Mother Daughter Research Articles

Maternal lactational investment is higher for sons in chimpanzees

Maternal lactational investment can affect female reproductive rates and offspring survival in mammals and can be biased towards infants of one sex. We compared estimates of lactation effort among mothers, assessed as their potential milk contribution to age-specific infant diets (mother-infant differences in fecal stable nitrogen isotopes, δ15N), to the timing of weaning (infant age at last nursing bout) and to maternal inter-birth interval lengths for male and female infant chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes) at Ngogo, Uganda. Infant males had greater proportions of milk in their age-specific diets, indicated by higher mother-infant differences in δ15N (Generalized Estimating Equation, GEE: p < 0.01). This may mean that mothers of sons showed greater lactation effort than mothers of daughters. Infant males stopped nursing at older ages than infant females (Kaplan–Meier product limit estimate, Breslow estimator: p < 0.05). Mothers of sons showed longer interbirth intervals than mothers of daughters (GEE: p < 0.01). All three measures indicated maternal lactational investment was higher for sons. Male infants may cost mothers more to ensure infant survival than female infants because males are more vulnerable and/or because maternal genetic returns on investment are greater for sons than daughters, as male philopatry means that chimpanzee mothers can have more influence on the reproductive success of sons. Chimpanzee females may trade off growth-related benefits of high lactational investment in male offspring against reduced reproductive rates.Significance statementMaternal investment via lactation affects the reproductive success of female mammals and their offspring and can be biased towards infants of one sex. We investigated lactational variation among wild chimpanzees in relation to infant sex using three proxies for maternal lactational investment: fecal stable nitrogen isotopes, a physiological biomarker that may provide an estimate of lactation effort; observations of nursing, which we used to establish weaning ages; and the lengths of intervals between births of surviving infants. Chimpanzee mothers biased lactational investment toward sons on all three indicators and showed reduced fecundity due to longer inter-birth intervals for mothers of sons than for mothers of daughters. These results would be expected if greater maternal investment toward sons leads to better condition and higher reproductive success for sons later in life, thus to greater inclusive fitness for mothers.

Teen Birth Across Generations Among Non-Latino Whites and African-American Women: The Effect of Race and Neighborhood Income.

To examine the extent to which lifelong neighborhood income modifies the generational association of teen birth among White and AA women in Cook County, IL. Stratified and multilevel logistic regression analyses were conducted on the Illinois transgenerational dataset of singleton births (1989-1991) to non-Latina White and AA mothers (born 1956-1976) with appended U.S. census income information. We calculated rates and risks of teen births according to race, maternal age, and lifelong neighborhood economic environment. Teen birth occurred at a rate of 9.5% and 52.9% for White and AA women, respectively. White women whose mothers were teens when they were born had an over five-fold increased risk of becoming teen mothers themselves. For AA women, the risk was smaller, but statistically significant. For both races, women who experienced downward economic mobility had the highest risk of teen birth, while women with upward mobility had the lowest risk, even compared to women in lifelong high income neighborhoods. While White women exposed to lifelong low income had almost threefold increased risk of teen birth compared to those in lifelong high income neighborhoods, AA women in lifelong high and lifelong low income neighborhoods had similar risk of teen birth. Understanding the racial differences in intergenerational patterns of teen birth is important for effective program planning and policy making, given that interventions targeted at daughters of teen mothers may differ in effectiveness for White and AA teens.

The negotiations of Pakistani mothers’ agency with structure: towards a research practice of hearing ‘silences’ as a strategy

ABSTRACT Research shows that in Pakistan, daughters of educated mothers are likely to be enrolled in school, thus proposing a decontextualised relationship between mothers and their daughters’ education. This article draws on interview data to narratively analyse the situated experiences of Pakistani mothers for supporting their daughters’ education. When mothers’ life stories are analysed, a lifelong strategy of silences is revealed. Through the construct of silences, I challenge myself and other educational researchers to ‘unlearn’ the hegemonic epistemic cues that bind us to certain ways of knowing instead develop a critical openness to the perspectives of mothers and become ‘hearers’. This article situates itself within the debates on epistemic justice – proposing a practice of critical ‘hearing’ to understand the lifelong situated experiences of mothers in Pakistan.

