the accessibility, relevance, and perceived helpfulness of the modules in supporting maternal adjustment.

Controlled Subject

Motherhood; Ethnology; Social role

Disciplines

Medicine and Health Sciences | Occupational Therapy | Rehabilitation and Therapy

File Format

PDF

File Size

1678 KB

Degree Grantor

University of Nevada, Las Vegas

Language

English

Rights

IN COPYRIGHT. For more information about this rights statement, please visit http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/

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