Pergamon

Child Abuse & Neglect, Vol. 19, No. 8, pp. 885-895, 1995
Copyright 1995 Elsevier Science Ltd
Printed in the USA. All rights reserved
0145-2134/95 $9,50 + .00
0145-2134(95)00051-8
NEGLECTFUL MOTHERS, THEIR MOTHERS, AND
PARTNERS: THE SIGNIFICANCE OF MUTUAL AID
CAROL COOHEY
School of Social Service Administration, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL, USA
Abstract--Those who work to prevent the conditions that lead to child neglect need to know which supportive
resources parents lack and why. The goals of this paper are to: (a) determine if mothers who neglect their children
exchange (i.e., give and receive) fewer resources with two network members: their mothers and partners; and (b)
identify a set of relationship characteristics that create barriers to the receipt of resources. Sixty-nine neglectful mothers
were compared to a demographically comparable sample of 138 mothers. The results support the conclusion that
neglectful mothers exchange fewer resources with both their partners and mothers, but the deficit varied depending
on the network member and the type of support. Several additional relationship characteristics differentiated neglectful
mothers from comparison mothers. Neglectful mothers were more likely to state their mothers had fewer positive
attributes (e.g., was not warm and caring), their relationship was less positive, and they were less interested in
receiving resources from their mothers, Partners of neglectful and comparison mothers did not differ on any of these
characteristics. Instead, neglectful mothers and their partners knew each other for less time, were less likely to be
living with each other, and saw each other less frequently.
Key Words--Neglect, Support, Adult daughters, Mothers, Resources.
I NT R ODUC T I ON
C AS E S OF C HI L D n e g l e c t r e p r e s e n t t he ma j o r i t y o f a l l c h i l d ma l t r e a t me n t c a s e s i n t he
Un i t e d St a t e s ( U. S. De p a r t me n t o f He a l t h a n d Hu ma n S e r v i c e s , 1988) . De s p i t e t h e i r hi gh
i n c i d e n c e , a n d t he d e v a s t a t i n g l o n g - t e r m c o n s e q u e n c e s o f c h i l d n e g l e c t ( Ho f f ma n - P l o t k i n &
T we n t y ma n , 1984; P o l a n s k y , Ch a l me r s , Bu t t e n wi e s e r , & Wi l l i a ms , 1981) , t he o v e r wh e l m-
i ng f o c u s o f r e s e a r c h a n d t h e o r y b u i l d i n g ha s b e e n on s e x u a l a b u s e , p h y s i c a l a b u s e , or
c h i l d ma l t r e a t me n t ( i . e. , wh e r e d i f f e r e n t t y p e s o f ma l t r e a t e r s a r e c o mb i n e d i nt o one s t udy
g r o u ~ Mi l n e r & Ro b e r t s o n , 1990) . Mo s t o f wh a t i s k n o wn a b o u t c h i l d n e g l e c t , as a d i s t i n c t
s e t o f b e h a v i o r s , i s t he r e s u l t o f a r e l a t i v e l y s ma l l n u mb e r o f s t udi e s . Th e s e s t u d i e s h a v e
f o c u s e d on t h r e e a r e a s : p e r s o n a l a t t r i b u t e s o f mo t h e r s wh o a r e n e g l e c t f u l ( Cu l p , Cu l p ,
So u l i s , & Le t t s , 1989; Mi l n e r & Ro b e r t s o n , 1990; P o l a n s k y et al . , 1981) , d e mo g r a p h i c
c h a r a c t e r i s t i c s o f n e g l e c t c a s e s ( J o n e s & Mc Cu r d y , 1992; Zu r a v i n , 1989) , a nd p r o p e r t i e s o f
t he mo t h e r ' s s o c i a l n e t wo r k ( Cr i t t e n d e n , 1985; Gi o v a n o n n i & Bi l l i n g s l e y , 1970; P o l a n s k y et
al . , 1981; P o l a n s k y , Ammo n s , & Ga u d i n , 1985) .
Th e s t udy o f s oc i a l ne t wor ks , i n par t i cul ar , has c ont r i but e d i mpor t a nt i ns i ght s i nt o t he
c u mu l a t i v e e f f e c t o f s oc i a l i nt e r a c t i on on ne gl e c t f ul out c ome s . I n t hes e s t udi es di f f e r e nt t ype s
o f n e t wo r k me mb e r s , di f f e r e nt t ype s o f s uppor t , or bot h, ar e of t en c o l l a p s e d i nt o a s i ngl e
This study was supported by grants from the National Institute of Mental Health (F31-MHI0340-01) and the New
York Community Trust, Fahs-Beck Fund.
