“She Was My Egg Donor, Not My Mom”: Using Attribution Theory to Understand How Adult Daughters Manage Their Low-Quality Daughter-Mother Relationship

Authors

Denise Alonso-Pecora, Chapman UniversityFollow
Crystal Nguyen, Chapman University
Jennifer L. Bevan, Chapman UniversityFollow
Michelle Miller-Day, Chapman UniversityFollow
Allison Alford, Baylor University

Document Type

Article

Publication Date

1-12-2026

Abstract

This study employs attribution theory to examine how adult daughters from low-income backgrounds perceive and manage low-quality daughter-mother relationships. Using in-depth interviews and flexible coding, we analyzed how daughters (n = 42) attribute locus, responsibility, specificity, and stability. Daughters often located control internally within their mothers, citing enduring traits as sources of conflict while noting external influences such as trauma or substance abuse. Responsibility was frequently self-assumed despite blaming mothers, positioning attribution as a means of asserting agency. Many saw their relationships as uniquely difficult and consistent, reinforcing perceptions of stability and specificity. Our study extends attribution theory to long-term family bonds, portraying adult daughters as active agents in meaning-making across the life course.

Comments

This article was originally published in Personal Relationships, volume 33, issue 1, in 2026. https://doi.org/10.1111/pere.70050. 

Recommended Citation

Alonso-Pecora, D., C. Nguyen, J. Bevan, M. Miller-Day, and A. Alford. 2026. “ “She Was My Egg Donor, Not My Mom”: Using Attribution Theory to Understand How Adult Daughters Manage Their Low-Quality Daughter-Mother Relationship.” Personal Relationships 33, no. 1: e70050. https://doi.org/10.1111/pere.70050.

Copyright

The authors

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.