Document View

The purposes of this study were to (a) describe the transitions in mother-daughter relationships when mothers experience a health crisis and (b) develop a theoretical framework to illustrate the transitions. Six elderly women who experienced a hip fracture and their daughters participated in individual, dyad, and group interviews. Twenty-seven face-to-face and multiple telephone interviews were conducted over one year. The study was based on a grounded theory design. The constant comparative method was used to generate theory and guide data collection. Findings from the data supported a theoretical framework that illuminated the phenomenon of two generations of women transitioning through a health crisis. The health crisis of the mother was a link between the past and the future of the mothers and daughters. Exploration of this link revealed the central core category of evolution of women's strength that integrated five major concepts in the theoretical model. The first concept, internalizing female lineage served to identify sources of strength. Duration and strength of female lineage affected self-identification and situated the women in relationship to female ancestors and descendants. Second, mastering maturity enhanced inner strength as mothers and daughters identified milestones and attempted to age creatively. Third, using strength, the women evolved as matriarchs. How they passed values, talents, and traditions indicated levels of maturation. Fourth, with renewed and intensified strength the mothers and daughters created meaning from the health crisis and incorporated joy and trauma into their lives. With this process they were transformed. Finally, modeling courage and sharing advice, the women manifested their own strengths and became empowered. This framework illuminates some intricacies of how women negotiate, transform, and empower their lives through health crisis. The model could be used as a beginning growth and development guide for aging women and to assist women experiencing a health crisis. Future nursing research could utilize this framework to expand understanding of family relationships through crisis.