Received for publication August 3, 1994; final revision received December 7, 1994; accepted December 13, 1994.
Reprint requests should be addressed to Carol Coohey, Ph.D., The University of Chicago, The School of Social
Service Administration, 969 East 60th Street, Chicago, IL 60637.
885
886 C. Coohey
question (e.g., number of relatives and friends you can count on for help). Because of this
approach, little is known about the types of support (or resources) mothers receive from specific
network members, and how their relationships with particular network members contributes
to (mal)adaptive parenting. Within the general social support literature, substantial evidence
supports the argument: some network members are preferred exchange partners.
Two specific relationships have been repeatedly identified as important sources of support
for mothers: mother's mother and partner. Levitt, Weber, and Clark (1986), for example,
found:
Mothers included an average of 13 persons in their network diagrams, with four in the inner or "closest" circle, five
in the middle, and four in the outer circle. Husbands and children were most often placed first in the inner circle,
followed by the mother's parents. (p. 31 !)
In general, when different types of roles have been compared, parents (especially mother's
mother) and partners are classified as stronger ties--those who are likely to have the greatest
level of interaction with mothers, live in close proximity, have known each other the longest,
and who are enduring sources of support. Weaker, active ties, such as neighbors and coworkers,
and less active ties, such as extended kin or acquaintances have been repeatedly shown to
have fewer strong tie characteristics (Laireiter & Baumann, 1992; Wellman, 1991).
Despite the burgeoning literature on the potency of the mother-adult daughter and adult
daughter-partner ties in the general social support literature, no study in the child maltreatment
area has focussed on the exchange relations between abusive mothers and these two potentially
salient ties. The literature on nonabusive mothers provides a starting point for generating
additional hypotheses about the neglectful mothers' relationships, and the types of support
that are valued and frequently exchanged.
Intergenerational Support
Some theorists have suggested mothers help prepare their daughters emotionally for mother-
hood--not just through their childhood experience--but as adult women (Chodorow, 1978;
Fischer, 1986). Studies that have examined the normal sequence of development between the
mother and her adult, parenting daughter have found increasing levels of closeness, mutuality,
and interdependence (Baruch & Barnett, 1983; Bromberg, 1983). Grandmothers may also help
maintain adequate parenting by providing instrumental support (Chatters, Taylor, & Neighbors,
1989; Levitt et al., 1986). Grandmothers have been found to be especially salient network
members when it came to the direct care of their grandchildren (de Anda, 1984; Levitt et al.,
1986; Parish, Hat, & Hogan, 1991) and advice regarding their grandchildren's development
and care (Fisher, 1986). The level of support provided by grandmothers, in turn, has been
found to contribute to their parenting daughter's general well-being (Levitt, Guacci, & Weber,
1992) and the well-being of their grandchildren when their mother was an "insensitive"
caregiver (Crockenberg, 1981).
Partner Support
A great deal is known about the negative aspects of the maltreating mother-partner tie;
yet, little is known about the types of support they exchange (i.e., give and receive). Within
the general social support literature, partners or spouses have been found to be the primary
source of emotional support for mothers (Colletta, 1981; Crnic, Greenberg, Ragozin, Rob-
inson, & Basham, 1983; Levitt et al., 1986; Zur-Szpiro & Longfellow, 1982). And, the quality
or supportiveness of the partner relationship, in turn, has been found to affect: (a) the mother's
well-being (Stemp, Turner, & Samuel, 1986); and (b) the quality of her relationship with her
Neglectful mothers, their mothers, and partners 887
child (Crnic et al., 1983; Crockenberg, 1987; Goldberg & Easterbrooks, 1984; Levitt et al.,
1986; Simons, Lorenz, Conger, & Wu, 1992).
In the case of the mother who neglects her child, it seems reasonable to suggest she receives
fewer resources, and that properties of her closest relationships, in part, account for these
deficits. The mother-neglectful daughter relationship, especially, may influence the daught er' s
ability to secure adequate support. For instance, Polansky, Chalmers, Buttenwieser, and Wil-
liams found a pattern of intergenerational neglect in their 1981 study. If neglect is cyclical,
then mothers who were unable to provide adequate care to their daughters, as children, may
not be able to provide adequate support to their daughters, as women and mothers. A poor
attachment relationship with a primary caregiver, may in turn, result in other problematic and
nonsupportive relationships later in life (Kahn & Antonucci, 1980).