Mother and Daughter Obesity Intervention: A Case Study

Healthy weight loss is a growing concern in an increasingly sedentary world. This study explored the effectiveness of the implementation of physical activity changes in the lives of three overweight mother daughter pairs from a rural area in Virginia. The intervention was over a six-week period. The physical activity intervention focused on the promotion of safe walking and fitness.

Gestational weight change and childhood body composition trajectories from pregnancy to early adolescence.

A mother-child dyad trajectory model of weight and body composition spanning from conception to adolescence was developed to understand how early life exposures shape childhood body composition. African American (49.3%) and Dominican (50.7%) pregnant mothers (n = 337) were enrolled during pregnancy, and their children (47.5% female) were followed from ages 5 to 14. Gestational weight gain (GWG) was abstracted from medical records. Child weight, height, percentage body fat, and waist circumference were measured. GWG and child body composition trajectories were jointly modeled with a flexible latent class model with a class membership component that included prepregnancy BMI. Four prenatal and child body composition trajectory patterns were identified, and sex-specific patterns were observed for the joint GWG-postnatal body composition trajectories with more distinct patterns among girls but not boys. Girls of mothers with high GWG across gestation had the highest BMI z score, waist circumference, and percentage body fat trajectories from ages 5 to 14; however, boys in this high GWG group did not show similar growth patterns. Jointly modeled prenatal weight and child body composition trajectories showed sex-specific patterns. Growth patterns from childhood though early adolescence appeared to be more profoundly affected by higher GWG patterns in females, suggesting sex differences in developmental programming.

An Evaluation of Building Our Nation's Daughters (BOND): Improving Black Single Mother-Daughter Relationships and Well-Being.

Although single mothers report being most concerned about financial costs, the needs of these mothers and their children are more extensive. The current study evaluated a program for Black single mothers with adolescent daughters that emphasized the mother-daughter relationship and coping skills to promote well-being. The program is Building Our Nation’s Daughters (BOND). Individual interviews were conducted with five mothers and five daughters who had participated in BOND. Interviews were conducted online during the COVID-19 pandemic. Interviews were audio recorded and transcribed to allow for coding and analysis of qualitative data. Mothers and daughters also verbally provided numeric outcome ratings specific to select outcomes. Mother and daughter well-being improved based both on self-report and report of the other member of the dyad (i.e., mother for daughter, daughter for mother). Results suggest programs like BOND have the capacity to improve mood and strengthen the mother-daughter relationship through development of coping skills and conflict resolution skills. The evaluated program improved mother and daughter well-being in part through skills building, but importantly through improvement in the mother-daughter relationship, as well. BOND could be used as a template for similarly situated families. For example, the program could be modified to address the needs of single father households and single caregiver households with adolescent boys.

Path analysis of the relationships among mother–daughter intergenerational succession of generativity, health literacy, and health of female college students

Path analysis of the relationships among mother–daughter intergenerational succession of generativity, health literacy, and health of female college students

Expression of feminine sentiments in Zubaida Zulfiqar's poetry

Though the name of Prof. Zubaida shines now in the poetic and literary scenario of KPK yet her works stretch upon a few decades. Her poetry encompasses present social issues. Her poetry portrays the sentiments of womenfolk which are based on love sacrifice and sincerity, civic and religious trends of KPK. In her poetry Zubaida is present as woman and symbolizes modesty loyalty and home making and as a daughter she is the best symbol of care of her family. All categories of women that is mother daughter wife and sister etc have been uplifted and visible in the works of Zubaida Zulfiqar.

