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RESILIENCE IN ADULT WOMEN WHO EXPERIENCED EARLY MOTHER LOSS A Dissertation Presented to the Faculty of Antioch University Seattle In partial fulfillment for the degree of DOCTOR OF PSYCHOLOGY by Elizabeth Schmitz-Binnall ORCID Scholar No. 0000-0003-1886-3229 December 2020 RESILIENCE IN ADULTS WHO EXPERIENCED EARLY MOTHER LOSS This dissertation, by Elizabeth Schmitz-Binnall, has been approved by the committee members signed below who recommend that it be accepted by the faculty of Antioch University Seattle in partial fulfillment of requirements for the degree of DOCTOR OF PSYCHOLOGY Dissertation Committee: Dana Waters, PsyD, ABPP, Chairperson William Heusler, PsyD Tasmyn Bowes, PsyD ii © 2020 by Elizabeth Schmitz-Binnall All Rights Reserved iii ABSTRACT RESILIENCE IN ADULTS WHO EXPERIENCED EARLY MOTHER LOSS Elizabeth Schmitz-Binnall Antioch University Seattle Seattle, WA The primary purpose of this dissertation study was to explore levels of resilience in adult women whose mothers died when the participants were children. The death of a mother during an individual’s childhood is an adverse event that can affect all areas of that person’s life. It is intuitive to believe that early mother death would cause long-term effects on the overall resilience levels of the individuals; however, there has been minimal research exploring resilience in this population. With a sample of 245 women throughout the United States, this study used the Connor-Davidson Resilience Scale 25 (CD-RISC-25) to begin investigating resilience in adult women who experienced childhood mother loss. The results of this study showed significant lower resilience mean scores for the mother-loss group when compared to the general population group. Furthermore, within-group differences were found when examining current age and resilience scores, with older women indicating slightly higher resilience scores than younger women. No statistically significant differences were found when comparing mean resilience scores for age at time of loss or length of time since loss. This dissertation is available in open access at AURA, http://aura.antioch.edu/ and Ohio Link ETD Center, https://etd.ohiolink.edu/ (pdf version only). Keywords: resilience, mother loss, mother death, CD-RISC, childhood mother loss, parental loss, parental death iv Dedication This dissertation is dedicated first and foremost to my mother, who died when I was two years old. I feel her own resilient spirit living within me, helping me navigate this sometimes- difficult life. I also must dedicate this dissertation to ALL of the wonderful resilient women and men in my life: to my father, who died at the age of 93 with unfinished projects piled around him, providing inspiration to keep searching and keep learning; to my sisters and brothers who have each found their way in life, while still finding ways to show their “little sister” love and caring; and to all of my loved ones who have passed on to the next journey before me, providing continued spiritual guidance and strength throughout my life. Finally, this dissertation is dedicated to all individuals whose mothers died when they were children, especially those who participated in this study. The loss of your mother can seem inconsolable, immeasurable, and irreplaceable. Yet, you continue on in the world, moving through the loss to become the best you can be. We find a place for what we lose. Although we know that after such a loss the acute stage of mourning will subside, we also know that a part of us shall remain inconsolable and never find a substitute. No matter what may fill the gap, even if it is completely filled, it will nevertheless remain something changed forever. —Sigmund Freud v Acknowledgements I have so much gratitude to my husband, Dave, who has given me immeasurable encouragement and support all of our years together. Without him, I would never have had the courage to pursue a doctorate degree in the first place, and I would have crawled under my desk a thousand times to hide from this dissertation without his continued coaxing. To all of my family members, who kept asking, “How many more years???” NOW, you can call me Dr. Liz!! Thank you especially, to Peter, for hanging in there through my years of griping and whining and anxiety! Thanks for being my rock. To my friends who “made it” before me, Dr. Seema Buksh, Dr. Jess Stark, Dr. Gurjeet Sidhu, and Dr. Melissa Mulick—thank you for your constant encouragement! You no longer have to text, “How’s your dissertation?” and listen to my woes about writing blocks and feelings of discouragement! To my dissertation chair, Dr. Dana Waters, thank you for the patience, nudging, pushing, encouragement, pushing, nudging, reminders, and patience! To my committee members, Dr. Bill Heusler, and Dr. Tasmyn Bowes, thank you for your guidance and encouragement. I finally made it!! Finally, thank you to all of the faculty, staff, and fellow students at Antioch University Seattle for making this doctorate degree something I can hold with pride and a true sense of accomplishment. vi Table of Contents Dedication ....................................................................................................................................... v Acknowledgements ........................................................................................................................ vi Chapter I: Introduction .................................................................................................................... 1 Purpose of the Study ................................................................................................................... 1 Theoretical Frameworks ............................................................................................................. 2 Organization of Dissertation ....................................................................................................... 2 Research Questions ..................................................................................................................... 4 Definitions of Relevant Terms .................................................................................................... 4 Chapter II: Review of Literature ..................................................................................................... 6 Choice of Topic........................................................................................................................... 6 Short-Term Psychological Consequences................................................................................... 8 Long-Term Psychological Consequences ................................................................................. 10 Lack of Psychopathology with Parental Death ......................................................................... 14 Resilience .................................................................................................................................. 15 Measuring Resilience ................................................................................................................ 25 Chapter III: Method ...................................................................................................................... 28 Research Questions and Null Hypotheses ................................................................................ 28 Participants ................................................................................................................................ 28 Measures and Procedures .......................................................................................................... 29 Data Analysis ............................................................................................................................ 33 Chapter IV: Results ....................................................................................................................... 36 Descriptive Statistics ................................................................................................................. 36 Statistics and Data Analysis ...................................................................................................... 37 Summary of Findings ................................................................................................................ 41 Chapter V: Discussion .................................................................................................................. 43 Discussion ................................................................................................................................. 43 Limitations ................................................................................................................................ 47 Suggestions for Future Research .............................................................................................. 48 References ..................................................................................................................................... 50 Appendix A: Demographic Questionnaire.................................................................................... 59 Appendix B: Connor-Davidson Resilience Scale 25 (CD-RISC-25) ........................................... 61 vii Appendix C: Connor-Davidson Resilience Scale (CD-RISC) Use Agreement ............................ 63 Appendix D: Recruitment Site List............................................................................................... 65 Appendix E: Recruitment Flyer