The goals of this paper were twofold. The first goal was to determine i f mothers who neglect
their children, in fact, exchange (i.e., give and receive) fewer resources with two of their
network members: mothers and partners. The second goal of this paper was to test a set of
hypotheses related to characteristics of the neglectful mothers' relationships that may then be
linked to the receipt of fewer resources. Drawing on the general child maltreatment and social
support literatures, the following set of factors were identified as potential barriers to the
receipt of supportive resources. The neglectful mother and her network member: (1) will have
a less reciprocal relationship; (2) do not live in proximity; (3) interact less often; and (4) will
have a more negative relationship. And, the neglectful mother will: (5) perceive her network
members as having fewer positive attributes; and (6) have less interest in receiving resources
from them.
METHODS
Group Assignment Procedure and Sample
Mothers in the neglectful sample were initially classified by child protective services (CPS)
as neglectful. The neglectful mothers were required to attend a parenting class, and conse-
quently, were referred to social service agencies in the Chicago area who provided parenting
classes. Over 97% of the neglect-only mothers attending these parenting classes agreed to
participate in the study and completed the anonymous questionnaire during class time. Although
the questionnaire was administered to mothers who both physically abused and neglected their
children, t hey were not considered for inclusion in the neglect-only sample. The comparison
mothers were recruited from public schools located in the communities where the neglect-
only mothers were attending parenting classes. Because neglect-only mothers were dispropor-
tionately African American and living below the poverty line, an attempt was made to select
comparison mothers who would be comparable to the neglectful mothers on race and level of
poverty.
The use of an official data source, such as CPS, for group assignment does not overcome
the problem of including physically abusive mothers in the neglect-only or comparison samples.
In an attempt to exclude as many physically abusive mothers as possible, two items from the
Conflict Tactics Scale (CTS, Form R; Straus, 1988) were used to determine i f a CPS classified
neglect-only mother or potential comparison mother had physically abused her child. Two
alternative criteria for physical abuse were used to exclude potentially physically abusive
mothers: (a) the mother reported she punches her child at least once a month; and/or (b) the
mother reported she hits her child with an object at least once a week. As a result of this
procedure, 15 (18.0%) of the CPS classified neglect-only mothers were excluded, and 16
(10.2%) of the potential comparison mothers were excluded.
888 C. Coohey
Thi s procedure resulted in a sampl e of 69 negl ect ful mot hers who were mat ched on race
with 138 compar i son mot hers. Race was controlled, because poor Afri can Amer i can mot hers
are bel i eved to rel y on their own mot hers for a di sproport i onat e l evel of support i ve resources.
Whi t e mot hers, on the ot her hand, have been found to rel y mor e heavi l y on their part ners then
their own mot hers.
Tabl e 1 shows negl ect ful mot hers were compar abl e to the compar i son mot hers on a vari et y of
demogr aphi c variables. Negl ect ful and compar i son mot hers di ffered on one variable: negl ect ful
mot hers were less l i kel y to be hi gh school graduates. Al t hough it can be argued neglectful
mot hers at t endi ng parent i ng class may be, for exampl e, mor e cooper at i ve t han neglectful
mot hers who do not attend parent i ng classes, the sampl e of negl ect ful mot hers in this study
appears to be si mi l ar to ot her sampl es of negl ect ful mot hers on education, empl oyment status,
and i ncome (Gaudin, Pol ansky, Kilpatrick, & Shilton, 1993; Pol ansky, Chal mers, But -
tenwieser, & Wi l l i ams, 1981; and Pol ansky, Ammons, & Gaudi n, 1985).
Measures
The social network questionnaire developed for this study allowed the respondent to select up
to 13 network members, and then, asked her to rate each network member on a variety of
relationship characteristics. In this paper, onl y the mot her - adul t daughter and respondent -part ner
relationships were examined. Therefore, only mothers who had a mot her or partner were included
in the analyses. Most mothers had both a mot her and partner; groups remained comparabl e in all
of the analyses on the same set of demographi c variables presented in Tabl e 1.
Because of the hi gh level of illiteracy in this popul at i on, group leaders were asked to i dent i fy
respondent s who were unabl e to read pri or to admi ni st eri ng the questionnaire. As a result, the
quest i onnai re was admi ni st ered as an i nt ervi ew to a substantial number of mot hers in bot h the
negl ect and compar i son groups.
