Journals Information
International Journal of Social Work and Human Services Practice(CEASE PUBLICATION) Vol. 5(4), pp. 147 - 156
DOI: 10.13189/ijrh.2017.050401
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Adult Daughters of Victimized Mothers: Navigating Relationships with Fathers Who Abuse
Kim Anderson 1,*, Andrea L. Roach 2
1 School of Social Work, Public Affairs Program, University of Central Florida, USA
2 Department of Child, Family, and Consumer Sciences, California State University, USA
ABSTRACT
This article reports on a qualitative study that examined how adult daughters (N=17) of victimized mothers navigate relationships with fathers/stepfathers who abuse their intimate partners. Through the use of purposive sampling and the grounded theory method, participants' intentional decision-making involved upholding self-preservation while distinguishing relationship boundaries with their abusive father figures. Three adult daughter-father relational categories emerged depicting the tenuous balance between maintaining self and engaging in paternal contact: self-defend, self-sustain, and self-transcend. Each grouping included key emotional, cognitive and behavioral processes for adult daughters in regard to relationship commitment, support, and contact with their fathers/stepfathers. This study's findings contribute to a gap in knowledge regarding possible processes and consequences for adult daughters in negotiating relationships, including caregiving assistance, with partner-abusive fathers/stepfathers. Such knowledge informs the feminist, child development and fathering literature and opens up possibilities for further study in domestic violence research.
KEYWORDS
Intimate Partner Violence, Children Exposed to Domestic Violence, Fathering
Cite This Paper in IEEE or APA Citation Styles
(a). IEEE Format:
[1] Kim Anderson , Andrea L. Roach , "Adult Daughters of Victimized Mothers: Navigating Relationships with Fathers Who Abuse," International Journal of Social Work and Human Services Practice(CEASE PUBLICATION), Vol. 5, No. 4, pp. 147 - 156, 2017. DOI: 10.13189/ijrh.2017.050401.
(b). APA Format:
Kim Anderson , Andrea L. Roach (2017). Adult Daughters of Victimized Mothers: Navigating Relationships with Fathers Who Abuse. International Journal of Social Work and Human Services Practice(CEASE PUBLICATION), 5(4), 147 - 156. DOI: 10.13189/ijrh.2017.050401.