Abstract
Parenthood, marital status and social networks have been shown to relate to the well-being and mental health of older people. Using a large sample of respondents aged 50 and older from 16 European countries, we identify the associations of well-being and mental health with family status. Making use of detailed social network data of the respondents, we also identify how different social support networks correlate with the well-being and health indicators. We observe positive associations for all network types, over and beyond any direct associations of family status with well-being. Results suggest that non-residential children are important providers of social support for their parents at older age.
Highlights
The link between family status, well-being, and mental health is widely discussed in academic and popular discourses
Reflecting the results presented in the previous section in terms of our three research hypotheses, the following implications for the well-being and mental health of people aged 50 and above emerge: i) There appears to be a strong positive association of being married/having a partner as part of a social network. ii) Non-residential children relate positively to wellbeing and mental health
The effect of grandchildren in general appears to be mixed. While they may be associated with higher life and network satisfaction, the same does not appear to hold for depressive symptoms and perceived quality of life. iii) We find clear evidence of positive relationhips of all types of social networks with our measures of wellbeing, over and beyond the respective underlying family status indicators
Summary
The link between family status (marital status and parenthood), well-being, and mental health is widely discussed in academic and popular discourses. Evidence suggests that being married or living with a partner can have a positive effect on life satisfaction [1] and is associated with higher well-being, better mental health and fewer depressive symptoms in old age [2,3,4]. Parenthood, on the other hand, does not appear to be associated with enhanced mental health [5,6,7]. A cross-country comparison finds only weak associations between life satisfaction and having children, with unclear direction [1]. There is evidence that the relationship between children and well-being becomes more positive for older respondents [1,10]. Depending on the life-cycle stage, the aspects of parenthood may differ, suggesting that the positive aspects of parenthood dominate when getting older. The role of children as a form of social support may become important in the later stages of a person’s life [10]
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