Respondent s were asked whet her their mot hers and part ners gave t hem six di fferent resources
duri ng the last 30 days. They included: gave you money or a loan, hel ped you with housewor k/
errands, baby- sat your children, was someone who real l y listened to you, hel ped you make
decisions, and was someone to do things with. An Emot i onal Ai d Index, i ncl udi ng listens,
deci si ons and compani onshi p; and an Inst rument al Ai d Index, i ncl udi ng money, housework,
and baby-si t t i ng, were comput ed for each net work member . Respondent s were al so asked
whet her t hey gave each of the six resources to each net work member . The concept s of i ndegree
and out degree were used to assess reci proci t y in the number of resources exchanged by the
respondent and her net work member . I ndegr ee refers to the number of resources that the
respondent recei ved f r om a net work member . Out degree refers to the number of resources she
Table 1. Demographic Characteristics of Respondents
Neglect Comparison
n = 69 n = 138
African American a (%) 61.0 61.0
Below Poverty Line (%) 63.1 60.0
Inadequate Income b (%) 87.7 84.6
Unemployed (%) 79.7 74.5
Age 29.9 30.8
High School Graduate* (%) 44.1 72.7
Number of Children 3.3 3.2
All other respondents were Caucasian.
b Below 120% of the Federal poverty line.
* X2-test: p < .0001.
Neglectful mothers, their mothers, and partners 889
gave to a net work member. Reci proci t y is calculated by subtracting i ndegree f r om outdegree.
The i ndex ranges f r om - 6 to +6. A negative value indicates the net work member gave
more to the respondent ; the cl oser the val ue is to zero, the more reciprocal or bal anced the
relationship.
Residential distance was the number of minutes or hours it t ook the respondent to get to
each net work member ' s house. Because many respondent were living with their partners, this
variable was also collapsed into t wo categories: not living with the respondent and living with
the respondent. Contact was the number of days per week or mont h that the respondent talked
to each net work member. Val ence was measured by asking the respondent to rate her relation-
ship with each net work member on a scale, ranging f r om very good to ver y bad. Respondent s
also indicated whet her each net work member: was able to cont rol their anger, was reliable,
was critical, and was warm and caring. Fr om these four variables, an index was devel oped by
adding all four positive attributes. Val ence characterized the relationship bet ween the respon-
dent and each of her net work members, whereas the number of positive attributes placed a
greater emphasis on the respondent ' s appraisal of personal traits of the net work member. The
Level of Interest Index assessed the val ue the respondent places on the recei pt of six di fferent
resources (described above) f r om each net work member. Responses ranged f r om not being at
all interested (0) to very interested in recei vi ng a resource (4). For the Interest Index, interest
levels were added and di vi ded by six; the hi gher the score, the greater the interest in recei vi ng
a set of resources from a specific net work member. All mot hers recei ved $5.00 dollars for
compl et i ng the questionnaire.
RESULTS
The analysis addressed three related questions. Do neglectful mot hers exchange f ewer re-
sources? How can their relationships be charact eri zed (e.g., valence, interest, positive attri-
butes?) And, can relationship characteristics account for the recei pt of f ewer resources? The
analysis were organi zed into three subsections. First, the mot her - adul t daught er relationship
was exami ned in a series of bivariate analyses, fol l owed by an exami nat i on of the r es pondent -
partner relationship. Finally, correlational analysis were used to understand, in general, whi ch
set of relationship characteristics cont ri but e to the respondent recei vi ng f ewer resources from
her own mother.
The Mother-Daughter Relationship
Mot hers who negl ect ed their children recei ved f ewer resources, when compar ed to the
nonabusi ve mothers. Tabl e 2 shows negl ect ful mot hers were less likely to say t hei r mot hers
real l y listened, hel ped with decisions, and provi ded compani onshi p. When all three t ypes of
emot i onal support were combi ned, mot hers who negl ect ed t hei r children recei ved significantly
less emot i onal support. The findings were not as compel l i ng f or the instrumental support items.
Neglectful mot hers recei ved less help with housework but were as likely to recei ve child care
and money f r om their mothers.
