| Abstract: |
While survey research can establish whether maternal interpersonal
communication cues are statistically associated with girl-child
developmental outcomes, it cannot fully capture how mothers
themselves understand, enact, and reflect on their communicative
practices. This paper reports the qualitative, in-depth interview
component of a broader mixed-methods study of interpersonal
communication cues in mother-daughter interactions in South-South
Nigeria. Six mothers who were members of the Parent-Teachers
Association, purposively selected from one government-owned and
one private girls' secondary school in each of Delta, Edo, and Bayelsa
States, were interviewed using a semi-structured guide covering verbal
and non-verbal communication, empathetic listening, consistency,
cultural value transmission, and communication on sensitive topics.
Interviews lasted 30-45 minutes, were audio-recorded with consent,
and were analysed using thematic content analysis. Nine themes
emerged: the nature of the mother-daughter relationship; use of verbal
and non-verbal cues; the influence of verbal communication on
behaviour; non-verbal communication and emotional well-being;
empathetic listening and trust; consistency of communication and selfesteem; cultural communication and moral values; communication on
sensitive topics; and general reflections on mother-daughter
communication. Mothers described predominantly warm, trust-based
relationships in which verbal advice shaped daughters' behavioural
choices and non-verbal cues such as tone, touch, and facial expression
regulated daughters' emotional security. However, mothers also
acknowledged a persistent gap around sensitive topics such as
menstruation and relationships, where cultural taboo and adolescent
shyness limited disclosure even in relationships mothers otherwise
described as open and trusting. The study concludes that maternal
communication operates as a rich, culturally embedded, and largely
intentional practice, but one whose reach into the most sensitive
domains of girl-child development remains constrained by forces
beyond the dyad itself, and it offers recommendations for strengthening
mothers' capacity to communicate on sensitive subjects.
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