Tasks in Acceptance: Mothers of Lesbian Daughters

Eleven mothers were interviewed to explore their processes of coming to accept their lesbian daughters’ sexual orientation. Qualitative research analysis yielded five domains: (1) What stayed the same after the daughter's coming out, (2) What changed after the daughter's coming out, (3) Ongoing tasks in the acceptance process, (4) Resources identified and utilized, and (5) Emotional struggles. The mothers’ ongoing tasks in acceptance were: respecting their daughters’ processes of coming to terms with their sexuality, not being concerned with other people's judgments, advocating for their daughters and the GLBT population, and regarding their daughters’ sexual orientation as only one part of them.     

Children of Gay and Lesbian Parents

The purpose of this chapter is to review research literature concerning children of gay and lesbian parents. The review includes studies that compared children of lesbian mothers to children of heterosexual mothers on gender identity, gender role, sexual orientation, and varying aspects of psychological health and adjustment. Experiences and perceptions of children of gay fathers are also reviewed. The author's study found that adult-aged daughters of lesbian mothers did not significantly differ from adult daughters of heterosexual mothers on gender identity, gender role, sexual orientation, and social adjustment. Clinical and legal implications were drawn, and suggestions for future research were made.     

The short-term and decade-long effects of divorce on women's midlife health

We hypothesize that divorce immediately increases psychological distress and has long-term negative consequences for the physical health of divorced people. In addition, we hypothesize that divorce indirectly causes long-term increases in distress through stressful midlife events. The hypotheses are tested using data from 416 rural Iowa women who were interviewed repeatedly in the early 1990s when they were mothers of adolescent children; the women were interviewed again in 2001. The data support the hypotheses. In the years immediately after their divorce (1991-1994), divorced women reported significantly higher levels ofpsychological distress than married women but no differences in physical illness. A decade later (in 2001), the divorced women reported significantly higher levels of illness, even after controlling for age, remarriage, education, income, and prior health. Compared to their married counterparts, divorced women reported higher levels of stressful life events between 1994 and 2000, which led to higher levels of depressive symptoms in 2001.     

Protesting Against Mothers’ Surveillance: Salvadorian Mothers and Their Daughters Negotiating Adolescence in a Foreign Context

This article examines how Salvadorian immigrant mothers and their daughters negotiate adolescence in a settlement context that differs from their home country. The author interviewed 42 women, all living in a midsized city in Ontario, Canada: 32 in-depth individual interviews were carried out with Salvadorian-born mothers and, separately, with one of their daughters (either adolescent or adult); and five interviews included mothers and their adolescent or adult daughters together (N = 10). A grounded theory approach was employed to explore the mother–daughter negotiation process from each person’s point of view. The analysis revealed various strategies that mothers developed to guide their daughters through the adolescent years, and the diverse ways daughters resisted their mother’s guidance while maintaining values such as respect and family loyalty. The findings highlight the resilience and resourcefulness of immigrant families in navigating the challenges of the transition to adulthood while also meeting the demands of acculturation into a foreign country.     

Intergenerational Support and Depression Among Elders in Rural China: Do Daughters‐In‐Law Matter?

This study examined the influence of intergenerational assistance with household chores and personal care from sons, daughters, and daughters‐in‐law on the depressive symptoms of older adults in rural China. The sample derived from rural Anhui Province, a region with a strong hierarchy of support preferences that leads with sons and their families. We used data from a random sample of 1,281 adults aged 60 and over, who were interviewed in 2001 and 2003. Analyses indicated that depressive symptoms were usually reduced by assistance from daughters‐in‐law and increased sometimes when such support was from sons. These relationships held most strongly when mothers coresided with their daughters‐in‐law. This research suggests that the benefits of intergenerational support are conditional on culturally prescribed expectations.     