Особливості перебігу пубертатоґенезу в дівчат-підлітків із гінекологічною патологією, народжених із низькою або надмірною масою тіла

The perinatal background plays one of the most important roles in the development of future mothers. The study of factors influencing the formation of puberty is an urgent issue for improving the demographic situation in the country. Purpose — to analyze the nature of the pubertogenesis's progress of adolescent girls depending on body weight at birth. Materials and methods. A retrospective analysis was made of the course of pregnancy and childbirth of mothers of girls born with low or overweight. Menstrual function and somatic status among the study groups were prospectively assessed to identify markers of start and puberty disorders. Results. The data obtained showed the reliability of the influence of body weight at birth on the development of menstrual function. Hypomenstrual syndrome was formed under the influence of fetal growth retardation syndrome, and vice versa, hypermenstrual syndrome was based on macrosomia in the antenatal period. Conclusions. The identified features provide an opportunity for further research for the timely optimization of the formation of risk groups in the fertile age. Step-by-step monitoring and predictive models for the formation and maintenance of the ovarian reserve of this cohort implement differentiated pregravid preparation at an early reproductive age. The research was carried out in accordance with the principles of the Helsinki declaration. The study protocol was approved by the Local ethics committee of the participating institution. The informed consent of the patient was obtained for conducting the studies. No conflict of interest was declared by the author. Key words: puberty, reproductive potential, low birth weight, macrosomia, menarche.

Variation and transmission of the human gut microbiota across multiple familial generations

Although the composition and functional potential of the human gut microbiota evolve over the lifespan, kinship has been identified as a key covariate of microbial community diversification. However, to date, sharing of microbiota features within families has mostly been assessed between parents and their direct offspring. Here we investigate the potential transmission and persistence of familial microbiome patterns and microbial genotypes in a family cohort (n = 102) spanning 3 to 5 generations over the same female bloodline. We observe microbiome community composition associated with kinship, with seven low abundant genera displaying familial distribution patterns. While kinship and current cohabitation emerge as closely entangled variables, our explorative analyses of microbial genotype distribution and transmission estimates point at the latter as a key covariate of strain dissemination. Highest potential transmission rates are estimated between sisters and mother–daughter pairs, decreasing with increasing daughter’s age and being higher among cohabiting pairs than those living apart. Although rare, we detect potential transmission events spanning three and four generations, primarily involving species of the genera Alistipes and Bacteroides. Overall, while our analyses confirm the existence of family-bound microbiome community profiles, transmission or co-acquisition of bacterial strains appears to be strongly linked to cohabitation.

The mother–daughter relationship and the quest for identity: a study of Maxine Hong Kingston’s The woman warrior as an ethnic female Bildungsroman

ABSTRACT German in origin, the Bildungsroman is a novelistic genre that refers to narratives that deal with the process of formation and development of its protagonist from childhood to adolescence. The Bildungsroman has been evolving and adjusting itself to new historical, social and literary concerns and a significant shift seems to be taking place in the area of family dynamics, particularly in the case of immigrant Bildungsroman. The rise of feminist, post-colonial and minority studies during the 1980s and 1990s broadened the definition and approach to Bildungsroman resulting in unprecedented increase in female Bildungsroman. Many emerging post-colonial writers are women and have migrant backgrounds and their personal experiences of migration are translated into their works, which have come to serve as metaphors for identity reconstruction. Filial relationships, mother–daughter relationship in particular, are an important theme in ethnic female Bildungsroman The Woman Warrior (WW). This article examines how the mother–daughter relationship in female Bildungsroman The WW marks significant departures from the conventional Bildungsroman – how the protagonist reinscribes herself within her parents’ culture by tracing the descent line of her Chinese–American, female, artistic self through her mother while at the same time reinscribing that culture into an American context; how the shared experience between Brave Orchid and her daughter as marginalized women in racist American society is used to forge an exalting relationship.

