MIDDLE-AGED ADULTS’ BEREAVEMENT RESPONSE TO PARENT DEATH: THE ROLE OF PRE-LOSS RELATIONSHIP QUALITY

Abstract The bereavement literature in adulthood has largely focused on spousal loss. Yet the death of a parent is an influential – and expected – loss experience in middle and later life. This study analyzed prospective data from two waves of the Family Exchanges Study (2008 and 2013) to explore adults’ (N = 192; Mage = 56.76) experience of a recent parent death in the past 5 years, including grief responses and positive memories of the deceased parent. We examined how pre-loss relationships with the deceased parent (e.g., positive and negative relationship quality, relationship importance) are associated with different bereavement responses among the bereaved children. Findings showed that the levels of grief were higher for children who placed more importance on the parent prior to that parent’s death. Positive relationship quality was associated with positive memories after a parent’s death. However, negative relationship quality was not associated with any bereavement responses.

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Relationship Quality Among Older Cohabitors: A Comparison to Remarrieds

The Journals of Gerontology Series B ◽

10.1093/geronb/gbz069 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 75 (8) ◽

pp. 1808-1817

Author(s):

Matthew R Wright

Keyword(s):

Relationship Quality ◽

Positive Relationship ◽

Negative Relationship ◽

Later Life ◽

Well Being ◽

Poor Quality ◽

Two Measures ◽

Using Data ◽

Union Type ◽

Quality Relationships

Abstract Objectives Later life marital patterns have undergone shifts over the past few decades, including a rapid growth of cohabiting unions. Despite the increase in older adult cohabitation, research on this population has been slow to keep up. Intimate relationships are linked to well-being and relationship quality is especially important because high-quality relationships offer a number of benefits for well-being, whereas poor-quality relationships often are detrimental. This study compares cohabiting and remarried individuals on two measures of relationship quality. Method Using data from the 2010 and 2012 Health and Retirement Study, I investigate the positive and negative relationship quality of cohabitors relative to their remarried counterparts and whether the association of union type and relationship quality varies by race. Results Across both positive and negative relationship quality, I found few differences between cohabiting and remarried individuals. Black cohabitors report higher positive relationship quality than remarrieds, whereas White cohabitors and remarrieds do not differ. Discussion These findings suggest that cohabiting unions and remarriages are comparable among White older adults, but that Black cohabitors may gain more in terms of positive relationship quality than their remarried counterparts.

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Revisiting Intergenerational Contact and Relationship Quality in Later Life: Parental Characteristics Matter

Research on Aging ◽

10.1177/0164027519899576 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 42 (5-6) ◽

pp. 139-149

Author(s):

Hye Won Chai ◽

Steven H. Zarit ◽

Karen L. Fingerman

Keyword(s):

Relationship Quality ◽

Adult Children ◽

Functional Limitations ◽

Later Life ◽

Middle Aged ◽

Aging Parents ◽

Life Problems ◽

And Gender ◽

Middle Aged Adult ◽

Middle Aged Adults

Contact and relationship quality between adult children and aging parents are two widely used indicators of intergenerational solidarity and are often assumed to be positively correlated. However, the association between the two may depend on characteristics of the parent involved. Using Family Exchanges Study Wave 1, this study assessed whether parental difficulties—measured as functional limitations and life problems—and gender moderated the associations between middle-aged adults’ contact and relationship quality with their parents. We found that more frequent email or phone contact was associated with worse relationship quality for fathers who had functional limitations. For life problems, however, more contact was not related to relationship quality for fathers with life problems. The associations did not differ by mother’s difficulties. These results suggest that frequent contact between middle-aged adult children and aging parents does not uniformly reflect better relationship quality but rather depends on parents’ characteristics.

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Early Child–Parent Relationship Quality and Cognitive Function in Older Rural Chinese Adults: The Mediating Role of Educational Attainment

Journal of Aging and Health ◽

10.1177/0898264321996562 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 089826432199656

Author(s):

Changmin Peng ◽

Jeffrey A. Burr ◽

Dong Yang ◽

Nan Lu

Keyword(s):

Older Adults ◽

Cognitive Function ◽

Educational Attainment ◽

Relationship Quality ◽

Later Life ◽

Life Course Perspective ◽

Early Child ◽

Mediating Role ◽

Parent Relationship

Objectives: Framed within a life course perspective and cognitive reserve theory, this study examined the mediating role of educational attainment for the association between child–parent relationships during childhood and cognitive function among older adults in rural China. Methods: Data were obtained from three waves of the China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study ( N = 9809). We employed latent growth curve modeling to test the association among early child–parent relationship quality, educational attainment, and cognitive function in later life. Results: Early child–mother relationship quality was associated with the level and change in cognitive function. Early child–father relationship quality was only related to baseline cognitive function. Educational attainment mediated the relationship between early child–parent relationship quality with mothers and fathers and cognitive function. Discussion: Parental relationship experience in childhood was one distal factor related to cognitive function among older adults. The findings supported the long-term impacts of childhood conditions for later life health consequences.