The Impact of Religious Intensification on Family Relations: A South African Example

Using the example of South African Jewish families in which the daughters became Ultra‐Orthodox, this article examines the reactions and adaptations of mothers to their daughters' religious intensification. A qualitative study in which 15 mothers and 15 daughters were interviewed found that the mothers' initial reactions were primarily positive and ambivalent, with some negative reactions, but over time the mothers became increasingly ambivalent. Overall, mothers and newly observant adult daughters made serious efforts to maintain family cohesion and relationships of mutual respect. The results are explained by the South African context, stress theory, the concept of family resilience, and intergenerational theory.     

Adult Daughters whose Mothers Come Out Later in Life: What is the Psychosocial Impact?

SUMMARY

When a family member comes out, it is a process not only for that individual lesbian but also for their entire family. Adult daughters whose mothers come out later in life have distinctive paths to navigate. This article reports findings of an interview study with six daughters who were adults when their mothers came out to them. Most daughters felt they emerged from childhood with an open mind about sexual identity, but had no idea about their mother's lesbianism until told by her. Half the participants questioned the role of women in their lives after their mother came out. Five of the six have a very close relationship, or have become closer, with their mother, since her coming out.     

Lesbian mothers in Japan: an insider's report

This report introduces Remaza-Kansai, a lesbian mother group in Japan based in the Kansai area, their activities, and the lives of some of the participants in the activities based on interviews by the author. Remaza-Kansai organizes activities and special events for lesbian mothers and their children. It also manages a website and operates a bulletin board for lesbian mothers. In the interviews, it is found that besides the lack of legal recognition of lesbian mothers not biologically connected to the children, they also experience difficulties relating to schools. Another issue requiring further inquiry is how lesbian mothers "come out" to their children. doi:10.1300/J155v10n03_07.     

Perceptions of Children’s Parental Preferences in Lesbian Two‐Mother Households

This study explores how lesbian mothers perceive their 3½‐year‐old children’s parental preferences in families in which one mother is genetically linked to the child. Thirty lesbian couples (60 women) were interviewed about their children’s parental preferences, their explanations of why preferences for one parent existed (or not), and their affective and behavioral reactions to such preferences. Many women acknowledged that their children, as infants, preferred their birth mothers due to biological factors (i.e., breastfeeding) or differential time spent with the child. Despite this initial preference, most women perceived little stability in children’s preferences over time, such that children preferred both mothers equally. Findings support the power of “social motherhood” in fostering maternal connections that transcend biological relatedness over time.     

Mother and Daughter Reports About Upward Transfers

Using 619 mother‐daughter dyads interviewed in the 1997 National Longitudinal Surveys of Mature Women and Young Women, this study examines the assistance that adult daughters provide to their mothers and its covariates. Mothers and daughters have low levels of agreement on transfers. Using mothers’ reports identifies different covariates of transfers than using daughters’ reports. After discrepancies between mother and daughter reports are controlled for, only 3 out of 17 covariates examined are related to transfers, including mothers’ widowhood status, the number of mothers’ difficulties with activities of daily living, and the distance between mother and daughter residences. These findings suggest that without controlling for discrepancies between mother and daughter reports, the covariates of upward transfers may be inaccurately identified.     

The Social Relationships and Social Support of Aging Mothers Whose Adult Daughters Are Mentally Ill

Guided by a conceptual framework highlighting multiple facets of social relationships and social support, this study examined the extent to which aging mothers of adult daughters with a serious mental illness were socially integrated with members of their network. It further examined the relational content of these mothers’ social ties as tangible or intangible support and the nature of their supportive exchanges with network members, particularly their adult daughters with mental illness. A structured face-to-face interview was conducted with 22 aging mothers of these adult daughters. Two methods of analysis were used to analyze data: counting and content analysis. Findings showed aging mothers of daughters with mental illness were socially integrated with relatives and nonrelatives, evidenced relational content of tangible and intangible support in their social ties and engaged in bidirectional and asymmetrical support exchanges with network members, including their daughters with mental illness. These findings suggest that social resources in the form of social relationships and support are embedded in the networks of aging mothers who have adult daughters with serious mental illness. Practitioners should assess support contributions to the aging mothers of adult daughters with serious mental illness from a wide range of social relationships including their daughters.     

