Altering the Parenting Role: Parents’ Experience of Supporting the Health and Well-Being of Their Adolescent Girls

Abstract

BackgroundIn research the relationships between parents and their adolescent daughters have been viewed from problem oriented perspectives, usually exploring negative effects and health-related problems. Health and well-being are complex phenomena and knowledge is needed on how parents can support the health and well-being of their daughter.ObjectivesThe aim of this study was to illuminate parents’ experiences of supporting the health and well-being of their adolescent girls.MethodsA descriptive design with a phenomenological approach including interviews, individually or in group with ten mothers and five fathers was conducted.ResultsSupporting the health and well-being of adolescent girls was experienced as challenging. The parents needed to altering the parenting role: from being the one who had previously set the limits they needed to rethink and be available for support. In this process interplay, communication and trust were important to support the health and well-being of the girls in an efficient way. This meaning was further illuminated by four constituents: Balancing the need for control, maintaining a trusting relationship, interplay to facilitate their daughters’ transition to independence, and an ambiguous parenting role.ConclusionsThis study highlights the importance of parents being involved in the everyday life of their adolescent daughter to support her health and well-being. The parents’ ability to contribute to the health and well-being of their girl seemed in this study dependent on their ability to communicate and alter the parenting role with sensitivity to the lifeworld of the adolescent girl.