Undergraduate Female Students' Motivation and Perceived Self-efficacy in Mathematics

This article aims to describe undergraduate-level female students’ motivation, interest, and perceived self-efficacy in mathematics. This is a cross-sectional descriptive study. All 84 female students who were studying mathematics at the undergraduate level in the selected nine different campuses of Tribhuvan University (TU) of Kathmandu valley and one campus of Kathmandu University (KU) were included as a sample of the study. Data were collected from sample female students through a self-administered questionnaire. Female students were found to be motivated and encouraged by their parents and teachers to study mathematics at undergraduate level. Fifty-two percent of respondents were confident in obtaining A grade in mathematics but most of them have a moderate level of self-efficacy to learn mathematics concepts and theories. Self-efficacy belief is significantly higher among daughters of educated mothers (above high school) (79%) compared to daughters of mothers with high school education and below (43%). Perceived self-efficacy of the female students is influenced by various factors including the educational status of parents, family support, and teachers’ encouragement. Association between parents’ education and self-efficacy is found significant at p-value &lt; 0.05. It can be said that parents’ education and teachers’ encouragement influence the mathematical self-efficacy of female students to some extent.

The process of adapting a sexual health intervention for Black early adolescents: a stakeholder engagement approach.

Young Black women are disproportionately affected by sexually transmitted infections (STIs) and HIV. Notably, few sexual health interventions for Black girls have documented the process of utilizing stakeholder input from the Black community to culturally tailor content. We conducted formative work in Chicago to adapt a mother-daughter HIV/STI prevention intervention originally designed for Black adolescent girls aged 14-18 years to meet the needs of early adolescent girls aged 11-13 years. Our iterative process involved three phases: (i) soliciting feedback from an expert panel and community advisory board; (ii) conducting focus groups with experienced research participants; and (iii) theater testing a new curriculum in the target population. Key findings of this process indicate the importance of sophisticated community engagement strategies to shape research design and program implementation. Findings may be used to inform processes for future adaptation work, especially in sexual health programs for young Black girls and their mothers.

Role of Mothers Resilience in the Development of Resilience and Prevention of Depression and Anxiety in Daughters

Background: Resilience has proven to be a protective factor against adverse conditions. However, mental health professionals have started studying resilience in terms of reducing depression and anxiety. In Pakistan especially, this area needs to be explored to develop interventions to make people resilient. This study aimed to investigate and understand the role of mothers' resilience in developing resilience and prevention of depression and anxiety in daughters.&#x0D; Methodology: This was a cross-sectional study, and data were collected from 88 participants hailing from different areas of Karachi, Pakistan, and among them, 44 were girls, and 44 were their biological mothers. The variables were assessed using the resilience and depression anxiety scale.&#x0D; Results: The study results reveal that when mothers are resilient, it helps develop resilience in daughters. Since there was no significant difference between mothers' and daughters' resilience, all the mothers were resilient, and their daughters were resilient. Further, this study also showed that resilience is negatively correlated with depression and anxiety. Moreover, there was a significant positive relationship between mothers' resilience and daughters' depression and anxiety scores. Besides this, a significant positive relationship has also been found between daughters' resilience and mothers' depression anxiety scores.&#x0D; Conclusion: Based on the findings, it is suggested that for the development of a healthy society, intervention programs that promote resilience must be adapted for children as well as adults so that they can overcome the challenges of daily life.

Knowledge, attitude and practice towards cervical cancer prevention among mothers of girls aged between 9 and 14\xa0years: a cross sectional survey in Zimbabwe

