Well-being Of Older Parents Research Articles

Adult children’s education and older parents’ cognitive health in India: examining the pathways of parents’ empowered status and active engagement

ABSTRACT The health and well-being of older parents, especially in low and middle-income countries (LMICs) like India, depend on adult children. As such, using the 2017–18 wave 1 of the Longitudinal Aging Study in India (LASI), we examined (1) the association between adult children’s education and older parents’ cognitive health in India; (2) the extent to which this association is mediated by (a) parents’ empowered status and (b) their active engagement; and (3) whether the associations between (1) and (2) vary for older men and women. Findings reveal that adult children’s education was, indeed, positively associated with older parents’ cognitive health, and this association was significantly stronger for older mothers. The educational attainment of adult daughters was found to have a relatively stronger association with the cognitive functioning of older parents, particularly their older mothers, compared to their male counterparts. We also found that parents of well-educated children were more empowered and mentally and physically engaged, both factors linked to better cognitive functioning. These findings highlight that educating even one child beyond the ‘compulsory’ secondary education proves consequential not just for the child but for parents in later life. Given the considerable generational disparities in educational attainment and the proportion of joint families in the country, older Indians may be particularly well-situated to reap the cognitive health dividends of educating the next generation.

Transnational aging: A scoping review on the mental health and well-being of older migrant parents

ABSTRACT Introduction: This scoping review addresses a critical yet underresearched area in migration studies: the mental health and well-being of older parents in first-generation migrant families. It explores how these individuals navigate the complexities of transnational aging and the implications for their mental health and well-being. The study is essential in evolving global migration and demographic shifts. Methods: This review followed Arksey and O’Malley’s methodological framework for scoping reviews and is reported using the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses-ScR checklist. The review extensively examined both academic and grey literature in English, without any restrictions on the publication date. A total of 8 studies were carefully selected for analysis, ensuring a broad representation of methodologies and viewpoints. Results: The review identified five primary themes that significantly impact the mental health and well-being of older parents in first-generation migrant families: (a) psychological well-being and depression, (b) social networks and family ties, (c) economic factors, (d) acculturation and cultural adaptation, and (e) policy implications and support systems. Discussion: The review underscores the necessity of a multidimensional approach that considers aging, cultural, and socioeconomic factors. When focusing on mental health and well-being, studies primarily centered on medical and chronic conditions were excluded. This selection criterion shapes the review’s outcomes, emphasizing the psychosocial and cultural dimensions over direct medical aspects. Future research could incorporate health-related studies to present a more comprehensive understanding of the transnational aging experience. In addition, further research could explore the impact of global health challenges, such as the COVID-19 pandemic, on this demographic, deepening our understanding of their unique experiences and needs in diverse sociocultural and health contexts.

MIGRATE OR STAY? PSYCHOLOGICAL WELL-BEING AMONG MIGRANT AND LEFT-BEHIND OLDER ADULTS IN CHINA

Abstract When adult children migrate from households, older parents face two options: migrate with children or remain in place (“left behind”). However, it remains unclear which option is better for older adults’ psychological well-being. With the data from China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Survey (CHARLS) at the wave of 2015 and 2018 (N = 4989), this study examined the longitudinal changes in depression and life satisfaction among older locals (those who did not migrate and lived with their children), migrants and left-behinds, and the impacts of children support and social support on the well-being of older parents. Results showed that there was an increase in depression level among the left-behind older adults from 2015 to 2018, but this was not found among the migration group or the local group. Furthermore, the left-behind group reported a higher level of depression than the local group and migration group, and this difference was accounted by the time of living with children, but not social activities. In addition, the time of living with children was positively associated with life satisfaction among the left-behind group, and this association was not observed among the migration group or the local group, suggesting the salutary effect of children’s support among the left-behind group. These results highlight the adverse effect of being left behind among older adults and the importance of children’s support for left-behind older adults.

Child-to-parent intergenerational support and its association with subjective well-being among older adults: A cross-national comparison of American and Korean parents

Rapid population aging in the United States and South Korea has implications for intergenerational relationships and support between adult children and older parents. However, given the two countries’ different cultural and social norms and economic development, older adults’ perceptions and experiences of intergenerational support may differ. This study utilizes data from the 2018 wave of the Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study and the Korean Longitudinal Study of Ageing to examine the relationship between intergenerational support from children to parents and the subjective well-being of older American and Korean parents. Employing the Probit model, our findings reveal significant and positive associations between receiving emotional support from adult children and the well-being of older parents in both countries. However, receiving financial transfers from adult children is negatively associated with the subjective well-being of older American parents, while this association is positive but not statistically significant among older Korean parents. Furthermore, we explored specific subgroups and found that child-to-parent emotional contact significantly contributes to the subjective well-being of fathers, individuals not living with their children, and parents in higher income percentiles. In contrast, receiving financial transfers from adult children plays a significantly positive role in the well-being of older Korean mothers and parents in lower income percentiles. These results highlight the importance of developing interventions tailored to specific countries and groups and effectively addressing the unique needs and challenges older adults face in diverse cultural and socioeconomic contexts.

