ABSTRACT
The sense of responsibility is a central theme running through much of the work on mothers, caring and health. In a large study exploring the interrelationship between young people (aged 15–17 years), health and family life, Brannen et al. found that mothers were described as the principle parent responsible for health in most cases, with many mothers concerned that young people did not take sufficient responsibility for their health. On the hand, mothers of sons were placed in an equally difficult position. They talked more in terms of being blamed for being overprotective, for ‘mollycoddling’ and this again relates to the autonomy/responsibility conflict and to the ultimate responsibility felt by mothers. However, perhaps because of the almost overwhelming responsibility most mothers felt for the health of their child, much of their care was performed specifically to try to prevent future complications.