BackgroundCervical cancer (CC) morbidity and mortality is still high in developing countries like Zimbabwe. Treatment for CC is out of reach for many women, hence the need to maximise on prevention which mainly includes screening and administering human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine. Knowledge about CC prevention is a prerequisite for utilisation of all the available options for CC prevention, yet little is known about its levels and the corresponding attitudes and practices on cancer prevention methods within the society.MethodsA cross sectional survey was done to assess knowledge, attitude and practice (KAP) on CC prevention among mothers of girls aged between 9 and 14 years in Zimbabwe as well as factors explaining the KAP. Four hundred and six mothers participate. Descriptive and inferential statistics (binary logistic regression and Chi-Square test of association) were applied to determine participant characteristics with KAP using STATA version 16 software.FindingsOverall KAP of cervical cancer prevention is in a poor state. The knowledge was poor with 24% being able to say CC is caused by HPV; the attitude is negative with 58% being of the opinion that CC is caused by witchcraft and it is a death sentence, while the bad practices of relying only on traditional means were being practiced. Factors associated with knowledge are: not having medical aid (odds: 0.17, 95%CI: 0.05–0.59, p = 0.005) and high levels of education (secondary level odds: 4.20; 95%CI: 2.25–7.84 p < 0.001 and tertiary odds: 7.75; 95%CI: 2.04–29.45, p-value: 0.003 compared to primary education). Attitude towards CC management was driven by levels of education (secondary level odds: 0.39, 95%CI: 0.20–0.78, p = 0.007 and tertiary odds: 0.12, 95%CI: 0.04–0.33, p < 0.001), the same factor increases odds of good practice (secondary odds: 3.78, 95%CI: 1.99–7.18, p < 0.001 and tertiary odds: 3.78, 95%CI: 1.99–7.18, p < 0.001). On the other hand, HPV vaccine knowledge was also very moderate (with majority of mothers not knowing the right age of vaccination; vaccine acceptability was high (90%), but uptake was very low (8% had their daughter vaccinated).ConclusionKAP about CC prevention was poor with factors necessary for improvement of KAP identified as education, medical insurance coverage. Making health education easily accessible in schools, primary health facilities and various media platforms will help to address the myths on causes of CC and how it can be treated. Health education and availability of free screening services and free vaccine will improve CC prevention out outcomes.

Coping with breast cancer together: Challenging topics for mothers and their adolescent-young adult (AYA) daughters

Background. The mother-daughter relationship can be central to women who are coping with breast cancer and provide a key source of support. However, the adolescent and young adult (AYA) daughters of diagnosed mothers have been known to exhibit notable distress during this time, withdrawing and avoiding communication, further challenging their ability to cope together. Objective. We sought to identify challenging topics that contribute to this avoidant mother–daughter communication pattern, as a first step in helping mothers and AYA daughters facilitate health-promoting communication. Methods. We examined thematically analyzed transcripts of one-on-one, in-depth, semi-structured interviews with 27 women (12 mother–daughter dyads). Results. We to identified 3 broad topics that were challenging to discuss: daughters’ future breast cancer risk; emotionally related concerns; and clinical and physical aspects of disease. Thematic properties illustrate the challenging nature of each topic that informed their ability to communally cope together. Implications. Findings provide an initial roadmap for developing communication skills interventions that help mothers and AYA daughters navigate challenging conversations and facilitate communal coping.

The impact of gender‐based microaggressions and internalized sexism on mental health outcomes: A mother–daughter study

AbstractBackgroundAlthough research is emerging on the subtle slights that women experience, research is needed regarding the frequency with which gender‐based microaggressions occur, their impact on mental health, and how views on gender roles may influence their impact.ObjectiveThe current study examined how mothers and daughters experienced gender‐based microaggressions, internalized sexism, and mental health symptoms.MethodsThe sample included 102 predominantly White mother–daughter pairs. Adolescents were 14 to 18 years old, and mothers were 34 to 68 years old. Mothers and daughters answered surveys including a demographic questionnaire, the Gender‐Microaggressions Scale, Ambivalent Sexism Inventory, the Patient Health Questionnaire—9 for depression, and the General Anxiety Disorder—7 for anxiety.ResultsGreater gender‐related microaggressions experienced in the past month were related to higher levels of mental health distress associated with depression and anxiety among mothers and daughters (p &lt; .05). Mothers and daughters scores were significantly correlated (p &lt; .05) for microaggressions experienced in the past month, total score of the Ambivalent Sexism Inventory, depression, and anxiety. For mother's depression, a mother's level of ambivalent sexism approached significance in terms of moderating the relationship between microaggressions and mental health (p = .055).ConclusionOur findings suggest that microaggressions are related to mental health distress in adolescent girls and middle‐aged women.ImplicationsUncovering the chronic nature of gender‐based microaggressions and how these may affect individuals and family systems may be useful in individual and family therapy as well as in efforts to change broader social processes.

