The Interdependence of Relationships with Adult Children and Spouses

Abstract

Notable shifts in life expectancy over the past century have brought many changes in family ties, including longer parent-child and marital relationships. Enduring family ties are characterized by new expectations and potential sources of support as well as conflicts among family members (Clarke, Preston, Raksin, & Bengtson, 1999; Fingerman, 1996; Shaw, Krause, Chatters, Connell, & Ingersoll-Dayton, 2004). These relationships are not static features of individuals' lives; instead, they change over time, as individuals age and as they face challenges throughout life (Umberson & Reczek, 2007). Indeed, life course perspectives emphasize the importance of linked lives, including that relationships with children interact with and influence the relationship between parents as they age (Elder, Johnson, & Crosnoe, 2003). This has led researchers to examine the interrelatedness of parent-child and spousal relationships.Research on family relationships in adulthood highlights their importance for individual well-being. Studies of marital relationships have consistently found that a satisfying marriage is associated with well-being and successful aging for middle-aged individuals (Ko, Berg, Butner, Uchino, & Smith, 2007; McNulty & Fincham, 2012). In addition, researchers have found that parent-child relationships have important implications for the well-being of middle-aged parents (Birditt, Fingerman, & Zarit, 2010; Greenfield & Marks, 2006; Fingerman, Pitzer, Lefkowitz, Birditt, & Mroczek, 2008). Despite the emphasis on both parent-child and marital relationships once children reach adulthood, little work has explored how these relationships are associated at this stage of family development. Using data from the Family Exchange Study (Fingerman, Miller, Birditt, & Zarit, 2009), in the present study we examined the interdependence of marital satisfaction and parent-child relationships with adult children.Family Systems as a Framework for Understanding Family ProcessesFamily systems theory posits that marital and parent-child relationships are important subsystems, each of which influences the other (Belsky, 1981; Cox & Paley, 1997; Minuchin, 1985). In recent decades, several processes have been proposed to explain how each of these subsystems influences the other (Engfer, 1988; Erel & Burman, 1995; Fauchier & Margolin, 2004; Umberson, 1992).The spillover hypothesis suggests that affect or behavior transfers directly from one relationship to the other within a family system (Easterbrooks & Emde, 1988). The transfer occurs in the same valence, such that negative affect in one subsystem is linked to negative affect in another. For example, one's own negative mood or affect carries over and increases the negative mood in other relationships (Cowan, Cowan, Heming, & Miller, 1991; Fauchier & Margolin, 2004). Conversely, warm and affectionate relationships between parents and children are associated with higher marital satisfaction (Easterbrooks & Emde, 1988). Indeed, previous research has found that families with more marital conflict tend to have more negative parent-child relationships, whereas parents in more affectionate marriages tend to maintain positive relations with their children and give their children more approval and affection (Grych, 2002; Miller, Cowan, Cowan, Hetherington, & Clingempeel, 1993). In addition, research has shown that a good parent-child relationship is associated with a couple's relationship quality (Carlson, Pilkauskas,McLanahan, & Brooks-Gunn, 2011; Nomaguchi & Milkie, 2003). Most studies on this topic, however, have focused on relatively young parents with young children.An alternate view is the compensatory hypothesis, which proposes that a transfer between subsystems in a family occurs in the opposite valence; that is, for example, when the marital subsystem boundary is not maintained, parent-child coalitions form and marital dysfunction ensues (Engfer, 1988; Minuchin, 1985). …