Qualitative Study of Mother-Daughter Relationship in the Context of Depression

Abstract

The mother-daughter bond in the Indian context is considered to be vital as the former is not only the caretaker but also the one who prepares the daughter for her future life. While keeping in mind the paramount importance given to the maternal figure in a family, who is constructed even today as the primary nurturing source, this research aims to understand the impact of maternal depression on female children through the eyes of those who have grown up with a mother either diagnosed or understood to have suffered from depression. Semi-structured interviews were undertaken from three respondents whose lived realities shed light on the intricacies of such a relationship, its impact on them and the image thus conceived in the psyche of the child and how this image has been carried forward till today.