scholarly journals RACE DIFFERENCES IN THE CONSEQUENCES OF ADULT CHILDREN’S PROBLEMS ON MOTHERS’ PSYCHOLOGICAL WELL-BEING

2019 ◽  
Vol 3 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. S673-S673
Author(s):  
Catherine Stepniak ◽  
J Jill Suitor ◽  
Megan Gilligan ◽  
Karl Pillemer ◽  
Marissa Rurka
Keyword(s):  
Adult Children ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Black Mothers ◽  
Psychological Well Being ◽  
Older Parents ◽  
White Families ◽  
Race Disparities ◽  
White Mothers ◽  
Life Circumstances ◽  
The Impact

Abstract Adult children’s problems have been found to be strong predictors of older parents’ psychological well-being, regardless of whether the sources of the problems are psychological or physical health, life circumstances outside of the children’s control, or children’s poor life decisions. Further, this pattern remains regardless of the number or proportion of offspring with problems, or whether children with problems were favored or disfavored by their parents. One important question that has not been addressed is whether the impact of children’s problems differs in Black and White families. Race disparities in health and other life circumstances lead Black adult children to be at greater risk of experiencing problems than are their White counterparts. Thus, Black mothers are at greater risk of having adult children with problems; however, increased exposure does not necessarily lead to a stronger impact of children’s problems on well-being. Alternatively, it can be argued that due to stronger kin networks and higher levels of religiosity, children’s problems may have a weaker impact on Black than White mothers’ well-being. In this paper, we use mixed-methods data collected from 101 Black mothers and 295 White mothers as part of the Within-Family Differences Study to explore differences in the impact of adult children’s problems on mothers’ depressive symptoms. Preliminary analyses of quantitative and qualitative data suggest that mothers’ interpretations of the circumstances surrounding their children’s problems, rather than support or type of problem, play a greater role in the impact of those problems on well-being in Black than White families.

scholarly journals Adult Children’s Problems and Mothers’ Well-Being

2016 ◽  
Vol 39 (3) ◽  
pp. 375-395 ◽  
Author(s):  
Karl Pillemer ◽  
J. Jill Suitor ◽  
Catherine Riffin ◽  
Megan Gilligan
Keyword(s):  
Adult Children ◽  
Adult Child ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Psychological Well Being ◽  
Older Parents ◽  
Parental Preference ◽  
Using Data ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Parent Child Relationships ◽  
Detrimental Impact

This article explores whether understanding of the effects of children’s problems on older parents’ well-being can be advanced by exploring differences in parent–child relationships within families. Using data from a study in which mothers reported on all adult children, we addressed the question: Do patterns of maternal favoritism moderate the impact of children’s problems on psychological well-being? Based on the literature on the effects of children’s problems and on parental favoritism, we hypothesized that problems in the lives of favored adult children will have a more detrimental impact than when they affect unfavored offspring. Results revealed strong and detrimental effects of any offspring’s problems on mothers’ well-being; these effects occurred, however, regardless of parental preference for an adult child. The findings suggest that the well-documented effects of parental preference may be limited in domains such as problems and difficult transitions in adult children’s lives.

scholarly journals CORESIDENCE OF OLDER PARENTS AND ADULT CHILDREN BENEFITS OLDER ADULTS’ PSYCHOLOGICAL WELL-BEING: PATH ANALYSIS

2019 ◽  
Vol 3 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. S324-S324 ◽  
Author(s):  
Soohyoung r Lee
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Older Adults ◽  
Path Analysis ◽  
Adult Children ◽  
Adult Child ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Health Measurement ◽  
Living Situation ◽  
Psychological Well Being ◽  
Older Parents

Abstract Even though the coresidence of older parents and their adult children is no longer a rare phenomenon in current society, a little is known about the benefit of living with adult children from older adults’ perspectives compared to the risk of this living situation. Previous research suggests that older adults’ psychological well-being is low when they live with their adult children, and this become more salient among single parents, such as widowed or divorced. The current paper utilizes the National Health Measurement Study with a sample of age 55 and over, and their SF-36 Mental Health Component score, and psychological well-being self-acceptance score was measured. Path analysis reveals while mental health and psychological well-being scores are lower among single older adults at the time of the survey (e.g., divorced, widowed) than non-single, coresidence of older adults and adult children completely mediates the negative relationship between being single and both mental health psychological well-being. A complete mediation effect of living with an adult child on older adults’ mental health and psychological well-being is consistent with both white and non-white minority older adults. This suggests that living with adult child benefits older adults’ mental health and psychological well-being. The current study seeks to stimulate ideas that might generate the next answer to community-based care in our current aging society.

