Mexican-origin adolescent girls have some of the highest rates of unplanned teen pregnancy and births in the United States. Family ecological and feminist perspectives indicate that gender and sexual socialization processes contribute to girls' ability to promote their sexual health, yet little is known about how Mexican-origin girls develop sexual agency. In this culture, mothers are a primary socializing agent about sexuality in the family, and this study examined how mother-daughter sexual communication fostered or inhibited girls' sexual agency. The narrative method "scaffolded interviewing" was used to facilitate open talk about sexuality. Interviews were conducted with 25 girls ages 15-17 and separate interviews with mothers in a southwestern city, with a pilot study first conducted to refine the interview script. Mothers and daughters were asked reciprocal questions about what girls learned about sexuality from mothers and other contexts. The Listening Guide, a voice-based relational approach, was used to interpret the data. Analysis suggested that girls whose mothers provided more open and comprehensive sexual communication, and talked to them before puberty, felt more agentic to assert their needs for sexual safety. Girls who had infrequent, content-limited communication with mothers felt less able to manage fear-based school sex education messages and peer sexual exposure. Analysis of concordance between mothers' and daughters' narratives showed that different perceptions of what constitutes sex talk and sexual autonomy inhibited daughters' disclosure to mothers about sexual concerns. These findings suggest that mother-daughter relationships are critical for sexual health promotion. Implications for educators, practitioners, and families are discussed.

People high in socially prescribed perfectionism (i.e., those who perceive others demand perfection of them) often behave in ways that are incongruent with their efforts to be perfect for others. This research proposes and tests two models that explain why socially prescribed perfectionism is related to self-defeating behaviours (i.e., behaviours with negative effects on the self that are often detrimental to achieving one’s goals). In Study 1, socially prescribed perfectionism was proposed to contribute to a cycle of self-defeat involving perfectionistic discrepancies, perfectionistic self-presentation, depressive affect, and self-defeating behaviours (i.e., binge eating, procrastination, interpersonal conflict). To test the model, data was collected from 317 undergraduates who completed structured online daily diaries. Results of multilevel structural equation modeling largely supported hypothesized relations such that participants high in socially prescribed perfectionism engaged in, or experienced, patterns of self-evaluation, self-presentation, and emotion that contributed to their imperfect, self-defeating behaviours. These behaviours undermined their efforts to be or look perfect for others—creating a sense of deficiency that sets the stage for another cycle of self-defeat. In Study 2, I tested the perfectionism model of binge eating in 218 mother-daughter dyads using a mixed longitudinal and daily diary design. Results largely supported hypotheses suggesting daughters’ socially prescribed perfectionism and mothers’ psychological control contribute indirectly to daughters’ binge eating by generating situations or experiences that trigger binge eating (i.e., discrepancies, depressive affect, and dietary restraint). For young women who believe their mothers rigidly require them to be perfect and whose mothers are demanding and controlling, binge eating appears to provide a means of coping with or escaping from an unhealthy, unsatisfying mother-daughter relationship. Together, the results of Study 1 and Study 2 help to explain why people who strive to be perfect for others often engage in self-defeating behaviours. These findings have numerous implications for theory and research on personality, relationships, and self-defeating behaviours, and for prevention, assessment, and treatment of perfectionism and associated difficulties. These implications, along with the limitations and future directions of this research are discussed.

Study 1 examined the role closeness to father plays in the developmental-like process associating family form (divorced/non-divorced) with later young adulthood attachment style in a sample of 525 men and women. Participants reported their closeness to father while growing up and current comfort with closeness. As expected, closeness to father fully mediated the association between family form and comfort with closeness for both men and women, but more strongly for women. The association between family form and comfort with closeness was only evident for women; women who experienced parental divorce reported feeling less comfortable with closeness in relationships. Contrary to expectation, the mediating role of closeness to father in the association between family and form and comfort with closeness was not moderated by gender. The key role fathers may play in fostering their male and female children’s later attachment style in divorced and nondivorced families, as well as the attenuated role of gender in explaining young adults’ attachment style, are discussed. Study 2 examined the role of dyadic and family environment factors which are implicated in young adults’ insecure attachment in predicting relational resilience. Relationally resilient women were defined as women who experienced parental divorce yet experience comfort with closeness. Ninety-three women reported on the level of overt and subtle conflict in their families-of- origin, the effectiveness of their parents’ coparenting, and their closeness to father. Hierarchical logistic regression analyses predicted membership in the relationally resilient group based on these dyadic and family environment predictors. As expected, results demonstrate that lower pre-divorce subtle and overt conflict; higher levels of coparenting before separation, during separation, and after separation; and closeness to father while growing up all predicted membership in the relationally resilient group. However, no one variable uniquely predicted membership in the relationally resilient group. Study 2’s results are translated to preventative implications at the family, parental, dyadic and individual levels. Final remarks integrating the results of both studies follow. / Graduate