Whi l e negl ect ful mot hers recei ved significantly f ewer resources f r om their own mothers,
they also gave significantly f ewer resources to t hei r own mothers. Tabl e 2 shows bot h neglectful
and compari son mot hers' exchange rates are close to zero. Thus, neglectful mot hers maintained
a reci procal but l ower level of exchange with their own mothers, when compared to the
compari son mot hers who maintained a reci procal and hi gher l evel of exchange. These findings
support the hypot hesi s that neglectful mot hers recei ve f ewer resources f r om t hei r own mothers,
especially f ewer emot i onal resources, but refute the notion negl ect ful mot hers do not maintain
890 C. Coohey
T a b l e 2 . R e s o u r c e E x c h a n g e , b y R o l e - T y p e
Mother - Daughter
Neglect Comparison
Respondent-Partner
Neglect Comparison
Emotional Support Index
Really listens (%)
Helps with decisions (%)
Provides companionship (%)
Instrumental Support Index
Gives money or loans (%)
Helps with housework (%)
Baby-sits children (%)
Resources Given by Respondent
Resources Received by Respondent
Reciprocity (exchange rate)
1.2 1.9 ****
41.8 70.9 ****
34.5 58.1 **
41.8 60.7 *
1.3 1.7 **
49.1 59.0
18.2 39.3 **
60.0 67.0
2.4 3.5 ****
2.1 2.9 ***
-0. 34 -0. 68
2.1 2.2
75.5 72.0
66.0 65.3
64.2 81.7
1. 5 2.0
67.9 74.2
47.2 60.8
34.0 67.5
3.5 4.2
2.8 3.6
-0. 72 -0. 56
* p < . 05.
**p < .01.
***p < .001.
****p < .0001.
reciprocal relationships with their own mothers. What, then, account s for their l ower level of
exchange?
The "soci al isolation hypot hesi s" suggests great er distance, f ewer contacts, or both, account
for a l ower level of support and child maltreatment. In this sample, however, neglectful mothers
and their mot hers lived in proxi mi t y and maintained a high level of interaction (see Tabl e 3).
In fact, neglectful mot hers t ended to live cl oser to their own mothers, and therefore, had ample
opport uni t y f or a hi gher level of exchange. Thus, ot her factors must account for the l ower
level of exchange.
It was hypot hesi zed neglectful mot hers woul d be more likely to describe their members as
havi ng f ewer positive attributes. The f ewer the positive attributes of a net work member, the
great er the likelihood that mothers will i dent i fy the net work member as a poor exchange
T a b l e 3 . M o t h e r - D a u g h t e r R e l a t i o n s h i p C h a r a c t e r i s t i c s
Neglect Comparison
n=58 n= 117
Distance (minutes apart) 49.6 96.5
Contacts (per month) 18.0 19.0
Positive Attributes Index* 2.6 2.9
Can not control anger** (%) 18.2 6.0
Unreliable (%) 10.9 5.2
Critical (%) 25.5 20.7
Warm and caring** (%) 61.8 82.1
Relationship valence** 4.0 4.5
Total level of interest* 1.9 2.3
Interest in emotional aid** 2.3 2.9
Interest in listening ~ 2.7 3.1
Interest in decision-making 2.1 2.5
Interest in companionship*** 2.1 3.0
Interest in instrumental aid 1.5 1.8
~p < .10.
* p < . 05.
**p < .01.
***p < .OOl.
Neglectful mothers, their mothers, and partners 891
partner. Four personal attributes of the mot her ' s mot her were assessed, in addition to the
overall val ence of the relationship. Data shown in Tabl e 3 indicates neglectful mot hers were
significantly less likely to describe their mot hers as warm and caring and able to cont rol their
anger. Overall, neglectful mot hers report ed their overall relationship with their mot hers as less
positive.
Drawi ng on social exchange t heory, the more undesirable or unrewardi ng the trading partner
is deemed, the l ower the level of interest in or value placed on exchangi ng resources (Emerson,
1962). Because neglectful mothers were found to have a less positive relationship with their
mot hers and rate t hem as having more undesirable attributes, it seemed likely they woul d not
place as a high a value on entering into an exchange with their own mothers. Tabl e 3 shows
mot hers who negl ect ed their children were less interested in recei vi ng resources from their
own mothers. Neglectful mot hers were significantly less interested in recei vi ng emot i onal
support f r om their own mothers; they were least interested in "doi ng things with their own
mot her . " Thi s finding suggests purely social interactions with their mothers were not as highly
valued by mot hers who negl ect ed their children, as they were to the compari son mothers.
Although neglectful mothers expressed less interest in recei vi ng emot i onal support, they were
as likely to be interested in recei vi ng instrumental support.
