• Provide appropriate health care intervention for nontraditional mothers

• Assist nontraditional mothers to attain a strong maternal identity.

CONCEPTS

Maternal Role Attainment

• Primary Concept-Developmental and interactional process occurs over a period of time

• Mother bonds with infant, acquires competence in caretaking tasks, enjoys and expresses joy and pleasure in the role

• Maternal Identity-Personal state of harmony, confidence and competence. End point of maternal role attainment.

Process follows 4 stages of acquisition

• Anticipatory: Social and psychological adaptation to role; learning expectations. Fantasizes about the role "What to expect when you are expecting."

• Formal: Assumption of role at birth; Behaviors guided by others in social system/ network; "My mother always told me…"

• Informal: Mother develops own ways of mothering; not conveyed by social system

• Personal: Joy of Motherhood; Harmony, confidence, and competence in maternal role.; " I’m ready to have another one…"
   

• Biography of Ramona T. Mercer - Nurse610 Lecture Notes. Old Dominion School of Nursing.

• Role Attainment: Chronically ill children: how families adjust. Ramona T. Mercer. 

• Ramona T. Mercer

• Mercer, R. T. (1985). The process of maternal role attainment over the first year. Nursing Research, 34(4), 198-204.
• Mercer, R. T. (1986). The relationship of developmental variables to maternal behavior. Research in Nursing & Health, 9(1), 25-33.
• Mercer, R. T. (1986). Predictors of maternal role attainment at one year postbirth. Western Journal of Nursing Research, 8(1), 3-32.
• Mercer, R. T., May, K. A., Ferketich, S., & DeJoseph, J. (1986). Theoretical models for studying the effect of antepartum stress on the family. Nursing Research, 35(6), 339-346.
• Mercer, R. T., & Ferketich, S. L. (1988). Stress and social support as predictors of anxiety and depression during pregnancy. Advances in Nursing Science, 10(2), 83-95.
• Mercer, R. T., Nichols, E. G., & Doyle, G. C. (1988). Transitions over the life cycle: A comparison of mothers and nonmothers. Nursing Research, 37(3), 144-151.
• Mercer, R. T., Ferketich, S. L., DeJoseph, J., May, K. A., & Sollid, D. (1988). Effect of stress on family functioning during pregnancy. Nursing Research, 37(5), 268-275.
• Ferketich, S. L. & Mercer, R. T. (1989). Men’s health status during pregnancy and early fatherhood. Research in Nursing & Health, 12(3), 137-148.
• Mercer, R. T., Ferketich, S. L. (1990). Predictors of family functioning eight month following birth. Nursing Research, 39(2), 76-82.
• Ferketich, S. L., & Mercer, R. T. (1992). Focus on psychometrics: Aggregating family data. Research in Nursing & Health, 15(4), 313-317.
• Mercer, R. T., Ferketich, S. L., & DeJoseph, J. F. (1993). Predictors of partner relationships during pregnancy and infancy. Research in Nursing & Health, 16(1), 45-56.
• Mercer, R. T., & Ferketich, S. L. (1994). Predictors of maternal role competence by risk status. Nursing Research, 43(1), 38-43.
• Ferketich, S., & Mercer, R. T. (1994), Predictors of paternal role competence by risk status. Nursing Research, 43(2), 80-85.
• Mercer, R. T., & Ferketich, S. L. (1994). Maternal-infant attachment of experienced and inexperienced mothers during infancy. Nursing Research, 43(6), 344-351.
• Ferketich, S. L., & Mercer, R. T. (1995). Predictors of role competence for experienced and inexperienced fathers. Nursing Research, 44(2), 89-95.
• Mercer, R. T., & Ferketich, S. L. (1995). Experienced and inexperienced mothers’ maternal competence during infancy. Research in Nursing & Health, 18(4), 333-343.