This study attempts to focus on a narrower scope specifically is aimed to search for the possible explanations for women&rsquo / s and their daughters&rsquo / poverty experiences by arguing that within the household, women and their daughters are more vulnerable to poverty than men because of the dominant ideologies. I have already implemented a field study in one of Ankara&rsquo / s squatter area which is called Hidirliktepe located in district of Altindag with 30 women and their eldest daughters living in the same household. One of the qualitative interviewing techniques, in-depth interviewing, has been applied to the respondents and two different questionnaire frames used for mothers and the daughters. There are some important conclusions of the thesis. One of them is that poverty is experienced by women and their daughters different than the other members of the household. Another is that these experiences are also transferred to their daughters within the household. However, daughters are in a better condition than their mothers which might constitute a hope for their salvation from poverty because due to the changes in their social environments, their expectations also change. Moreover, survival strategies developed by women against poverty designate the level of poverty which is being experienced by women in the long term.

abstract: Emerging adulthood--a developmental point in the life span (usually between the ages of 18-25) during which children no longer see themselves as adolescents but would not yet consider themselves adults--is marked by identity exploration and discovering new life directions. When emerging adults find themselves serving as caregivers for their parent during a time when they would normally be establishing autonomy and exploring new directions, they may feel conflicted by their desire to both care for their parent and maintain a sense of independence. Thus, using a multiple-method research design that includes both an autoethnography and a qualitative content analysis of young adult caregivers' online posts, this study intends to uncover the dialectical tensions (the interplay of communicative tensions within a relationship) an emerging adult daughter experiences in her relationship with her mother as she serves as her caregiver, experiences her death, and grieves her passing by analyzing the author's personal narrative. To provide a deeper understanding of the dialectical nature of the emerging adult caregiver experience, the study was extended with an examination of other young caregivers' experiences, drawn from online forums, to explore how they encounter tensions within their own relationships with their parents. An analysis of the personal narrative revealed one primary dialectical tension, separation-connection, and three interrelated tensions--predictability-change, openness-closedness, and holding on-letting go--that seemed to influence this primary tension. Results of the qualitative content analysis revealed that other caregivers experienced one primary dialectical tension, sacrifice-reward, and two additional, interrelated tensions: independence-dependence and presence-absence. A comparison of the findings from each methodological approach revealed both similarities and differences in experiences of emerging adult caregivers. / Dissertation/Thesis / M.A. Communication 2010

What is the life of Kenyan women like? In Kenya, like many African countries, a deep paradox has been created. Kenyan women enjoy the benefits of modern life, yet their lives are largely determined by customary law. Although the majority of Kenyan women do not live in traditional society, they are still perceived within their traditional roles. Modern society has different requirements than the traditional ones, however only the segment of -self-confident and informed citizens are aware of their rights and are able to assert their rights. While women compose the majority of the Kenyan population (52%) and play an active role in the development of the whole society, Kenya still continues to remain a deep patriarchal society with a very low regard of the status of women. Women in Kenya are unequal and under-privileged in most areas of their lives. This situation is propounded by the current legal and political system, as well as by prevailing socio-cultural factors. The dissertation examines the different roles of the Kenyan woman - as a daughter, a wife and a mother. The main philosophical ideology which the African society is based upon is the continuation of life and keeping the patrilineal lineage where dead ancestors play the same role as children born to the family. It is presumed that women who play an...

