"Being Stuck": Understanding the health-related and everyday lived experiences of young mothers in Rexdale, Ontario through a social determinants framework
Abstract
The purpose of this study was to gain an understanding of the ways the health-related and everyday lived experiences of young mothers are shaped by various social determinants, and in the context of their neighbourhood. Using a critical qualitative methodology, five mothers between the ages of 17 to 19 were interviewed from Rexdale, a neighbourhood in the City of Toronto characterized by a number of social risk factors(e.g. high rates of visible minorities, unemployment, and teen mothers). In-depth thematic analysis led to the emergence of four themes: 1) Living in Rexdale: Representations and realities; 2) Leaving Rexdale and wanting something better; 3) Being stuck: Between desire and constraint and; 4) Isolation and support. The results demonstrate the complex ways in which determinants such as gender, class, violence and stigmatizing representations of teen mothers intersect to shape the health-related and everyday lived experiences of young mothers in Rexdale.