Mother-child relationships of mothers living apart from their children

Mothers' perceptions of mother-child relationships when mothers lived with or apart from their children were examined. Interviews and questionnaires were employed with 16 custody mothers and 17 noncustody mothers. Relationships of custody mothers with the children were more positive and less hostile and mothers felt they had gained in the parental role. Noncustody mothers reported more negative, hostile, and nonexistent relationships with their children. Noncustody mothers had less contact with sons than daughters and overall less contact with children than was reported for noncustody fathers. The results were discussed in terms of a complicated set of agendas on the parts of mothers, fathers, and children, all of which were thought to contribute to the more negative noncustody mother-child relationships. Further research is needed to assess the perceptions of all family members in these complex situations.This research was supported in part by a grant from the College of Home Economics Research Institutes, Texas Tech University.