DAUGHTERS HELPING THEIR ELDERLY MOTHERS - IMPACT OF EARLY ATTACHMENT,DAUGHTERS TRAIT ANXIETY AND HELPING INTERACTION CHARACTERISTICS

The aim of the study was to explore the relationships between early at tachment between mother and daughter, the adult daughter's general anx iety level, and characteristics of the helping interaction between the adult daughter and her elderly mother on the one hand and the quality of this help on the other. One sample consisted of 46 Swedish women ( mean age: 55 years) who acted as informal caregivers for their elderly mothers. A second sample consisted of 106 Swedish female nursing stud ents (mean age: 27 years). The participants rated the quality of the p ractical, physical and psychosocial help they gave their elderly mothe rs (imagined helping activities in a predefined situation among the nu rsing students). Subjects also rated their mother's degree of caring a nd overprotection in child-hood, their own trait anxiety, and various characteristics of their helping interactions. A high degree of mother ly caring and a low degree of motherly overprotection in childhood cov aried with a lower level of trait anxiety in the adult daughters. Thes e conditions, in tum, covaried with mutual friendliness during the hel ping interactions. All these conditions covaried with high-quality psy chosocial support. The quality of practical help and physical caring c ovaried with friendliness during the helping interactions only.