scholarly journals Does Parental Investment Shape Adult Children’s Fertility Intentions? Findings From a German Family Panel

2021 ◽  
Vol 6 ◽  
Author(s):  
Antti O. Tanskanen ◽  
Mirkka Danielsbacka
Keyword(s):  
Adult Children ◽  
Parental Investment ◽  
Financial Support ◽  
Adult Child ◽  
Fertility Intentions ◽  
Emotional Closeness ◽  
German Family ◽  
First Child ◽  
Contact Frequency ◽  
Over Time

Parents can play an important role in the childbearing plans of adult children. However, studies testing whether changes in parental investment are associated with subsequent changes in fertility intentions over time are lacking. We investigated whether parental investment, measured as contact frequency, emotional closeness, financial support, and childcare, is associated with adult children’s intentions to have a first and a second, or subsequent, child within the next 2 years. These associations were studied in four different parent-adult child dyads based on the sex of parents and adult children (i.e, mother-daughter, mother-son, father-daughter, father-son). The participants are from the German Family Panel, which is a longitudinal survey of younger and middle-aged adults with eight follow-up waves. We exploited within-person (or fixed-effect) regression models, which concentrated an individual’s variation over time (i.e., whether changes in parental investment frequencies are associated with subsequent changes in adult children’s fertility intentions). It was detected that increased emotional closeness between fathers and daughters was associated with increased adult daughter’s intentions to have a first child but father-daughter contact decreased daughter’s intentions to have another child, and maternal financial support decreased son’s intentions to have a first child. Overall, statistically nonsignificant associations outweighed significant ones. Although it is often assumed that parental investment is an important factor influencing the childbearing decisions of adult children, the present findings indicate that parental investment may not increase adult children’s intentions to have a/another child in Germany.

scholarly journals Parental investment and adult children’s fertility intentions in Germany

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Antti O Tanskanen ◽  
Mirkka Danielsbacka
Keyword(s):  
Adult Children ◽  
Parental Investment ◽  
Regression Models ◽  
Adult Child ◽  
Fertility Intentions ◽  
Adult Daughters ◽  
Adult Sons ◽  
Contact Frequency ◽  
Effect Regression ◽  
Over Time

Several studies have investigated the association between parental investment and childbearing decisions of adult children. However, studies testing whether changes in parental investment are associated with subsequent changes in fertility intentions over time are lacking. We investigated whether parental investment, measured as contact frequency, emotional closeness, financial support, and childcare, is associated with adult children’s intentions to have a first and a second, or subsequent, child. These associations were studied in four different parent-adult child dyads based on the sex of parents and adult children. We used eight waves from the longitudinal German Family Panel (pairfam) and exploited both between-person and within-person (or fixed-effect) regression models. Between-person associations represent the results across individuals and within-person associations represent an individual’s variation over time (i.e., whether changes in parental investment frequencies are associated with subsequent changes in adult children’s fertility intentions). We found that statistically nonsignificant associations outweighed significant ones. Significant associations were also more often present in the between-person than within-person models. Two of the three significant within-person effects were negative, meaning that when parental investment increased, adult children’s intentions to have a/another child decreased. In between-person models, the parental investment was associated with the childbearing intentions of adult sons rather than those of adult daughters. The present findings indicate that parental investment may not increase adult children’s intentions to have a/another child in Germany.

scholarly journals Grandparents’ Perspectives on Parent-Adult Child Relationships During the Transition to Grandparenthood

2017 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
pp. 37-48
Author(s):  
Elizabeth A Munz
Keyword(s):  
Adult Children ◽  
Parenting Practices ◽  
Qualitative Data ◽  
Adult Child ◽  
Family Transition ◽  
Parental Roles ◽  
The Past ◽  
Factors Influencing ◽  
First Child ◽  
Intergenerational Issues

