MOTHER-DAUGHTER RELATIONSHIPS DURING THE FIRST YEAR OF CAREGIVING - AQUALITATIVE STUDY

Mother-daughter relationships during the first year of adult daughters caregiving for their aging mothers are examined. Eight daughters cari ng for their mothers were interviewed one year into their caregiving e xperience to examine mother-daughter relationships and the decision to provide care. These eight daughters were recruited from a much larger survey study in the Midwest. Based on taped, open ended interviews, f indings indicate that the mother-daughter relationship is stable but n ot without transitional conflicts. The decision to take on the caregiv er role extended beyond the physical need for care and included the st rong life-long relationships with their mothers as well as their fathe rs. Conflict was found to be associated with living arrangement: those daughters who co-resided with their mothers expressed more conflict. Yet, in some cases conflict as well as caregiving strengthened attachm ent. Half of tile daughters had never thought of or planned on caring for their mothers and found the caregiving role stressful initially, y et after one year of providing care, all of the daughters said ''they would do it again.'' The authors call for expanding our concept of ''f amily planning'' and discuss the need for interventions that prepare w omen and families for these caregiving years.