A STUDY OF ADAPTATION STAGE OF THE PARENTS OF YOUNG MOTHERS IN CHIANG RAI PROVINCE

Abstract

The research aimed to study the adaptation stages of the parents of young mothers in Chiang Rai Province. The methodology was the qualitative study using observation and an in-depth interview. The findings showed that there were 3 stages of the adaptation in the families of young mothers as follows. 1) The consideration stage. In this stage, the families were worried about everything.  It was a very difficult stage to get through. The young mothers had to prepare themselves physically and mentally and be ready to cope with this stage. 2) The preparation stage. The young mothers’ parents had to prepare everything before the childbirth. They had to accept and understand their pregnancy. In this stage, the parents had to prepare prenatal care and looked after them to get ready for maternity. Besides, they were responsible for everything as well as planning for the expenses during their pregnancy. Also, they had to negotiate with her boyfriend’s family regarding the marriage proposal for reducing the pressure from the society. 3) The beginning stage. As long as the parents faced with a new member of the family, they looked after their grandchildren with love, kindness, and connection so they accepted the new status of the family more easily and agreed on what will happen in the future, which marks the beginning of a new family.