Objective: The aim of this study on the transition to grandparenthood is to capture grandparents’ perspectives on their relationship and communication with their adult children when their adult children was expecting their first child or became new parents within the past year. More specifically, the study aimed to uncover 1) Intergenerational issues identified by grandparents during the transition to grandparenthood and 2) Factors influencing grandparents’ communication and relationships with their adult children during this time of family transition. Method: Participants were 19 grandparents in the U.S., 15 grandmothers and 4 grandfathers who were about to welcome the first child of one of their children (N = 8), who had welcomed the first child of one of their children in the past year (N = 10), or who had both a child who was expecting and a child who had welcomed their first child within the past year (N = 1). Qualitative data analysis was conducted on transcripts from the grandparent interviews utilizing the constant comparative technique and thematic analysis to identify categories and emergent themes. Results: Grandparent participants shared their perspectives on the intergenerational transmission of parenting practices, reflected on changes in parental roles over time, and identified communication facilitator and barriers during this time of transition. These categories and emergent themes are explicated in the results section along with supporting excerpts from grandparent interviews. Conclusion: The transition to grandparenthood impacts communication and relationships between grandparents and their adult children by shaping the content, frequency, and medium of communication. Understanding grandparents’ perspectives on this time of transition adds to existing research on families focused mainly on the adult child’s perspective.

scholarly journals Are newly added and lost confidants in later life related to subsequent mental health?

2017 ◽  
Vol 29 (12) ◽  
pp. 2047-2057 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ella Schwartz ◽  
Howard Litwin
Keyword(s):  
Quality Of Life ◽  
Mental Health ◽  
Social Networks ◽  
Depressive Symptoms ◽  
Later Life ◽  
Emotional Closeness ◽  
Contact Frequency ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
Over Time

ABSTRACTBackground:This study examined internal changes in the personal social networks of older people and the relationship between these changes and mental health over time. It focused on two key aspects: emotional closeness and contact frequency with lost and newly added confidants.Methods:The study was based on data from the fourth (2011) and sixth (2015) waves of the Survey of Health, Ageing and Retirement in Europe (SHARE). The study sample consisted of respondents aged 65 years and older who participated in both waves (n = 14,101). We performed OLS regressions in which the scores on two mental health indicators over time – depressive symptoms (Euro-D) and perceived quality of life (CASP-12) – were regressed on the relationship with lost and newly added confidants, controlling for baseline social networks, socio-demographic, and health variables.Results:The nature of the relationship with the lost and newly added confidants was associated with mental health, beyond the number of these confidants. Emotional closeness with newly added confidants was related to improved mental health in both indicators (B = −0.09, CI = −0.14 to −0.04 for depression; B =1.13, CI = 0.67–1.60 for quality of life). Losing frequently contacted confidants was associated with higher depressive symptoms (B = 0.09, CI = 0.02–0.15).Conclusions:The results show the positive mental health implications of adding emotionally close confidants to older adults’ social milieus, and the negative effects of losing frequently contacted confidants. Practitioners are advised to pay attention to the quality of such changing relationships, due to their mental health consequences.

scholarly journals Intergenerational solidarity in family influencing factors

2022 ◽  
Vol 131 ◽  
pp. 01002
Author(s):  
Nadezda Kuligina ◽  
Signe Dobelniece
Keyword(s):  
Gender Differences ◽  
Influencing Factors ◽  
Adult Children ◽  
Economic Status ◽  
Adult Child ◽  
Adult Daughters ◽  
Intergenerational Solidarity ◽  
Emotional Closeness ◽  
Socio Economic Status

The purpose of this study was to investigate gender differences of adult children in manifestations of emotional closeness and its influence on frequency of contacts with their parents, as well as impact of the socio-economic status of parents on manifesting solidarity by the adult child. The participants of the research were 410 adult children, aged 18–62, living in Latvia, and with at least one parent alive. The results of the research showed that significant differences exist in manifestations of emotional closeness and frequency of contacts with parents by gender of a child and the socio-economic status of parents. Adult daughters more often meet and contact their parents than sons do. Emotional closeness and frequency of contacts correlate with providing functional help to their parents. Normative obligations of adult children to show care and provide help to their parents have been stipulated by the legislation of Latvia; however, the results of the research showed that parents who are emotionally close to their children received significantly greater help and support.

scholarly journals Childhood Abuse and Caregiving for Perpetrating Parents: Impacts on Adult Child Well-Being

2021 ◽  
Vol 5 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. 319-320
Author(s):  
Jaime Goldberg ◽  
Jooyoung Kong ◽  
Sara Moorman
Keyword(s):  
Depressive Symptoms ◽  
Childhood Abuse ◽  
Adult Child ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Life Course Perspective ◽  
Psychological Resources ◽  
Emotional Closeness ◽  
Contact Frequency ◽  
Adult Child Caregiver ◽  
Child Caregiver

