That’s a question University of Louisville School of Nursing professor Celeste Shawler hopes to answer with the help of a $261,000 National Institute of Health-National Institute of Nursing Research (NIH-NINR) grant.

Shawler’s research will focus on the relationship between older mothers and their adult daughters where the older woman is diagnosed with high blood pressure, a leading cause of heart disease.

Shawler wants to understand if there is a correlation between effective management of high blood pressure and a strong mother-daughter bond. She’ll also exam how inner strength plays a role in dealing with the illness, and look at factors like perception of control over the high blood pressure.

“People don’t live their lives in isolation and don’t experience an illness in isolation. Because so many older women live alone, care giving becomes a concern as they age. Typically, adult daughters become the primary caregivers,” said Shawler.

Long-term, Shawler plans to build a program of theory-based nursing intervention to improve cardiovascular self management behaviors and health related quality of life.

“This is significant because older women are at much higher risk than men of developing chronic conditions, especially cardiovascular disease,” said Shawler. “Kentucky ranks sixth highest in the nation for heart disease among women.”

Shawler will conduct her study in consultation with a team of expert nurse researchers across the country. The NIH-NINR Mentored Scientist Award will be distributed over a three-year period.