Quality of mother-child interaction and the intergenerational transmissionof sexual values: A panel study

The role of mothers as socializing agents was examined in a longitudinal st udy. It was assumed that mothers can transmit their own values to their chi ldren, especially if the quality of their interaction is good. Whether chil dren influence their mothers' values was also examined. The hypotheses were tested using analysis of variance and structural equation modeling, drawin g on data from 253 English adolescent-mother pairs. The results provided li ttle support for the hypotheses. There was some evidence that mothers influ enced their children's sexual attitudes, but this effect was found for the families characterized by a low quality of parent-child interaction, rather than for the families characterized by a high quality of interaction. No e vidence was found for the assumption that children influence their mothers' sexual attitudes and beliefs. Implications of the study for future researc h are discussed.