Adult children’s educational attainment and its relationship with older parents’ life satisfaction in India

Abstract

ABSTRACT Life satisfaction is an important component of successful aging and is known to be associated with health, well-being, and longevity. This study examines the association between children’s educational attainment and life satisfaction among older parents in India while also exploring the moderating effect of the children’s and parents’ sex on the examined relationship. Additionally, the study aims to identify potential mediators and pathways that could explain the examined relationship. The study draws on data from the Longitudinal Ageing Study in India (LASI, 2017–18) wave-1. Multivariable Ordinary Least Squares (OLS) regression models, incorporating interaction analyzes, were employed to examine the relationship between offspring education and parental life satisfaction. Structural Equation Modelling (SEM) was employed to investigate potential mediators and pathways of the examined relationship. The findings reveal that a one-year increase in average offspring education was associated with a 0.18 unit increase in life satisfaction among older parents. Moreover, the interaction estimates indicate that for every unit increase in offspring education, mothers experienced a 0.05 unit higher increment in life satisfaction score compared to fathers. The SEM analysis identified health behavior, physical and mental health, food insecurity, and perceived socioeconomic status as potential mediators of the relationship between children’s education and parents’ life satisfaction. The study suggests that investing in higher education for the upcoming generation could yield benefits not only for the younger generation but also for the older generation as well.