The Respondent-Partner Relationship
Cont rary to a prevailing belief, most neglectful mot hers were found to have partners (75%
compared to 85% of the compari son mothers), although they were less likely than the compari -
son mot hers to be marri ed to (p < . 10) or be living with their partners (p < .05). Partners of
mot hers who negl ect ed their children worked f ewer hours (p < .05), were more likely to be
recei vi ng government aid (p < .01) and were less likely to be the father of one of the mot her ' s
children (p < .05).
Gi ven that most neglectful mothers have partners, how can their relationships be character-
ized? The r espondent - par t ner relationship was exami ned in the same manner that the mot he r -
daught er relationship was exami ned (see Tabl e 2). Some similarities were found bet ween the
mot her - daught er and r espondent - par t ner relationships, but overall, there were more differ-
ences than similarities. Partners of mot hers who negl ect ed their children gave, overall, signifi-
cantly f ewer resources to them, and in turn, the neglectful mot hers gave their partners signifi-
cantly f ewer resources. Similar to the neglectful mot her - daught er relationship, the neglectful
r espondent - par t ner relationship was reciprocal. But when the number of emot i onal resources
was exami ned, as opposed to the total level of resources, neglectful mot hers recei ved a similar
level of emot i onal support from their partners, compared to the compari son mothers. Partners
of mot hers who negl ect ed their children were j ust as likely to have been rated as someone
who really listened and hel ped with making decisions. Oddly, these types of emotional support
did not translate into more neglectful mothers rating their partner " as someone to do things
wi t h" (i.e., companionship). Finally, these men were not as likely to be a source of baby-
sitting as the partners of the compari son mothers. These findings suggest neglectful mothers
may rely on their partners for emot i onal support and their mothers for child care. This pattern of
recei vi ng specialized support f r om different net work members did not hold for the compari son
mothers; bot h their mothers and partners had been sources of both instrumental and emotional
support.
Next, the r espondent - par t ner relationship was exami ned on all of the variables that were
used to exami ne the mot her - daught er relationship. With the except i on of the number of
resources gi ven by the respondent to her partner, none of the mot her - daught er relationship
characteristics that differentiated neglectful from compari son mot hers differentiated the ne-
glectful and compari son partners. For instance, neglectful mothers rated their relationships
892 C. Coohey
with their partners as positive and placed as high a value on receiving both instrumental and
emotional support as the comparison mothers.
Three structural relationship properties, however, did differentiate the neglectful and compar-
ison parmers: contact, duration, and distance. Neglectful mothers had less contact with their
partners (average of 25 days and 28 days per month, respectively, p < .05). They also had
known their partners for less time. Mothers who neglected their children were significantly
less likely to have been with their partner for more than 5 years (p < .001). And, t hey were
less likely to be living with their partner. Greater residential distance, and less contact may
reduce opportunities to exchange resources.
Correlational Analyses
The final objective of the analyses was to link relationship characteristics with the receipt
of fewer resources. I f we can determine which set of factors create barriers to the receipt of
a set of resources from a specific member, we will be in a better position to target and break
down those specific barriers. So far we know neglectful mothers receive fewer resources
and characteristics of their relationships are more problematic. We do not know that these
characteristics contribute to the receipt of fewer resources. Both correlational and multiple
regression analysis can be used to explore how relationship characteristics contribute to the
receipt of fewer resources. Given the likelihood all these variables reciprocally influence the
others, correlational analysis was chosen over multiple regression.
Statistically significant differences between partners of neglectful and comparison mothers
were found on onl y two specific types of support: companionship and baby-sitting. For this
reason, onl y intercorrelations describing the mot her - daught er relationship are presented in
Table 4. In these analysis, both the neglectful and comparison samples were combined, and
onl y those variables that distinguished neglectful and comparison mothers in the previous
analyses were included. Consequently, these analyses are based on the inclusion of extreme
cases (i.e., mothers who are known to parent poorly) in order to examine the relationship
variables that are most problematic in the receipt of supportive resources. In Table 4, the
strong positive relationship between the number of resources given and resources received
provides further support for the principle of reciprocal exchange (Gouldner, 1960) and high-
lights the significance of mutual aid. The analyses also reveal a less positive relationship and
fewer desirable attributes were related to a lower level of interest in receiving resources from
one' s own mother. All three of these variables (valence, positive attributes, and level of interest)
were positively related to the number of resources received.