Abstract Combining the stress process model of caregiving and life course perspective, this study examined the long-term influences of childhood abuse on perpetrating parent-adult child relationships and adult child well-being in the context of caregiving. Using a sample of family caregivers from the Wisconsin Longitudinal Study (969 caregivers of mothers; 280 caregivers of fathers), we investigated whether contact frequency and emotional closeness with an abusive parent mediate the longitudinal effects of parental childhood abuse on adult child caregivers’ depressive symptoms and the moderating effects of self-acceptance and mastery on this mediational association. Key findings indicate that maternal childhood abuse may negatively affect emotional closeness between an adult child caregiver and perpetrating mother (b = -0.24, p < .001). This could lead the adult child caregiver to experience increased depressive symptoms (b = 0.02, p < .05). Although the mediation paths for the effect of maternal childhood abuse on depressive symptoms via emotional closeness with mothers did not differ by caregivers’ level of psychological resources, we found that psychological resources significantly moderated the association between maternal childhood abuse and depressive symptoms (b = -0.08, p < .05). Further research may explore this phenomenon in light of the heterogeneity of contemporary families. Practitioners working with adults with a history of parental childhood abuse who are caregiving for their perpetrator are encouraged to employ a trauma-informed approach to maximize the caregivers’ health and well-being.

Intra-Couple (Dis)Similarity in Gender Role Attitudes and the Transition to Parenthood in Germany

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ansgar Hudde ◽  
Henriette Engelhardt
Keyword(s):  
Panel Data ◽  
Gender Role ◽  
Transition To Parenthood ◽  
Gender Role Attitudes ◽  
German Family ◽  
First Child ◽  
Micro Level ◽  
Over Time

Abstract This paper tests whether couples in which partners hold dissimilar gender role attitudes are less likely to have a first child together compared to couples in which both partners share similar attitudes. The study contributes to micro-level research on gender role attitudes and fertility, which has examined the content of one partner’s attitudes, but not the fit of both partners’ views. We analyse unique panel data from the German Family Panel (pairfam) collected between 2008 and 2017, which includes information on the attitudes of both partners in a couple. Results show that couples whose members have dissimilar gender role attitudes are substantially and significantly less likely to have a child together over time. This observation holds independently of both partners’ individual attitudes and holds against a number of robustness checks.

scholarly journals OLDER PARENTS’ PERCEIVED SOCIAL SUPPORT AND STRAIN FROM ADULT CHILDREN AND INTERGENERATIONAL FINANCIAL TRANSFER

2019 ◽  
Vol 3 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. S280-S280
Author(s):  
Dahee Kim ◽  
Peter Martin
Keyword(s):  
Social Support ◽  
Adult Children ◽  
Financial Support ◽  
Perceived Social Support ◽  
Older Parents ◽  
Social Strain ◽  
Multiple Group ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Negative Relationships ◽  
Over Time

Abstract The gerontological literature indicates that both positive and negative relationships are dimensions of intergenerational relationships. Moreover, depending on intergenerational financial support, the association between older parents’ perceived social support and strain from adult children can vary. The purpose of the current study is to investigate the association between intergenerational social support and strain. We also examined the impact of intergenerational financial transfers on intergenerational social support and strain. We analyzed data of 1,329 older adults aged 65 to 84 from the Health and Retirement Study collected at 2006(t1), 2010(t2), and 2014(t3). Cross-lagged panel models were performed to examine the reciprocal association between intergenerational social support and strain over time. Multiple group comparisons were conducted to estimate the impact of financial support exchange on social support and strain from adult children. The results demonstrated that social support and strain from adult children were stable over time. Furthermore, social strain had negative effects on the changes in social support from adult children. Multiple group comparisons suggested that in the parents’ groups (financial support provision vs. no provision to adult children, and financial support receipt vs. no receipt groups from adult children) intergenerational social support and strain were stable over time. Additionally, the impact of social strain on subsequent social support from adult children differed depending on intergenerational financial support. These findings highlight the reciprocal association between intergenerational positive and negative relationships. Further, this research suggests the importance of intergenerational support in older parents’ and adult children’s positive and negative relationship quality.

scholarly journals Supporting One’s Own? Grandparents’ Help to Grandchildren Who Live With Other Unrelated Children

