To Love and Look After: Exploring the Mechanisms Linking the Quality of Family Relationships to Maternal and Child Health in India

Keera Allendorf, University of Michigan

Love and other positive dimensions of family relationship quality and their connections to health are neglected in less developed contexts. This study, thus, uses qualitative data from a rural, low income setting in India to explore the mechanisms linking the quality of family relationships to maternal and child health. The exploration suggests that the quality of family relationships may benefit maternal and child health in a variety of ways. These mechanisms include improving women’s subjective well-being, increasing nutritional intake, facilitating communication about health matters, and encouraging the use of health care and attention inside and outside the home. In some circumstances, however, loving family relationships can also act as a barrier to hospital delivery. Most of these mechanisms are also moderated by beliefs about what constitutes beneficial health behavior. Strong and loving relationships motivate family members to do their best for women, but their best is not always beneficial.