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The Lived Experience Of Low-Income Single Mothers In The U.S. And The Effects Of Nature As A Psychotherapeutic Tool In Their Treatment, Suzanne L. Frost

Antioch University Dissertations & Theses

This dissertation describes current research on the lived experience of low-income single mothers and explores the potential validity of utilizing exposure to natural settings as a psychotherapeutic intervention for this population. In 2014, 4,764,000 single mothers in the U.S. were living in poverty. A large percentage of this population suffers from poverty, hunger, social stigma, as well as mental illnesses associated with these conditions, such as anxiety, stress, and depression. A qualitative influential research study was performed that included interviews with eight low income White single mothers and one Biracial Turkish and Chaktau Native American low-income single mother in predominantly …