scholarly journals Costs of Raising Grandchildren on Grandmother-Adult Child Relations in Black and White Families

2021 ◽  
Vol 5 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. 393-394
Author(s):  
Yifei Hou ◽  
J Jill Suitor ◽  
Megan Gilligan ◽  
Destiny Ogle ◽  
Catherine Stepniak ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Racial Differences ◽  
Adult Children ◽  
Process Model ◽  
Adult Child ◽  
Family Solidarity ◽  
White Families ◽  
Black And White ◽  
Child Relationship ◽  
White Mothers ◽  
The Impact

Abstract The cost of raising grandchildren on grandmothers’ mental and physical health has been well-documented; however, little is known about whether raising grandchildren also has a cost on grandmothers’ relationships with the adult children whose children the grandmothers have raised. Drawing from theories of exchange and affect, stress process model, and racial differences in intergenerational solidarity, we tested how raising grandchildren affects grandmother-adult child relations. Further, we explored the extent to which these patterns differed by race. To address this question, we used mixed-methods data collected from 553 older mothers regarding their relationships with their 2,016 adult children; approximately 10% of the mothers had raised one or more of their grandchildren “as their own.” Data were provided by the Within-Family Differences Study-I. Multilevel analyses showed that raising grandchildren was associated with greater closeness in grandmother-adult child relationship in Black families; however, in White families, raising grandchildren was associated with greater conflict in the grandmother-adult child relationship. Further, the differences by race in the effects of raising grandchildren on closeness and conflict were statistically significant. Qualitative analyses revealed that race differences in the association between raising grandchildren and relationship quality could be explained by mothers’ reports of greater family solidarity in Black than White families. Our findings highlight the ways in which race and family solidarity interact to produce differences in the impact of raising grandchildren on Black and White mothers’ assessment of the quality of their relationships with their adult children, consistent with broader patterns of racial differences in intergenerational cohesion.

scholarly journals IT’S BETTER TO GIVE THAN RECEIVE, OR IS IT? THE EFFECT OF SOCIAL SUPPORT ON THE PSYCHOLOGICAL WELL-BEING OF OLDER PARENTS

2019 ◽  
Vol 3 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. S490-S490
Author(s):  
Erik Blanco
Keyword(s):  
Social Support ◽  
Adult Children ◽  
Negative Mood ◽  
Secondary Data ◽  
Positive Mood ◽  
Later Life ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Life Transitions ◽  
Psychological Well Being ◽  
Older Parents

Abstract The longevity revolution has led to more years of shared lives between older parents and adult children. Having these extra years together can be offset by the stressful life transitions of widowhood, health declines, and increased level of disability experienced by older parents. These transitions can lower older parents’ psychological well-being. Although social support to/from adult children has the potential to buffer these effects, most older parents wish to remain independent, even in later life, making them reluctant to accept social support from their adult children. The purpose of this paper is to examine whether the provision or receipt of social support between older parents and adult children, influences positive mood and negative mood. Secondary data on older adults (n = 461) with adult children who participated in the 2004 wave of the LSOG were used. The results revealed that the provision of social support by older parents to adult children significantly increased parents’ positive mood showing that it is better to give than receive. The results for the receipt of social support were more complex. Results suggest that when someone has a higher level of disability and does not receive social support their negative mood increases, but when someone has a high level of disability and does receive social support there is no effect on negative mood. This proposes that the receipt of social support is particularly important when the parent is in need of support and it is better to receive than give when parents are in need.

scholarly journals Psychological Effects of Secondary Prisonization on Older Parents

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Luixa Reizabal ◽  
Iñaki Garcia ◽  
Eneko Sansinenea ◽  
Ainize Sarrionandia ◽  
Elsa Fernández ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Statistical Analysis ◽  
Adult Children ◽  
Negative Impact ◽  
Spontaneous Speech ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Psychological Effects ◽  
Speech Analysis ◽  
Older Parents ◽  
Analysis Methods ◽  
The Impact

