The American Cancer Society estimates nearly 1.5 million Americans will be diagnosed with cancer this year. Existing on cancer and its effects on family communication indicate there are few things that have the potential to shake a family to its core like a serious illness (Anderson & Geist Martin, 2003; Gotcher, 1993; Northouse, 2005; Sherman & Simonton, 2001). Communication is one of the most important elements in determining and influencing families' emotions, patients' quality of life, patient care, family relationships and caregiver stress (Beach, 2001). The mother-daughter dyad represents one of the most significant relationships to analyze with respect to the impact cancer has within the family since mothers are typically the primary role models for their daughters (Miller, 1995). Using interviews with mother/daughter dyads, this study seeks to examine changes in communication between mothers and daughters following the mother's cancer diagnosis. The mother-daughter dyad is of most interest in this study for several reasons, most notably that this relationship is the “first dyadic relationship a female child has” (Bishop, 1992, p. 58); additionally, mothers are typically the primary role models for their daughters (Miller, 1995). This study aims to shed light on the relational changes that occur following a cancer diagnosis.

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.

The prevalence of type II diabetes is high among African-American women but research that emphasizes black mothers and their adult daughters is rarely studied in social sciences or communication research. Though existing research addresses various domains of the mother-daughter relationship scant information addresses the significance of talk or the transmission of health information between African-American diabetic mothers and their non-diabetic adult daughters. For that reason, this dissertation investigates information sharing among a sample of African-American mothers with type II diabetes and their non-diabetic adult daughters.This study's two primary research objectives were to: 1. describe whether and how African-American type II diabetic mothers and their non-diabetic adult daughters engage in information sharing about type II diabetes; and to 2. describe whether and how the sharing of health-related communication messages shapes African-American mothers' diabetic health behavior and/or shapes adult non-diabetic daughters' diabetic-related health behavior.This study used a modified grounded theory approach, in which I concurrently collected, coded and analyzed data. While an intention behind grounded theory is to develop theory "from the ground up," I also used the Health Belief Model (HBM) and Social Cognitive Theory (SCT) to inform research questions. I conducted 10 interviewswith members of mother-daughter dyads; two with each mother and two with each daughter. I concluded my interviews with both mother and daughter present, yielding a total of 50 interviews. Dyads were comprised of African-American type II diabetic mothers (age 45 and older) and their non-diabetic adult daughters (age 20 and older) living in New Mexico, Ohio and Kentucky.Information gathered from interviews yielded five patterns of communication used by mothers and daughters to talk about type II diabetes. The patterns encompassed the ongoing ways in which mothers' and daughters' negotiated the illness. This study described this negotiation as a unique "culture" that entailed 1) an historical knowledge of diabetes, 2) a present and personal experiences of living with diabetes and 3) an understanding of the future implication of diabetes for mothers, their adult daughters, and their entire family.This study represents the first step toward understanding the diabetic interaction between mothers and adult daughters living with a chronic illness. Results suggest that mothers and daughters are motivated to talk about diabetes, even though talk does not always address prevention in their health behaviors. This study is useful to inform practitioners of the significance of oral tradition as one mode of transmitting health care information within African-American culture and the value of integrated medical visits, particularly for diabetic mothers and their adult daughters. As well, health communication scholars can use this information to develop, test and implement innovative health education media and message strategies for families and mother-daughter dyads that address diabetic health information.