American Muslim Adolescent Daughters' Perception of Maternal Relationships and the Influence on their Health Behaviors: A Conceptual Model.

The goal of this qualitative research study was to better understand of how the mother-daughter relationship shaped by different ecologies in a Muslim community in the United States (US) influences their daughters' health behaviors. Using a criterion sampling strategy, 11 immigrant Muslim mothers and their American Muslim adolescent daughters aged 12-18 years who were born and also raised in the US were recruited (N=22) and interviewed. The interviews were transcribed verbatim, coded, and analyzed following phenomenological research methods. Mothers in this sample explained that to share their health values with their daughters, they needed to be close, supportive, open-minded, and good listeners to them. The results revealed that daughters who perceived that their mothers' values were shaped by 3 factors - religion, culture of origin, and acculturation were more likely to follow healthy behaviors. The findings and the conceptual model will help explain how these maternal factors can work together to shape American Muslim adolescent daughters' health behaviors.