Teen mothers who are daughters of teen mothers: Psychological intergenerational dimensions of early motherhood

IntroductionResearchers have shown that being a daughter of a teenage mother is a risk factor regarding the possibility of having early, unprotected sexual intercourse and of falling pregnant. The experiences of young mothers in such situations and the aspects of intergenerational transmission in the mother–daughter relationship have not been well investigated.ObjectivesThis study analyses the experience of motherhood in young mothers (18–20 years at the time of the interview/15–16 at the time of their pregnancy) who are daughters of teen mothers themselves from the psychodynamic perspective of intergenerational transmission.MethodsSix young mothers from Southern Italy were selected and interviewed. A semi-structured interview was used to explore the early experience of pregnancy and motherhood and their relationship with their own mothers. The interviews were analysed through Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA).ResultsFive superordinate themes emerged: I didn't want, I didn't see and I didn't feel; Adolescence? I suddenly became a mother; History repeats itself again and again; Confused Spaces and How difficult is coming into the world?ConclusionAdolescent mothers, who themselves are daughters of teen mothers, seem to have difficulty in representing the meanings associated with their experience of pregnancy and motherhood. A lack of narrative transmission of the experience of pregnancy from mothers to daughters emerged. The implications for research and social policies will be discussed.     

Appearance-Related Communication and Body Image Outcomes: Fat Talk and Old Talk Among Mothers and Daughters

The current study sought to investigate mothers’ and daughters’ appearance-related communication and its relation to body image outcomes. Participants included 199 mother-daughter dyads that completed online questionnaires containing measures of fat talk, old talk, body dissatisfaction, body surveillance, drive for thinness, and bulimic tendencies. Actor-partner interdependence models revealed that (a) mothers’ and daughters’ fat talk, but not old talk, were significantly related to one another, (b) mothers’ and daughters’ fat talk and old talk were significantly related to their own body image outcomes, (c) mothers’ fat talk was positively related to daughters’ bulimic tendencies, and (d) mothers’ old talk was positively related to daughters’ body dissatisfaction. These results suggest that engaging in appearance-related communication is problematic for the person making the comments and, to some extent, being exposed to another person’s appearance-related comments can be harmful to the individual as well—at least for the daughters in the current sample.     

Integrating Barriers to Caucasian Lesbians' Career Development and Super's Life‐Span,Life‐Space Approach

Researchers and practitioners do not fully understand the nature and extent of actual and perceived barriers in lesbians' career development (S. L. Morrow, P. A. Gore, & B. W. Campbell, 1996). In this study, 10 lesbian women, ages 42 to 64 years, were interviewed and asked to identify barriers to career development due to sexual identity. Integration of sexual orientation in D. E. Super's (1990) Life‐Span, Life‐Space approach is proposed.     

Communication About Sexuality With Mothers and Stepmothers From the Perspective of Young Adult Daughters

Children can benefit when they are able to talk about sexuality with their parents. Studies indicate that adolescents prefer to discuss sexuality primarily with their same-sex peers and siblings. In families, teens prefer confiding in their mothers, then their fathers, and finally their stepparents of either gender. In an exploratory qualitative study, using a family systems and communication boundary perspective, 19 young women who self-identified as having a positive relationship with their mothers and nonresidential stepmothers were interviewed in depth. One area of strength identified was that the participants had open communication with their mothers. Although the volume of communication between mothers and daughters was greater than between stepmothers and stepdaughters, the content differed. Ten of the young women could confide in their stepmothers about their sexual experiences, whereas none of young women confided about sexuality with the mothers, with the exception of sexual health issues. This finding might indicate an unrecognized characteristic of positive stepmother–stepdaughter functioning. Practice implications are explored.     

