Date
8-6-2025
Department
School of Behavioral Sciences
Degree
Doctor of Education in Community Care and Counseling (EdD)
Chair
Suzie Johnson
Keywords
Depression, experiences, single mothers, Christian counseling
Disciplines
Counseling
Recommended Citation
Bliss, Julie Adeline, "A Phenomenological Study on the Experiences of Single Mothers with Depression in Christian Counseling" (2025). Doctoral Dissertations and Projects. 7315.
https://digitalcommons.liberty.edu/doctoral/7315
Abstract
The population of single mothers in the United States continues to grow, whether due to widowhood, divorce, or failed relationships. It is common for single mothers to face many obstacles due to balancing life and parenthood alone. Due to these obstacles, single mothers are at a heightened risk for depression. Themes identified in current research consist of single mothers experiencing poor physical and mental health, life stressors such as financial hardships/poverty, unstable housing, inconsistent employment, behavioral and cognitive problems in their children, religious/spiritual (R/S) interventions, along with the connection of mental health and religious or spiritual beliefs. Current studies have failed to explore the experiences of single mothers who suffer from depression and who are either currently in Christian counseling or who sought Christian counseling. This phenomenological study aims to explore and understand the lived experiences of single mothers with depression in Christian counseling.
