Band-Aids and Kisses Can’t Fix It: Mothers’ and Daughters’ Perceptions of Non-Death Loss and Boundary Ambiguity

Abstract

The goal of this study was to explore middle aged mothers’ and young adult daughters’ perceptions of the impact of non-death loss. This qualitative study explored perceptions of loss and boundary ambiguity of 24 mother-daughter dyads through individual interviews. All mothers and daughters described losses such as illness, the daughters’ launching, and dissolution of relationships that impacted the mother-daughter relationship. Comparison of mothers’ and daughters’ descriptions of the impacts of loss revealed convergence and divergence in their descriptions of associated levels of boundary ambiguity. Although experiences of loss do seem to be a universal human experience, perceptions regarding the impact of loss on both the individual and the mother-daughter dyad vary greatly.