Abstract
Objective: This study examined the relationship between loneliness in parents and in their adult children, and took into account the role of gender differences in the intergenerational transmission of loneliness.
 Background: Although it is well documented that loneliness has negative effects on a person’s physical and mental health, only a relatively small number of empirical studies have investigated the intergenerational transmission of loneliness between parents and their children, including the potential long-term effects of transmission processes. Moreover, the findings of the few existing studies have been inconsistent and contradictory, particularly with regard to gender differences.
 Method: The statistical analysis drew on data from the German Socio-Economic Panel Study (SOEP). Based on data from 2013 and 2017, stepwise multilevel linear regression models were estimated for 4,457 respondents between the ages of 18 and 40 and their parents.
 Results: Significant associations were found between loneliness in parents and in their adult children. The analysis also revealed that the relationship between loneliness in mothers and in their children did not depend on whether mothers and children were living in the same household. However, no significant differences were found between same-sex and opposite-sex parent-child dyads.
 Conclusion: This study provided moderate evidence for the intergenerational transmission of loneliness between parents and their adult children, as well as indirect evidence for the long-term effects of transmission processes between mothers and children.
Highlights
Humans are social beings, and, engage extensively in social relationships (Asher & Paquette 2003; Heinrich & Gullone 2006)
The analysis provided some evidence for the long-term effects of the intergenerational transmission of loneliness from parents to children, as the study focused on adult children who were no longer sharing a household with their parents
The findings of this study have provided moderate evidence for the intergenerational transmission of loneliness between parents and their children, as the results showed that higher levels of loneliness in both mothers and fathers predicted higher levels of loneliness in their adult children
Summary
Engage extensively in social relationships (Asher & Paquette 2003; Heinrich & Gullone 2006). While most of the few existing studies on this topic have focused on similarities in levels of loneliness in parents and in their young children, the question of whether loneliness in parents is linked to loneliness in their adult children has yet to be adequately addressed This is unfortunate, because studies of this type could shed more light on the question of whether the intergenerational transmission of loneliness has long-lasting effects on children that go well beyond childhood and adolescence. The present study aims to contribute to the current status of research by examining the relationship between loneliness in parents and in their adult children, while clarifying the role of gender differences in the intergenerational transmission of loneliness. The third objective is to investigate potential differences between same-sex and opposite-sex parent-child dyads in the intergenerational transmission of loneliness
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