Value Transmission Among Salvadorian Mothers and Daughters: Marianismo and Sexual Morality

Much research has focused on value transmission among Latin American immigrants in North America. However, most of this literature does not differentiate among Latin Americans from diverse backgrounds or among those living in different country contexts. Salvadorians are a relatively new immigrant group to Canada whose value transmission process is understudied. This article reports the findings of a qualitative study that examined which values Salvadorian mothers and their daughters considered important to maintain or modify within Canada’s multicultural society. In-depth individual interviews were conducted with 16 mothers and one daughter of each mother (8 adolescent daughters and 8 adult daughters). All 32 participants lived in a mid-sized city in southeastern Ontario. The analysis was based on grounded theory, and female chastity emerged as a core value that respondents wanted to maintain, while values such as respect and obedience were being transformed. This paper also discusses the implications for social work practitioners.     

Rural Lesbian Mothers and Their Families

Abstract

Lesbian mothers face unique challenges to parenting based on their status as lesbians. They face not only the challenges of discrimination based on sexism and homophobia, but the challenges of parenting. This article explores these challenges and offers practice recommendations to be supportive of good parenting and resources for parenting enrichment.

Lesbians who are parenting either alone or as part of a couple face numerous barriers. And women living in rural communities present unique issues to mental health practitioners. Mental health practitioners working with rural lesbian mothers and their families need an awareness of those issues which are unique to this population as well as those issues which are exacerbated by the combination of minority statuses and social and geographic isolation.

Lesbian mothers in any geographic location find themselves belonging to several populations: lesbians, women, and mothers, to name a few (Friedman, 1990). Each of these populations has its accompanying pressures which, when combined, exacerbate some of the sub-group issues. Rural social service practitioners will encounter lesbian mothers and their families. A clear understanding of their issues will enhance the therapeutic process. The issues and themes of each of the sub-groups will be explored and then examined in the context of rural life.     

Adult daughter aging mother relationship over the life cycle: The Turkish case

Effects of mothers and daughters life cycle changes on mother–daughter relationships in the present study. The life cycle transitions focused on in this study are daughters' marriage and parenthood and mothers' widowhood and declining health. In-depth interviews were conducted with thirty Turkish adult daughter–aging mother pairs. Analyses of interviews with mothers and daughters revealed that age related changes reported by Turkish mothers and daughters were similar to those reported by western participants. Mother–daughter relationships were transformed when daughters got married, had children, and when mothers became widows. Relationships generally improved over the life cycle. Shared sense of femaleness increased and was reinforced by daughters' experience of wife and mother roles and resulted in greater empathy for mothers. Mothers' widowhood and declining health were associated with role reversal. Certain culture specific themes emerged. These were transfer of the responsibility for the daughter's honor from the family to the husband, stress on filial obligations, view of care giving and care taking as cyclic over the life cycle, explanations of conflicts by external norms and/or circumstances, association of women with places and/or relationships. Ambivalence voiced by daughters was interpreted as renegotiation of roles within a society in transition from traditional to more individualist norms.     

The Perspectives of Latina Mothers on Latina Lesbian Families

The purpose of this study was to explore the attitudes and perceptions of 15 Latina mothers towards Latina lesbian parents. A semi-structured interview guide was used to collect the data. While most respondents reported that Latina lesbians' parenting children was normal, they were concerned that by being raised by the Latina lesbian mothers, the children would be confused about their own sexual preference and that they would be teased by their peers. Respondents also reported that children raised in a lesbian household without having a male figure might experience difficulties in adjustment. Respondents reported that religion, how they were raised, and the Latino culture impacted attitudes toward lesbians as parents. Implications of findings are discussed.     

The Conjoint Session as a Tool for the Resolution of Separation-Individuation in the Adult Mother-Daughter Relationship

In the present article, two case reports are used to examine the adult mother-daughter relationship from the point of view of the mother. The two mothers, in midlife, looked to their adult daughters to perform selfobject functions. The daughters of these patients felt threatened by their mother's desire for emotional dependence and had emotionally distanced themselves from their mothers. Emotional estrangement from their daughters had caused these patients to experience feelings of depression severe enough to seek treatment. The article describes the use of a conjoint mother-daughter session within the context of the mother's individual treatment to help these mothers to recognize the unresolved separation-individuation in their relationships with their daughters and to promote a healthier connection in the mother-daughter relationship.