When mothers turn to their adolescent daughters: Predicting daughters' vulnerability to negative adjustment outcomes

Mother-to-daughter disclosure regarding two sensitive topic areas - financial concerns and complaints/anger toward the ex-husband (the adolescent girl's father) - was examined in a sample of 62 mother/adolescent-daughter dyads following the mother's divorce. Most mothers in the current sample have disclosed to their daughters on these two topics, but with varying levels of detail and diverse motivations. Daughter perceptions of maternal disclosure were associated with daughter psychological distress, regardless of daughter age.