The Negative Side of the Relationship Between Older Widows and Their Adult Children: The Mothers' Perspective

Abstract

Possible reasons that relationships between older parents and their adult children do not contribute to the well-being of the older parents are explored in this qualitative study of 55 older widowed mothers. Some older mothers feel unappreciated by their children. Some older mothers provide substantial goods and services to their children, at great personal cost. The older mother-adult child relationship may be characterized by a power differential, such that some older mothers feel subordinate to their adult children. Exchange theory is applied to these phenomena.