Study about ambivalence of middle-aged mothers and unmarried adult children

2019 ◽  
Vol 24 (3) ◽  
pp. 59-76 ◽  
Author(s):  
Myeong-ae Choe ◽  
Jeong Shin An
Keyword(s):  
Adult Children ◽  
Middle Aged

scholarly journals The ageing of parent carers: classed and gendered care-giving patterns at higher ages

2021 ◽  
pp. 1-24
Author(s):  
Ursula Henz
Keyword(s):  
Adult Children ◽  
Social Classes ◽  
Retirement Age ◽  
Parent Care ◽  
Multivariate Models ◽  
Middle Aged ◽  
Care Giving ◽  
Significant Difference ◽  
The Uk ◽  
Marital Union

Abstract Increasing longevity has led to a rising number of adult children who are at higher ages when they provide care for their parents. Drawing on the lifecourse approach and exchange theory, the paper addresses similarities and differences in parent care between late middle-aged and older adult children. The study uses the UK Household Longitudinal Study, restricting the analysis sample to individuals aged 50 and older with a living parent or parent-in-law. It presents multivariate models to examine differences between late middle-aged (aged 50–64) and older (aged 65+) children in being a parent carer, providing intensive care, the duration of parent care and providing selected types of help to parents. The involvement in parent care increases among women up to the end of their seventh decade of life and for men up to their eighth decade of life. At higher ages, the proportion of parent carers decreases more strongly for women than men. Older carers have shorter care-giving episodes than younger carers, but there is no significant difference in the type of care provided. Even past retirement age, parent care remains classed and gendered, with women from lower social classes having the highest likelihood of providing intensive parent care in old age. Having dependent children or living in a non-marital union depress the likelihood of caring for a parent even past retirement age.

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

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.

scholarly journals Middle-aged adults’ daily sleep and worries about aging parents and adult children.

2020 ◽  
Vol 34 (5) ◽  
pp. 621-629
Author(s):  
Haowei Wang ◽  
Kyungmin Kim ◽  
Jeffrey A. Burr ◽  
Kira S. Birditt ◽  
Karen L. Fingerman
Keyword(s):  
Adult Children ◽  
Middle Aged ◽  
Aging Parents ◽  
Middle Aged Adults

Parents' Responses to the Death of Adult Children from Accidents and Cancer: A Comparison

1987 ◽  
Vol 17 (4) ◽  
pp. 289-297 ◽  
Author(s):  
Stephen B. Shanfield ◽  
Barbara J. Swain ◽  
G. Andrew H. Benjamin
Keyword(s):  
Young Adults ◽  
Life Cycle ◽  
Adult Children ◽  
Traffic Accidents ◽  
Health Complaints ◽  
Time Of Death ◽  
Middle Aged ◽  
Sudden Loss ◽  
Two Factors ◽  
The Relationship

Parents who lose adult children in traffic accidents are different from parents who lose adult children from cancer. Accident parents tend to be middle-aged and their children young adults at the time of death. They also tend to have more psychiatric distress and more health complaints than cancer parents. Cancer parents are usually older with children who are middle aged at the time of death, and these parents tend to experience the loss less painfully. Two factors explain a high percentage of differences between the groups. These are: 1) older age of children at the time of death; and 2) less intense expression of grief. The relationship between parent and child changes at different stages over the life cycle. Thus, accident parents tend to be more attached to their children than cancer parents, and this can account for differences between the groups. The circumstances of death also determine the different responses. Sudden loss of young adult children in traffic accidents appears to be more distressing. These findings have important implications for prevention.

scholarly journals Family relations of middle-aged citizens in contemporary urban China: a grounded theory approach

2021 ◽  
Vol 41 (13/14) ◽  
pp. 67-80
Author(s):  
Qi Wang
Keyword(s):  
Grounded Theory ◽  
Adult Children ◽  
Family Relations ◽  
Urban China ◽  
Theory Approach ◽  
Middle Aged ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Older Parents ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Younger Generation

PurposeAlthough the Chinese nation is undergoing rapid modernisation and urbanisation, there remains widespread interest in some traditional familial arrangements and practices, particularly in the intergenerational context. This paper discusses the family relations of urban middle-aged citizens in present-day China.Design/methodology/approachThis study employed the grounded theory method to investigate family relations among middle-aged citizens in urban China based on data obtained via semi-structured interviews with 34 participants. A grounded theory coding strategy was used for data analysis.FindingsThe analysis revealed evidence of a transformation towards downward solidarity, with decreasing intergenerational co-residency; that is, the traditional norm of adult children providing support to their older parents is rapidly losing popularity. However, middle-aged and older citizens continue to support their adult children by helping them purchase real estate and assisting with childcare activities.Practical implicationsThe findings suggest the existence of intergenerational inequality. Policymakers should acknowledge this phenomenon and provide the younger generation with enough support to improve the wellbeing of the country's middle-aged and older population.Originality/valueThe transformation towards downward solidarity implies a new intergenerational relationship in contemporary China, in which many young people rely on financial and functional support from their older parents. Meanwhile, traditional norms continue to exist despite greater downward solidarity among the younger generation. In other words, old and new norms simultaneously exist.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document