Effects of intergenerational perceptions on subjective well-being of older adults and their adult children

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of older adults’ functional capacity, self-management ability, and intergenerational solidarity on the subjective wellbeing of older adults and their adult children. The data were collected from older adults who were 65 years of age or older, as well as from one of their children. Participants of this study included 148 older adults, with a mean age of 80.05, and 87 adult children, with a mean age of 51.99. The older adults were asked to self-rate on all these measures, whereas the adult children were asked to provide their perception of their parents. Older adults reported higher overall perceived health, lower self-management ability, and more positive sentiments in affectual solidarity than adult children. Furthermore, older adults reported higher levels of life satisfaction than adult children did. Older adults’ subjective well-being was predicted by better functional capacity, higher levels of self-management ability, and positive intergenerational solidarity, whereas adult children’s subjective well-being was predicted by higher levels of intergenerational solidarity. In addition, a couple of suppressor effects were found. Older adults’ perceptions of self-management ability and intergenerational solidarity suppressed the effect of older adults’ functional capacity on older adults’ subjective wellbeing, and adult children’s perceptions of intergenerational solidarity suppressed the effect of geographic proximity on adult children’s subjective well-being. The results suggest that older adults’ self-management ability is the most predictive factor of their subjective wellbeing. Intergenerational solidarity was the only factor that predicted both older adults’ and adult children’s subjective well-being. For the future care of older adults, it is important to consider how older adults’ self-management ability and staying closely connected with their adult children can be enhanced.