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Running Head: Mother/Daughter Closeness Mother/Daughter Closeness: From Daughters’ Transition Out of Adolescence and Into College. Dr. Rhonda Sprague Dr. Jim Moe Professor C. Y. Allen Marilyn Dwyer May 2008 A Thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree Master of Arts in Communication Division of Communication University of Wisconsin – Stevens Point Stevens Point, Wisconsin Mother/Daughter Closeness 2 Table of Contents CHAPTER ONE: LITERATURE REVIEW.......................................................................... 4 INTRODUCTION………………………………………………………………………….............4 LITERATURE REVIEW…………………………………………………………………….……...8 Parent/Child Relationships………………………………………………………………….8 Mother/Child Relationship………………………………………………………………….9 Mother/Daughter Relationship……………………………………………………………11 Mothers/Adolescent Daughters……………………………………………………………12 Mothesr/Young Adult Daughters………………………………………………………….16 Communication Frequency………………………………………………………………..20 Communication Types……………………………………………………………………..21 Closeness……………………………………………………………………………………26 THEORETICAL PERSPECTIVE…………………………………………………………………...29 Attachment Theory………………………………………………………………………..29 Mother/Child Attachment…………………………………………………………………32 Conclusion, Hypothesis, Research Questions……………………………………………..34 CHAPTER TWO: METHODOLOGY............................................................................... 38 Participants…………………………………………………………………………………38 Instruments…………………………………………………………………………………38 Procedure…………………………………………………………………………………...42 DATA ANALYSIS………………………………………………………………………………..43 CHAPTER THREE: RESULTS ......................................................................................... 46 Research Question 1……………………………………………………………………….46 Research Question 2……………………………………………………………………….47 Hypothesis 1………………………………………………………………………………..48 Research Question 3……………………………………………………………………….49 Research Question 4……………………………………………………………………….49 Research Question 5.............................................................................................................49 CHAPTER FOUR: DISCUSSION ..................................................................................... 51 INTRODUCTION………………………………………………………………………………..51 Communication Frequency and Closeness (RQ1)………………………………………..51 Types of Communication and Closeness (RQ2)…………………………………………..53 Attachment, Closeness, and Communication Frequency (H1)…………………………..55 Closeness Over Time (RQ3)……………………………………………………………….56 Living Arragement and Closness (RQ4)…………………………………………………..59 Variables and Closeness (RQ5)……………………………………………………………61 Mother/Daughter Closeness 3 CHAPTER FIVE: LIMITATIONS AND FUTURE RESEARCH ........................................... 62 INTRODUCTION………………………………………………………………………………...62 Limitations and Future Research………………………………………………………….62 Conclusion………………………………………………………………………………….68 REFERENCE PAGE ........................................................................................................ 70 APPENDICES ..........................................................................................................................85 Appendix A (Consent Form)………………………………………………………………85 Appendix B (Participant Letter)…………………………………………………………..87 Appendix C (Mother/Child Demographics) ……………………………………………..89 Appendix D (Mother Survey)…………………………………………………………….90 Appendix E (Child Survey) ………………………………………………………………91 Appendix F (Attachment Survey)………………………………………………………..92 Table of Figures TABLE1: COMMUNICATION FREQUENCY AND CLOSENESS IN MDRS............................................46 TABLE 2. COMMUNICATION TYPES AND CLOSENESS IN MDRS ....................................................48 TABLE 3: PREDICTOR VARIALBES AND GREATEST IMPACT ON CLOSENESS IN MDRS ....................50 Mother/Daughter Closeness 4 Chapter One: Literature Review Introduction For many daughters, the relationships they have with their mothers will be the most emotional, enduring, and active of many intergenerational bonds. Daughters, unlike sons, typically continue to idolize their mothers throughout their lives, despite the many transitions and changes in the mother/daughter relationship (MDR). The transition into adulthood can be one of the most significant. Whether it brings hardships or joy, a daughter's transition into adulthood often results in new ways of communicating and connecting with mothers, which can impact satisfaction with and feelings of closeness in the MDR. Since these relationships are often so central in the lives of many women, research needs to explore the potential changes occurring in MDRs during the transition to adulthood. MDRs continually change and develop through transitions, including the daughter’s adolescent years, the daughters' potential transitions into marriage and/or