Abstract
ObjectivesMulti-actor data show that parents’ and adult children’s evaluations of their relation do not necessarily match. We studied disagreement in parent- and child-reported closeness, comparing parent–child dyads involving separated parents, non-separated parents, and stepparents to shed new light on today’s diverse landscape of adult parent–child relations.MethodUsing data from the Parents and Children in the Netherlands (OKiN) survey, we analyzed closeness in parent–child dyads (N = 4,602) comparing (step)parents’ and their adult children’s (aged 25–45) reports. To distinguish directional disagreement (i.e., differences in child- and parent-reported means) from nondirectional disagreement (i.e., the association between child- and parent-reported measures), while accounting for absolute levels of closeness, we estimated log-linear models.ResultsAll types of parents tend to report higher levels of closeness than their children. Whereas parental overreport is more prevalent among biological father–child dyads than among biological mother–child dyads, we found no differences between biological dyads and stepdyads. The association between children’s and parents’ reports is higher among dyads involving stepmothers or married mothers than among those involving separated mothers and (step)fathers.DiscussionThe intergenerational stake (i.e., parental overreport) is not unique to biological parent–child relations. Instead, patterns of disagreement seem most strongly stratified by gender.
Highlights
Background and HypothesesWe consider two dimensions of disagreement of parentand child-reported closeness: Directional disagreement and nondirectional disagreement
We studied disagreement in parent- and child-reported closeness, comparing parent–child dyads involving separated parents, non-separated parents, and stepparents to shed new light on today’s diverse landscape of adult parent–child relations
Whereas parental overreport is more prevalent among biological father–child dyads than among biological mother–child dyads, we found no differences between biological dyads and stepdyads
Summary
Background and HypothesesWe consider two dimensions of disagreement of parentand child-reported closeness: Directional disagreement (as reflected by the difference between the parent- and child-reported means) and nondirectional disagreement (as reflected by the association between parent and child reports). Directional disagreement is an absolute measure of difference, whereas nondirectional disagreement is a relative measure. The literature on directional disagreement started with the observation that parents, relative to their young adult children, overreport affectual and consensual solidarity with their children, as reflected by a higher mean on parentreported measures (Bengtson and Kuypers, 1971). This difference was originally explained with the idea of different developmental stakes which color parents’ and children’s perceptions: Adult children are concerned with developing a sense of autonomy, and tend to understate intergenerational affection and overstate intergenerational contrasts. Parents tend to overstate affection and understate contrasts in relation to their offspring
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