Mother–Daughter Dyad Communication

Mother–daughter communication is consequential for girls' health and development. Maternal communication plays a key role in facilitating and providing barriers to health-promoting behaviors in their children, specifically daughters. Adolescent health, in particular, is affected by patterns of mother–daughter communication, because adolescence is a prime transitional period in a girl's life. Adolescents account for nearly one-fifth of the world's population, with the United States performing poorly in comparison to other countries for pregnancy rates and healthy lifestyles (disordered eating, substance use) of adolescent girls. Safeguarding health-promoting behaviors during [Page 894]adolescence is of utmost concern for establishing and sustaining adolescent girls' health trajectory. There is evidence that mother–daughter communication throughout adolescence and into adulthood is particularly salient across the domains of sexual health and mental health.