motherhood (Fischer, 1981). MDRs can be thought of as transitional because these periods bring about a more or less sudden shift in relational closeness or distance. These types of transitions bring elements of change not only for the individuals, but for MDRs, as well (Parkes, 1971). These influential transitions often include the daughters' period of adolescence when the struggle of wanting parental independence and, at the same time wanting a sense of connectedness with parents. This also can occur during middle age when Mother/Daughter Closeness 5 daughters become caregivers for their mothers (Floyd & Morman, 2006). Regardless of the specific transitions experienced, research consistently shows that the MDR changes positively over time (Fischer, 1981), and that as women age, they show evidence of enhanced empathy toward their mothers (Berti, 1983). Daughters’ transitions into marriage and parenthood may be important in the redefinition of the MDR (Fischer, 1981). First, daughters' marriages and entrance into motherhood both may provide confirmation of daughters' status as adults. In effect, if parent/adolescent relationships involve the negotiation about defining the adolescent as a child or adult, then agreement may be reached through daughters' attainment of common adult roles. Second, daughters' transition to motherhood is suggested to have great importance for the mother/daughter bond. Daughters take on a role they have watched in their own mothers perform. Finally, these transitions have suggested a major change in the MDR. For daughters, the beginnings of marriage and motherhood are major turning points in their lives (Rossi, 1968; Hill & Aldous, 1969). In fact, this transition has been the most researched are in MDRs (e.g., Baruch & Barnett, 1983; Bromberg, 1983; Fischer, 1981, 1983, 1986; Suitor, 1987). Not all daughters move into adult roles by transitioning into marriage and parenthood, however. Starting college and moving away from home are often recognized as the beginning of adulthood. Past exploration of MDR literature has revealed a research gap between daughters' adolescent years and their transitions into adulthood. According to Aquilino's (1997) study on parent/child relationships during Mother/Daughter Closeness 6 the transition into adulthood, children’s enrollment in college and leaving home are highly related to parents' reports of closeness with them. Missing from this research are details about what might influence these increased feelings of closeness. What changes in MDR as daughters’ transition out of adolescence and into young adulthood? How do these changes impact the closeness perceived by mothers and daughters? This study will examine MDRs at three different stages of relational development: start of high school, start of college, and now. Studying the MDR during the three different stages of relational development may help determine whether levels of closeness experienced in the relationship change during the different stages and what, if anything, co­occurs with those perceptions of closeness. Early parent/child relationships set the stage for intergenerational relations in later life (Rossi & Rossi, 1990). These findings could be related to the formulation of attachment styles that typically develop during infancy but also impact adult relationships. According to Attachment Theory (Bowbly, 1969/1982; 1973; 1980), during the first year of life, children develop fairly stable attitudes about themselves and the world through the responsiveness of their caretakers. Attachment Theory proposes that the systems of attachment, fear, exploration, and sociability exhibit a complicated balance that helps a child develop needed coping skills under the protection of the attachment figure (Ainsworth, 1967). Attachment Theory also assumes that adult attachment is a result of these patterns set in childhood, and that Mother/Daughter Closeness 7 they remain stable over time (Hazan & Shaver, 1994; Shaver, Hazan, & Bradshaw, 1988). Attachment Theory provides a foundation for the relationship­related needs that must be met in order for relational partners to feel satisfied. It also suggests that certain needs and preferences result from a person's relationship history with attachment figures. For example, young adults’ living arrangements have been shown to be related to attachment types (Grossmann, Grossmann, & Zimmerman, 1999). According to Attachment Theory, close adult relationships are achieved only when attachment­related needs are largely met. Therefore, attachment­related factors might help explain changes in closeness in MDRs. Using Attachment Theory as a foundation for this study can help explain that the development of relationships during infancy often predicts relational qualities

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