Teen dating violence (TDV) affects nearly one third of adolescents in the United States and is increasingly one of the largest public health concerns of health researchers and practitioners. Parent involvement, and specifically messages communicated to children about healthy and unhealthy relationships, has potential to be a vital element of TDV prevention and intervention. Researchers have demonstrated that parent-adolescent communication has significant effects on adolescent risky behavior, but the effect of parent-adolescent communication on TDV has not been investigated. The purpose of this study was to examine the associations between mother-daughter communication quality, mothers' and daughters' beliefs about unhealthy relationships, and the dating violence experienced by adolescents. The sample was 58 adolescent daughters recruited from three rural Oregon high schools and their mothers. Self-report and observational data were collected from daughters and their mothers. It was hypothesized that (1) daughters' dating beliefs mediate the relationship between mothers' dating beliefs and daughters' experienced TDV, (2) mother-daughter communication quality mediates the relationship between mothers' dating beliefs and daughter's dating beliefs, and (3) mother-daughter communication quality mediates the relationship between mothers' dating beliefs and daughter's TDV. Structural equation modeling was used to test three path models where mother-daughter communication was represented by three different measures: daughters' report of having a quality conversation with their mother about dating in the past year, daughters' disagreement during observed mother-daughter communication, and daughters' disagreement during observed mother-daughter communication about dating. All three models were a good fit with the data, and significant associations were found between measures of mother-daughter communication, daughters' beliefs about dating, and daughters' experienced dating violence. Implications of this study include mother-daughter communication, perhaps a representation of a larger construct of mother-daughter relationship quality, as a point of intervention for adolescent girls' experiences of dating violence. Future research and clinical studies are required to further examine the relationships between parent-adolescent communication and TDV and the potential affect that parents may have on rates and experiences of TDV.

Made available in DSpace on 2016-12-23T14:38:03Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 RMF.pdf: 853703 bytes, checksum: f67157994d0690f15c8b058d8fab96f3 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2006-03-23 / Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico / As relações interpessoais estão na base da sociedade e são fundamentais para direcionar nossos comportamentos. O relacionamento entre pais e filhos adultos, especialmente entre mãe e filha adulta, representa uma área recente e ainda pouco investigada. A literatura, ao tratar deste relacionamento complexo, usualmente apresenta uma delas como dependente e a outra como cuidadora. Entretanto, há um momento em que estas duas mulheres compartilham uma condição similar: quando ambas são adultas. O objetivo deste trabalho foi investigar, descrever e analisar o relacionamento entre mães e suas filhas adultas destacando os aspectos que promovem os encontros e desencontros entre elas e a influência do casamento das filhas nas relações com suas mães. Na história do relacionamento entre mãe e filha observamos mudanças que promovem momentos de separação e aproximação, dependência e independência entre elas, o que sofre a influência da família. As atividades compartilhadas e o processo de comunicação, assim como a cooperação, a influência mútua e a percepção que mãe e filha adulta têm do seu relacionamento, são aspectos desses encontros e desencontros. Nesta dinâmica, mãe e filha compartilham similaridades e diferenças, apresentam comportamentos recíprocos e complementares que podem gerar conflitos cuja resolução está associada ao movimento de auto-revelação e privacidade presentes no relacionamento. Finalmente, apesar dos desencontros, mãe e filha procuram valorizar as sistuações que propiciam a manutenção da relação devido à importância da relação para ambas. / Personal relationships are at the basis of society and are fundamental to direct our behavior. The relationship between parents and adult children, particularly between mother and adult daughter, represents a recent and poorly investigated research area. The literature about this complex relationship usually presents one of them as dependent and the other as a caregiver. However, there is a moment when these two women share a similar condition: when both are adults. This work aimed at investigating, describing and analyzing the relationship between mother and their adult daughters emphasizing the aspects promoting their getting close or getting apart and the influence of the daughters' marriage in their relations with their mothers. In the history of relationship between mother and daughter we observe changes which promote instances of separation and proximity, dependece and independence between them, what is influenced by family. The shared activities and the process of communication, as well as the cooperation, mutual influence and the perception that mother and have of their relationship are related to getting close or getting apart. In this dynamics, mother and daughter share similarities and differences, apresent reciprocal and complementary behaviors wich may give rise to conflicts, whose solution is associated with self-revelation and privacy, present in the relationship. Finally, despite sometimes getting apart, mother and daughter try to emphasize the situations which keep their relationship due to its importance for both.

