Dynamic Factor Analysis of Day-to-Day Interactions between a Mother and a Daughter

Abstract

Daily reciprocal interactions between mother and daughter were investigated by applying dynamic factor analysis (DFA). A mother and her junior high school daughter participated in this study. The participants independently completed the Mother-Daughter Questionnaire, daily for 144 consecutive days. The data were analyzed by using factor analysis without a time lag, in order to construct a subscale (parceling). Then, we used Structural Equation Modeling to examine the latent factor series separately for models for the mother and the daughter. The results of lag-2 DFA confirmed the lagged structure of the interrelationships between the mother and the daughter. The results indicated that the mother-daughter relationship on a given day affected their relationship on the next day. Moreover, the “mother’s control factor” on a given day negatively affected the “daughter’s affiliation factor” on the next day. Furthermore, the “daughter’s affiliation factor” on a given day negatively affected the “mother’s acceptance factor” on the next day. It was concluded that the mother-daughter relationship interacted with each other on a day-to-day basis.