2021 ◽  
Vol 5 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. 496-496
Author(s):  
Teresa Cooney
Keyword(s):  
Adult Children ◽  
Financial Support ◽  
Adult Child ◽  
Add Health ◽  
Child Characteristics ◽  
Resource Dilution ◽  
The Past ◽  
Biological Children ◽  
Financial Giving

Abstract The structures of young families today are becoming increasingly complex, which may impact grandparents’ involvement. I examine whether grandparents’ support to adult children’s households differs for those with biological grandchildren only, versus households with both biological and non-biological (step, unrelated) grandchildren. The resource dilution hypothesis and sociobiology theory suggest that grandparents will be less supportive of grandchildren when other unrelated children co-reside in their households. Grandparents (mean age 62.23) in the Add Health Parent Study (2015-2017) reported on instrumental and financial help given to each of their adult children's families in the past year. These data were merged with information from their adult children (mean age 36.76) who participated in Add Health Wave V (2016-2018). Adult children’s household structures—biological children only (n=400) or biological + other children (n=51)—were determined using their fertility histories and household rosters. No significant differences were found in the likelihood that grandparents offered any instrumental or financial support to these two household types (controlling for grandparent resources and adult child characteristics). Nor was the level of grandparents’ financial support significantly different for the two groups. However, grandparents gave significantly fewer hours of help to adult children heading households including both biological grandchildren and unrelated children. Grandparents appear less willing to devote time to assisting their grandchildren’s families when their investment is diluted by the presence of unrelated children. Perhaps time with grandchildren is less pleasing or comfortable when unrelated children are present. This same issue does not impact financial giving, which need not involve contact.

Providing instrumental support to older parents of multi-child families in China: are there different within-family patterns?

2021 ◽  
pp. 1-18
Author(s):  
Jia Chen ◽  
Xiaochen Zhou ◽  
Nan Lu
Keyword(s):  
Adult Children ◽  
Latent Profile Analysis ◽  
Profile Analysis ◽  
Multinomial Logistic Regression ◽  
Adult Child ◽  
Instrumental Support ◽  
Older Parents ◽  
Older Mothers ◽  
Family Patterns ◽  
Using Data

Abstract Older parents in China rely heavily on their adult children for instrumental assistance. In different multi-child families, multiple offspring may co-operate in providing instrumental support to older parents in distinct ways in terms of how much support they provide on average and how much differentiation exists between them when they provide such support within a family. We aimed to identify different within-family patterns in relation to multiple offspring's instrumental support to an older parent in Chinese multi-child families, and to investigate potential predictors for different within-family patterns. Using data from the China Family Panel Studies (2016), we had a working sample of 5,790 older adults aged 60+ (mean = 68.54, standard deviation = 6.60). We employed latent profile analysis (LPA) to classify within-family patterns and multinomial logistic regression to investigate predictors. Our findings identified three within-family patterns: dissociated (59.10%), highly differentiated (29.60%) and united-filial (11.30%). Older parents in the highly differentiated families tended to be older, mothers, divorced/widowed and to have poorer physical health compared to their counterparts in the dissociated families. In contrast, the composition characteristics of multiple adult children played more important roles in determining the united-filial within-family pattern. The united-filial families were more likely to have fewer adult children, at least one adult daughter and at least one co-residing adult child.

Mid-Life Parental Support for Adult Children in New Zealand

2003 ◽  
Vol 39 (3) ◽  
pp. 271-290 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sarah Hillcoat-Nallétamby ◽  
A. Dharmalingam
Keyword(s):  
Young Adults ◽  
New Zealand ◽  
Adult Children ◽  
Significant Influence ◽  
Parental Support ◽  
Adult Child ◽  
Mature Adult ◽  
Transitions To Adulthood ◽  
Factors Influencing ◽  
Ageing Parents

Research often focuses on exchanges of help between mature adult children and ageing parents, but not between young adults and parents. As transitions to adulthood become more complex, and mid-life is increasingly associated with competing roles, this article examines factors influencing the likelihood that a mid-life parent continues to support an adult child who has left home. Empirical analysis uses data from New Zealand's 1997 `Transactions in the Mid-life Family' survey. Parents continue to support their child, but the factors influencing the flow of help vary by type of help. A child's, but not a parent's age, and the gender of both, have a significant influence on the provision of help, and although infrequent contact and long distances make exchanges more difficult, they do not completely inhibit them.

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