Intergenerational Costs of Oxidative Stress: Reduced Fitness in Daughters of Mothers That Experienced High Levels of Oxidative Damage during Reproduction.

AbstractParental condition transfer effects occur when the parents' physiological state during reproduction affects offspring performance. Oxidative damage may mediate such effects, yet evidence that oxidative damage experienced by parents during reproduction negatively affects offspring fitness is scarce and limited to early life stages. We show in Japanese quail (Coturnix japonica) that maternal levels of oxidative damage, measured during reproduction, negatively predict the number of offspring produced by daughters. This maternal effect on daughters' reproductive success was mediated by an effect on hatching success rather than on the number of eggs laid by daughters. We also observed a negative association between fathers' oxidative damage levels and the number of eggs laid by daughters but a positive association between fathers' oxidative damage levels and the hatching success of those eggs. These opposing paternal effects canceled each other out, resulting in no overall effect on the number of offspring produced by daughters. No significant association between a female's own level of oxidative damage during reproduction and her reproductive success was observed. Our results suggest that oxidative damage experienced by parents is a better predictor of an individual's reproductive performance than oxidative damage experienced by the individual itself. Although the mechanisms underlying these parental condition transfer effects are currently unknown, changes in egg composition or (epi)genetic alterations of gametes may play a role. These findings highlight the importance of an intergenerational perspective when quantifying costs of physiological stress.

Mother-daughter communication about puberty in Egypt

Parental communication during puberty can be a protective factor for adolescents. In Egypt, girls have poor access to sexual and reproductive health services and there is a lack of information on puberty in school curricula. Yet little is known about girls’ other sources of information about puberty, including communication with mothers. We analysed 29 in-depth interviews with young mothers of girls in Greater Cairo to better understand mother-daughter communication about puberty. We examine respondents’ motivations for communication with their daughters, the type of messages they provided or expected to provide, and barriers to mother-daughter communication, paying particular attention to intergenerational dynamics with respect to how women learn about puberty. We found that while mothers wanted to, and did, play a primary role in communicating with girls about puberty, discussions were constrained by lack of information and embarrassment. Mothers were more open to discussing some aspects of puberty, such as hygiene, than others. Conversations may also be delayed due to social norms about what is appropriate for girls to know and when. Messages were often fear-based and embedded in norms that stigmatised girls’ sexuality. Programmes and interventions targeting mothers’ knowledge and communication skills around puberty should be adapted and tested in the context of Egypt.

Effects of nitrogen addition on clonal integration between mother and daughter ramets of Moso bamboo: a 13C-CO2 pulse labeling study

Abstract Resource sharing among connected ramets (i.e. clonal integration) is one of the distinct traits of clonal plants. Clonal integration confers Moso bamboo (Phyllostachys pubescens) a strong adaptability to different environmental conditions. But the mechanisms of how clonal integration makes Moso bamboo has better performance are still poorly understood. In this study, acropetal and basipetal translocation of photosynthates between Moso bamboo ramets were analyzed separately to investigate how clonal fragments obtain higher benefits under heterogeneous N conditions. Clonal fragments of Moso bamboo consisting of two interconnected mother–daughter ramets were used, each of the ramets was subjected to either with or without N addition. The acropetal and basipetal translocation of 13C-photosynthates was separated via single-ramet 13CO2-labeling. Mother ramets translocated more 13C-photosynthates to daughter ramets with N addition, and the translocation of 13C-photosynthates to mother ramets was more pronounced when daughter ramets were treated with N addition. The 13C-photosynthates that were translocated from mother ramets without and with N addition were mainly invested in the leaves and roots of daughter ramets with N addition, from daughter ramets with N addition were mainly invested in the leaves and roots of mother ramets with and without N addition, respectively. These results suggest that mother ramets preferentially invest more resources in nutrient-rich daughter ramets, and that daughter ramets serve as efficient resource acquisition sites to specialize in acquiring abundant resources based on the resource conditions of mother ramets. Clonal plants can improve their resource acquisition efficiency and maximize the overall performance in this way.