DISCUSSION
This paper exami ned two major questions: Do mothers who neglect their children, in fact,
exchange fewer resources than non-CPS involved mothers; and is there a link between the
Table 4. Correlations Between Mother-Daughter Relationship Var i abl es
Variable 1. 2. 3. 4. 5.
1. Resources Received
2. Resources Given .71"* - -
3. Attributes .37** .25* - -
4. Valence .50** .39** .46** - -
5. Interest in Resources .43** .42** .25* .40**
N 170 172 171 172
Mean 3.2 2.6 2.8 4.3
SD 1.9 1.5 0.7 1.0
172
2.7
1.3
Pearson' s r: *p < .01. **p < .001.
Neglectful mothers, their mothers, and partners 893
quality of mothers' relationships and the receipt of fewer resources? The results support the
conclusion neglectful mothers receive fewer total resources from both their partners and moth-
ers, but the type of deficit varies depending on the network member and the type of support.
Neglectful daughters receive significantly less emotional and instrumental support from their
mot her s - - wi t h the notable exception of baby-sitting. Further, the neglectful daught er - mot her
relationship is typified by the exchange of fewer resources. Although they exchange fewer
resources, there is parity in their exchange. Mothers and daughters give about as much as t hey
receive. It may be the equitable exchange of resources that contributes to the continuation of
their relationship.
In general, the neglectful daught er - mot her relationship is less positive, when compared to
the comparison daught er - mot her relationship. Neglectful daughters were more likely to state
their mothers are not warm and caring, and they can not control their anger. Given these
perceptions, it is not surprising that neglectful mothers are less interested in receiving emotional
resources from their mothers. Distance and frequency of contact were not found to distinguish
neglectful and comparison mot her - daught er relationships.
The results support the conclusion that mothers of neglectful mothers' are either less willing or
less able to give emotional support to their neglectful daughters and neglectful daughters are less
interested in receiving emotional support. Yet, it is not clear whether it is her daughter's lack of
interest in receiving emotional support from her mother that accounts for her mother' s failure to
give emotional support, it is the failure of the mother to provide comfort to her daughter, as a child,
that accounts for the daughter's lack of interest, as an adult, or there are some other factors.
Unfortunately, we have insufficient knowledge about the interaction histories of neglectful daughters
and their mothers to sort through these complex relationship dynamics.
An examination of their interaction history could help explain their poorer adult relationship
and lead to preventive-interventions that would benefit this intergenerational tie. For instance,
i f child neglect is perpetuated across generations, the mechanisms that perpetuated child neglect
may lie in personality and behavioral traits of the mother (e.g., apathy, an inability to nurture,
withdrawal, the failure to request help) that are then reproduced in the adult daughter through
the mot her - daught er relationship. This early relationship may reduce her expectation for
support, or impair her ability to seek out, or accept support from other network members.
The correlational analysis provides some hints for which mot her - daught er relationship
characteristic are most important and most likely to create barriers to the receipt of a set of
resources. The number of resources that were given was strongly and positively related to the
number of resources received. Moreover, a higher level of interest in exchange and higher
level of actual exchange between mothers and their daughters seems to occur when t hey have
a positive relationship and when daughters feel their mothers have desirable attributes, such
as being warm and caring.
The neglectful mothers' partners were found to provide less companionship and assistance
with child care, when compared to partners in the comparison sample. When three types of
instrumental resources were combined into an index, neglectful mothers were found to receive
fewer total instrumental resources. Unlike the mothers of neglectful daughters, partners of
neglectful mothers are j ust as likely to be rated as someone who really listens and helps with
decision-making. Partners, however, appear to be less closely tied to the neglectful mothers
and their households, when compared to partners of the comparison mothers. They knew her
for less time, were less likely to be living with her, and saw her less frequently. All of these
variables are structural in nature, reducing the number of opportunities for exchange. Moreover,
partners of neglectful mothers were less likely to be the father of one of her children. This is
a key issue, since these fathers may place a lower value on contributing resources to the
neglectful mother and her children (viz., baby-sitting). Thus, the findings suggest the receipt
of child care and companionship occurs when respondents and partners live in proximity,
894 C. Coohey
interact frequently, have known each other f or a l onger period o f ti me, and have had at least
one chi l d together.