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Mindfulness, perceived partner responsiveness, and relationship quality: A dyadic longitudinal mediation model

Journal of Social and Personal Relationships ◽

10.1177/02654075211030327 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 026540752110303

Author(s):

Sarah C. E. Stanton ◽

Alvin Peng Siang Chan ◽

Taranah Gazder

Keyword(s):

Relationship Quality ◽

Phase 1 ◽

Negative Relationship ◽

Longitudinal Change ◽

Phase 2 ◽

Mediation Model ◽

Relationship Length ◽

Domain Specific ◽

Perceived Partner Responsiveness ◽

Partner Responsiveness

General and domain-specific (e.g., relationship-specific) mindfulness frequently predict salutary relationship outcomes. The present preregistered study examined whether general and relationship mindfulness predicted longitudinal change in positive and negative relationship quality via greater perceived partner responsiveness (PPR). One hundred couples completed a baseline lab session (Phase 1), a 14-day diary period (Phase 2), and a 2-month follow-up survey (Phase 3). Actor-Partner Interdependence Mediation Model analyses revealed that actors’ Phase 1 relationship mindfulness—but not general mindfulness—predicted increases in their own positive relationship quality from Phase 1–3 and decreases in their own negative relationship quality from Phase 1–3 indirectly via their own Phase 2 PPR. An exploratory alternate model testing if Phase 1 PPR predicted changes in Phase 1–3 relationship quality via Phase 2 relationship mindfulness did not reveal significant indirect effects. All results held when controlling for gender, age, and relationship length, and no partner effects emerged in any analysis. These findings further elucidate the relationship-enhancing role of mindfulness in couples and highlight PPR as a critical mediator explaining the link between domain-specific mindfulness and relationship quality. Implications for mindfulness-based training programs for couples are discussed.

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NEGATIVE RELATIONSHIP QUALITY PREDICTS MORTALITY IN OLDER ADULTS

Innovation in Aging ◽

10.1093/geroni/igy023.1034 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 2 (suppl_1) ◽

pp. 280-280

Author(s):

J Bookwala ◽

T Gaugler

Keyword(s):

Older Adults ◽

Relationship Quality ◽

Negative Relationship

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Turkish Adaptation of the Positive–Negative Relationship Quality (PN-RQ) Scale: A Reliability and Validity Study

Behavioral Sciences ◽

10.3390/bs9090100 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 9 (9) ◽

pp. 100

Author(s):

Arzu Araz ◽

Duygu Güngör ◽

Eda Aşçı

Keyword(s):

Relationship Quality ◽

Emerging Adults ◽

Romantic Relationship ◽

Factor Model ◽

Negative Relationship ◽

Reliability And Validity ◽

Measurement Tool ◽

Factor Analyses ◽

Validity And Reliability ◽

Confirmatory Factor Analyses

Background: The present study investigates the reliability and validity of the Positive–Negative Relationship Quality (PN-RQ) scale in Turkey. This study aims to test different factorial models including orthogonal factors model, correlated factors model, one-factor model, and bifactor model. Methods: In order to determine the validity and reliability of the scale, two studies were performed. The first was carried out with emerging adults (university students) who were in a romantic relationship (148 females, 43 males, and 2 unknown) and had the main purpose to examine the structure validity of the measurement tool in the Turkish sample with an exploratory analysis. Study 2 was performed online with 513 married adults (359 females, 149 males, and 5 unknown); confirmatory findings and criterion validity studies were added. Results: Exploratory factor analyses revealed that relationship quality had a two-factor structure and that there was also a negative relationship between the factors. Confirmatory factor analyses on the married sample showed that the bi-factor model provided evidence for the multidimensional nature of the scale. Both studies demonstrated high internal consistency. Conclusion: There is evidence for reliability and validity in the Turkish version of the PN-RQ scale to measure both positive and negative aspects of the relationship. The PN-RQ scale will be highly functional for social and clinical psychologists who work on close relationship issues in Turkey.

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Social Relations and Mortality

Journal of Health Psychology ◽

10.1177/1359105310368189 ◽

2010 ◽

Vol 15 (5) ◽

pp. 649-659 ◽

Cited By ~ 33

Author(s):

Toni C. Antonucci ◽

Kira S. Birditt ◽

Noah J. Webster

Keyword(s):

Older Adults ◽

Chronic Illness ◽

Relationship Quality ◽

Social Relationships ◽

Social Relations ◽

Negative Relationship ◽

Chronic Illnesses ◽

Survival Analyses ◽

Best Friend ◽

Buffering Effects

Among older adults social relationships influence mortality, but it is less clear how. We examined associations between relationship quality with spouse, child, and best friend and mortality; and whether the associations varied in the presence of chronic illnesses. Survival analyses ( N = 514; 59 percent women aged ≥ 60) revealed sometimes counterintuitive main and buffering effects. Individuals who reported greater negative relationship quality with their children and friends lived longer. Buffering models suggest that relationships may exacerbate the effects of chronic illness on mortality and emphasize the importance of using a more nuanced approach when examining the effects of social relations on mortality.

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