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CHAPTER 27 Ramona T. Mercer 551

containing the exact words of women experiencing and the completeness of operational definitions in-
motherhood, and she favors using these words to crease the empirical precision. The theoretical frame-
describe the stages of becoming a mother. work for exploring differences among age groups of
first-time mothers lends itself well to further testing
Simplicity and is being used by others for this purpose. The con-
Despite numerous concepts and relationships, the tinued scrutiny by Mercer herself has continually
theoretical framework for maternal role attainment or improved her theory and solidified her concepts.
becoming a mother organizes a rather complex phe- Mercer’s proposed changes to improve clarity of con-
nomenon into an easily understood and useful form. cepts are based on research studies of others within
The theory is predictive in nature and readily lends the discipline of nursing.
itself as a guide for practice. Concepts are not specific
to time and place and although abstract, they are Importance
described and operationalized to the extent that The theoretical framework for maternal role attain-
meanings are not easily misinterpreted. It should be ment during the first year has proved to be useful,
noted that the research to define and support the practical, and valuable to nursing. Mercer’s work is
theoretical relationships was very complex, which used repeatedly in nursing research, practice, and
was due largely to the great number of concepts. The education. The framework is also applicable to any
process of becoming a mother is multifaceted and discipline that works with mothers and children dur-
varies considerably according to the individual and ing the first year of motherhood. McBride (1984)
to environmental influences. Mercer’s theory pro- wrote, “Dr. Mercer is the one who developed the most
vides a framework for understanding this complex, complete theoretical framework for studying one
multidimensional process. aspect of parental experience, namely, the factors that
influence the attainment of the maternal role in the
Generality first year of motherhood” (p. 72).
Mercer’s theory is derived from and is specific to Throughout her career, Mercer consistently has
parent-child nursing but has been used by other dis- linked research and practice. Applications for nursing
ciplines concerned with mothering and parenting. care or nursing interventions are addressed and provide
The theory can be generalized to all women during the bond between research and practice in her works.
pregnancy through the first year after birth, regardless As she has said, nursing research is the “bridge to excel-
of age, parity, or environment. It is among the few lence” in nursing practice (Mercer, 1984, p. 47).
theories applicable to high-risk perinatal patients and
their families. As previously mentioned, it can be
applied to a variety of pediatric settings. Mercer Summary
(1995) specified her theory for the study and predic- The Theory of Maternal Role Attainment has been
tion of parental attachment, including that of the shown to be useful in both research and practice for
pregnant woman’s partner. Therefore, it is useful for nurses, as well as other disciplines concerned with
studying and working with family members following parenting. Mercer’s continued devotion to improving
birth. Mercer’s work has broadened the range of the usefulness and clarity of her theory and model
application of previously existing theories on maternal is evident and has served well those who use her
role attainment, because her studies have spanned theory. Mercer’s use of both her own research and the
various developmental levels and situational contexts, research of others strengthens her work. Her proposal
a quality that many other studies do not share. to adopt the Theory of Becoming a Mother is based
solidly on the research process. Motherhood and
Accessibility attainment of the parenting role is a very complex,
Mercer’s work has evolved from extensive research multilevel process. Mercer’s theory and her work
efforts. The concepts, assumptions, and relationships make this process logical and understandable and
are grounded predominantly in empirical observa- provide a solid foundation for practice, education,
tions and are congruent. The degree of concreteness and research.