Psychological Resilience May, 2018 of Working Mothers in Government Organizations: The case of Adama City Municipality, Eastern Shewa, Oromia.

Abstract

The main purpose of this study is to explore the role of psychological resilience in managing stress based on the experiences of working mothers in Adama city Municipality.. The study population was comprised of 20 working mothers and out of this 6 sample members were involved as respondents in the study. The convenience sampling technique was used in selecting participants for the study. The data collection tools used for this study were semi-structured interviews and case narratives. A cross-sectional descriptive research design was adopted using qualitative data collection tools and applied the approaches of thematic content analysis. The findings of the study revealed that some of the resilience strategies employed by working mothers were building connection with colleagues, having organization skills, religious coping and adjustment. Moreover, the challenges that working mothers face are lack of help at home, a non-friendly work environment and financial strain. There have been many suggestions to achieve work-life balance and avoid potential burnout such as prioritizing life by importance and timelines, sticking to the plan and creating a supportive network, applying flexible work-schedules, on-site child care and zero tolerance for harassment.