BROOKINGS, SD (KELO-AM) Daughters who have a close relationship with their mothers have traditionally been more apt to develop healthy romantic relationships, but that no longer holds true, according to SunWoo Kang, an assistant professor in the South Dakota State University Department of Counseling and Human Development.
SunWoo Kang The quality of a mother's marriage may be an important factor influencing her daughter's future relationships.Through a one-year, $2,000 award from Women and Giving through the SDSU Foundation, Kang and her colleague Amber Letcher will examine how a mother's marital relationship affects her daughter. Women and Giving is supported by a group of female SDSU philanthropists who fund research that impacts women's lives. Amber Letcher The researchers will recruit 30 actively dating girls between 15 and 18 years old and their married mothers to take part in the survey. The assessment tool can be filled out on their own or with assistance from the researchers. All responses will be kept confidential.Each mother-daughter pair will receive $30 in return for approximately 30 to 50 minutes of their time. Those interested in participating can contact Kang at 605-217-8572 or sunwoo.kang@sdstate.edu or Letcher at amber.letcher@sdstate.edu. "Parents are the most important resource for children to learn how to solve conflict," said Kang. The marital relationship that they see growing up sets the limits for acceptable behavior in a romantic relationship.Kang expects that mothers who have good support from their spouses will experience less relationship strain and higher overall marital happiness. Through the survey, the researchers will assess the mother's situation and then correlate that with the daughter's dating behaviors.The data gathered will support an application for funding from the National Institutes of Health.