Abstract Secondary prisonization refers to the impact of the incarceration of a relative on the members of their family. This study aimed to analyze the psychological effects of secondary prisonization on older parents. Specifically, levels of depression, anxiety, stress, and well-being (emotional, psychological, and social) were analyzed by means of quantitative and automatic speech analysis methods in a sample of over 65-year-old parents of Basque prisoners incarcerated in remote prisons. The statistical analysis of data and the automatic spontaneous speech analysis showed that secondary prisonization has a negative impact on older parents’ levels of depression, anxiety, stress, and well-being. These results lead us to conclude that remote imprisonment of adult children has negative psychological effects on older parents.

scholarly journals The Impact of SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19) and its Lockdown Measures on the Mental and Functional Health of Older Individuals

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Maria Chiara Fastame ◽  
Ilaria Mulas ◽  
Valeria Putzu ◽  
Gesuina Asoni ◽  
Daniela Viale ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Cognitive Decline ◽  
Wearable Sensors ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Functional Health ◽  
Cognitive Deterioration ◽  
Older Individuals ◽  
Physical And Mental Health ◽  
Psychological Well Being ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Healthy Participants

AbstractThe effect of the COVID-19 on the physical and mental health of Italian older individuals displaying signs of cognitive deterioration has not been deeply investigated. This longitudinal study examined the impact of COVID-19 lockdown measures on the psychological well-being and motor efficiency of a sample of Italian community-dwellers with and without cognitive decline. Forty-seven participants underwent instrumental gait analysis performed in ecological setting using wearable sensors, and completed a battery of tasks assessing cognitive functioning and psychological well-being, before and after the full lockdown due to the COVID-19 spreading. A series of Multivariate Analyses of Variance (MANOVAs) documented that the superior gait performance of the cognitively healthy participants exhibited before the COVID-19 spread, vanished when they were tested at the end of the lockdown period. Moreover, before the outbreak of the COVID-19, cognitively healthy participants and those with signs of cognitive decline reported similar levels of psychological well-being, whereas, after the lockdown, the former group reported better coping, emotional competencies, and general well-being than the participants displaying signs of cognitive decline. In conclusion, the full COVID-19 outbreak had a significant impact on the mental and motor functioning of older individuals with and without signs of cognitive deterioration living in Italy.

scholarly journals Loving Others: The Impact of Compassionate Love on Later-Life Psychological Well-Being

2020 ◽  
Vol 4 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. 480-481
Author(s):  
Eva Kahana ◽  
Tirth Bhatta ◽  
Boaz Kahana ◽  
Nirmala Lekhak
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Depressive Symptoms ◽  
Negative Affect ◽  
Positive Affect ◽  
Emotional Support ◽  
Later Life ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Psychological Well Being ◽  
Compassionate Love ◽  
The Impact

Abstract Existing scholarship in social gerontology has surprisingly paid little attention to broader loving emotions, such as compassionate and altruistic love, as potentially meaningful mechanisms for improving later life psychological well-being. This study examined the influence of feeling love toward other persons and experiencing love from others on later life psychological well-being. We conducted a 3-wave longitudinal study of a representative sample of 340 ethnically heterogeneous community dwelling older residents of Miami, Florida. The increase in feeling of being loved (β=-1.53, p<0.001) and love for others (β=-1.43, p<0.001) led to decline in odds of reporting greater level of depressive symptoms over time. The odds of reporting higher level of positive affect were significantly greater for older adults who reported feeling loved by others (β=1.16, p<0.001) and expressed love for other people (β=1.18, p<0.01). Older adults who felt loved had 0.92-point lower ordered log odds of reporting higher negative affect than those who reported lower level of love. The impact of compassionate love on depressive symptoms and negative affect remained statistically significant even after adjustment for altruistic attitudes and emotional support. The influence of loving emotions on positive affect was, however, explained by altruistic attitudes and emotional support. Our findings underscore the powerful influence of both receiving and giving love for the maintenance of later life psychological well-being. We offer support for the expectation that love is a significant force in the lives of older adults that transcends intimate relationships.

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