La relation mère-fille est duelle, ambivalente, jeu de miroirs. A la fois lieu de la matrice, lieu de maternage, et de matriçage. Le couple mère-fille en appelle en effet au corps, revenant à l’origine de cette relation qui valorise une transmission au féminin, et ce à l’intérieur-même d’une société patriarcale tendant à assujettir les femmes. Il peut toutefois aussi devenir désastre. La fille réagit face à sa mère, première personne à laquelle elle peut s’identifier, premier lien à la vie. La confrontation est, semble-t-il, nécessaire, elle permet à l’enfant de se détacher de la figure maternelle tout en s’en servant de modèle. Afin d’éviter une union destructrice, la fille doit prendre conscience d’un amour maternel envers lequel il faut qu’elle prenne ses distances de façon à être, à son tour, quelqu’un, et plus précisément une femme. La fuite des filles, ou du moins leur recherche d’indépendance face à leur mère dans les romans analysés indique cette nécessité de se construire soi-même sans pour autant détruire le lien à la mère. L’espace prend alors une place prépondérante dans la découverte et le rétablissement de cette relation maternelle exclusive. Il s’avère être symbole de la mère, antidote contre la solitude filiale, espace à conquérir et à comprendre, lieu de résistance, incitation à écrire cette relation mère-fille. Le meurtre symbolique de la mère, illustré ici par l’absence de celle-ci lors du processus d’identification et de libération de la fille assure a posteriori la persistance de la relation maternelle ainsi que l’affirmation d’une lignée féminine – et non leur anéantissement. / The mother-daughter relationship is dual, ambivalent, a hall of mirrors; it is at once the site of the womb and maternity, a veritable matrix of meaning. The mother-daughter pairing moves through the body, constantly calling attention to its origins and valorising a transmission au féminin even from within a patriarchal society. However, it can also prove catastrophic. Though the mother is the first person with whom the daughter identifies—her first link to life—the daughter not only reacts to her, but also pushes against her. It would appear that this confrontation is necessary, that it allows the child to detach herself from the mother even as she models herself on her. In order to avoid a destructive union, the daughter must become conscious of the maternal love from which she must take her distance if she is to become someone, and more precisely, a woman. In the novels analysed here, the daughter’s flight—her quest for independence from her mother—points to her need to create herself, to come into her own without destroying the mother-daughter bond. The notion of space is of the utmost importance in the discovery and (re-)establishment of this exclusive filial/maternal relationship. Space becomes the symbol of the mother and the antidote to filial solitude, a site of resistance, one to be conquered and understood, and thus an incentive to write the mother-daughter relationship. The symbolic matricide—depicted in these novels through the absence of the mother during the process of identification and the liberation of the daughter—ensures, a posteriori, the continuation rather than destruction of the filial/maternal relationship, as well as the affirmation of a female lineage.

The present study aimed to examine intra- and interpersonal associations between poor mental health and mother–daughter relationship closeness in a sample of 467 dyads. An Actor–Partner Interdependence Model was utilized to examine bidirectional processes between mothers (mean age = 42.64, SD = 6.5) and their adolescent daughters (mean age = 15.37, SD = 1.15). The independent variable was self-reported poor mental health and the dependent variable was relationship closeness. Additionally, communication satisfaction was examined as a potential interpersonal mediator of the pathway between poor mental health and relationship closeness. Daughters’ self-reported poor mental health negatively predicted their own perception of closeness as well as mothers’ perception of closeness. Additionally, we find evidence that perceived communication may explain (i.e., mediate) both the actor effect (one’s own poor mental health on one’s own perception of closeness) and the partner effect (partner’s poor mental health on one’s own perception of closeness). Our results suggest that when daughters’ mental health is poor, relationship closeness as perceived by mother and daughter may be weakened, and that this effect may in part be explained by poor communication between mother and daughter. Strategies to promote family communication, especially for families experiencing mental health problems, may aid in the development of closer mother–daughter relationships. Further, our results suggest the importance of investigating the potential bidirectional influence of mothers’ and daughters’ mental health on parent-adolescent relationship quality within a dyadic unit.