The practical i mpl i cati ons f or exami ni ng the exchange o f resources cannot be underesti-
mated. Practitioners who interact wi t h parents who negl ect their children and t hose who work
to prevent the condi t i ons whi ch lead to chi l d negl ect need to kno w whi ch supporti ve resources
parents l ack and why. So far, we have not been able to sort out the negl ect f ul mot her' s failure
to secure resources f rom the quantity and quality o f her net work member' s reserve o f emot i onal
and instrumental resources, the val ence o f previ ous interactions wi t h her members, and the
potential cost s ( e. g. , frustration, stress) related t o attempts at securi ng resources. The findings
in this study, whi l e preliminary, strongly support the importance o f exami ni ng the speci f i c types
o f support negl ect f ul mothers val ue and under what ci rcumstances they enter i nto exchange
relationships. Conti nui ng to exami ne the types o f resources and types o f net work members
separately wi l l hel p cl ari fy ho w we can i ncrease the l evel o f mutual aid be t we e n net work
members that woul d, then, enabl e negl ect f ul mothers to acquire greater control over their
envi ronments.
Acknowledgement--The author wishes to thank John Schuerman for his helpful suggestions during the preparation of
the manuscript.
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R6sum6----Pour les i nt ervenant s qui oeuvrent au niveau de la pr6vent i on de la n6gligence, il est i mport ant de connal t re
quel l es sont les ressources qui sout i ennent les parent s et pourquoi ces ressources sont aidantes. Cet article a pour but:
(a) de pr6ci ser si les m~res n6gl i gent es ont 6chang6 (c.-h-d. donn6 et requ) moi ns de ressources avec deux membr es
de l eur r6seau, soit l eur m/~re et l eur conj oi nt ; et (b) identifier un ensembl e de caract6ristiques qui 6rigent des barribres
emp6chant cette relation de s' 6stablir. Soi xant e-neuf m~res n6gl i gent es ont 6t6 compar6es h u n 6chantillon de 138
m~res, appareill6es au poi nt de vue df mogr aphi que. Les r6suitats confi rment que les m~res n6gl i gent es 6changent
moi ns de ressources avec l eurs conj oi nt s et leurs m~res, mai s l ' 6cart variait sel on qu' i l s' agi ssai t de I' un ou de l ' aut re,
et sel on le t ype d' appui . On a not6 d' aut r es caract6ristiques de la relation qui di ff6renci ai ent les m6res n6gligentes
du groupe contr61e. Les m~res n6gl i gent es 6taient pl us apt es h df cl ar er que l eur mbre avait peu de qualit6s (ex. non
chal eureuse et attentive) et que l eur relation avec elle 6tait moi ns positive. Ces m~res 6taient moi ns encl i nes ~t recevoi r
de l ' ai de de l eur m~re. Ces caract6ristiques ne se sont pas mani fest 6es l or squ' on a 6tudi6 les conj oi nt s des deux
groupes. Les m~res n6gl i gent es et leurs conj oi nt s se connai ssai ent depui s moi ns l ongt emps, 6taient moi ns aptes h
vi vre sous le m~me toit et se voyai ent moi ns fr6quemment .
Re s u me n - - Lo s que trabajan para preveni r las condi ci ones que conducen hacia la negl i genci a cont ra los nifios y nifias
necesi t an conocer los recursos de apoyo que necesi t an los padres y porqu6 los necesi t an. Los obj et i vos de est e trabajo
son: (a) det er mi nar si las madres que son negl i gent es con sus hi j os e hijas i nt ercambi an (dan y reci ben) menos recursos
con dos mi embr os de su si st ema de apoyo: sus madres y compafieros, e (b) identificar un conj unt o de caracteristicas
de rel aci 6n que crean barreras a la recepci 6n de esos recursos. Sesent i nueve madres negl i gent es fueron comparadas
a una muest ra demogr af i cament e semej ant e de 138 madres. Los resul t ados apoyan la concl usi 6n de que las madres
negl i gent es i nt ercambi an menos recursos t ant o con sus compafi eros como con sus madres. Las madres negl i gent es
est aban mils di spuest as a deci r que que sus madres t i enen menos atributos posi t i vos (por ej. no es c~ilida y tierna), su
relaci6n es menos positiva, y elias est~n menus i nt eresadas en recibir recursos de sus madres. Los compafi eros de
madres negl i gent es y madres del gr upo cont rol no present aron di ferenci as en ni nguna de estas caracteristicas. Por el
contrario, las madres negl i gent es y sus compafi eros se conocfan por menos t i empo, tenian menos probabi l i dad de
estar vi vi endo j unt os, y se velan con menos frecuencia.