The Effects of Social Support on the Psychological Well-Being of Older Parents: A Longitudinal Study

Abstract This study examines whether parental support (the provision of social support by older parents to adult children) and filial support (older parents’ receipt of social support from adult children) influence two orthogonal dimensions of older adults’ psychological wellbeing: positive feelings and negative feelings. This study also highlights the importance of accounting for parental need as a mediator of social support. A longitudinal design is used to examine the effects of social support on the psychological wellbeing of older adults at Wave 6 (1998) and Wave 8 (2004) of the Longitudinal Study of Generations. Parental support significantly increases parents’ positive feelings, which suggests that, when it comes to positive feelings, it is better to give support than to receive it. Filial support findings indicate that older adults with greater level of disability demonstrate a decrease in negative feelings when they received filial support. However, this effect does not hold for older adults with lesser levels of disability, suggesting that, when it comes to older adults’ negative feelings, it is better to receive support (rather than to give it) when parents are in need. Although parental and filial support have the potential to buffer stressful life transitions in old age, most parents wish to remain independent, even in later life, making them reluctant to accept filial support. The parent-adult child relationship is crucial for psychological wellbeing, especially because of increased life expectancy.

Intergenerational Relationships, Social Support, and Psychological Well-Being Among Korean Older Adults

Using longitudinal data from the 2006 to 2018 Korean Longitudinal Study of Aging, this study explores depression trajectories among individuals who are 60 or older with at least one living adult child at baseline. We estimated linear growth curve models of depression trajectories separately for married, unmarried and widowed using the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale (CES-D). Results indicate that declining health and recent widowhood are positively related to depressive symptoms. Satisfactory intergenerational relationships and social support in the form of caregiving decrease depressive symptoms of older parents, especially among the widowed. Having at least one son and a first-born daughter positively impact psychological well-being of older parents. A son was particularly important for those who are widowed. We conclude that the psychological benefits of intergenerational relationships and social support are contingent upon the vulnerability of Korean older adults and discuss the implications for public policy.

Within-family patterns of intergenerational emotional closeness and psychological well-being of older parents in China

Objectives: There may be a substantial difference in the intergenerational emotional closeness among offspring in a multi-child family, both regarding the overall level as well as the extent to which older parents differentiate emotional closeness between their children. This study addressed different within-family patterns based on the average level and differentiation of older parent–child emotional closeness. It also examined the associations between these distinct patterns and the psychological well-being of older parents in China.Method: We derived a final sample of 4247 older parents (aged 60+) with 14,461 children from the baseline wave (2010) of the China Family Panel Studies. A latent profile analysis was applied to classify within-family patterns based on two indicators: within-family mean level and differentiation of parent–child emotional closeness among offspring. Ordered logistic regression and ordinary least square (OLS) regression were used to investigate the associations between these patterns and older adults’ life satisfaction and depression, respectively.Results: Two family patterns of parent–child emotional closeness were identified: tight-knit (91.50%) and highly ambivalent (8.50%). Compared with the former, older parents having highly ambivalent relationships across multiple offspring tended to have lower life satisfaction and higher levels of depression.Conclusion: This study highlighted the importance of capturing different within-family dynamics of intergenerational emotional closeness in Chinese families. It also pointed out the negative effects of collective ambivalence for older adults’ psychological well-being.

Stepfamilies in Later Life

The proliferation of divorce and remarriage over the last few decades has produced a sharp increase in the prevalence of stepfamilies, a family form famously labeled by Cherlin (1978) as an incomplete institution for its ambiguous set of role expectations. Although the large majority of investigations into stepfamilies and step-relations has understandably focused on the consequences of family disruption and reformation for the well-being of parents and children at early stages of the family life cycle (Sweeney, 2010), the potential implications for mature families are equally profound. This is particularly relevant to those individuals who experienced the divorce revolution of the late 20th century and who are now entering their later years in complex families with various configurations of step- and biological relationships (Cherlin, 2010). Consequently, it behooves scholars to examine how mature adults and their adult children negotiate relationships in stepfamilies, particularly as older parents confront the challenges and vulnerabilities of midlife and beyond. This special section brings together eight articles from the Netherlands, Germany, and the United States to address issues relevant to the functioning of mature step-relationships and their implications for the well-being of older stepparents.The empirical literature generally reveals adverse effects of parental divorce and stepfamily formation on intergenerational relationships in adulthood, raising concerns about the adequacy of informal support and care available to repartnered elderly parents (Pezzin, Poliak, & Schone, 2008; Ryan, Smith, Antonucci, & Jackson, 2012; Silverstein & Giarrusso, 2010). Evidence is accumulating that the legacy of divorce and remarriage has a long reach, straining intergenerational relationships and suppressing the support that divorced parents, stepparents, and remarried biological parents might expect from their children in later life (Aquilino, 2005; Shapiro, 2003). Indeed, an emerging consensus is that mid- to late life stepfamilies are developing in new and uncharted ways that require further investigation (Ganong & Coleman, 2012).The articles in this section investigate a variety of intergenerational outcomes in mature stepfamilies (emotional closeness, relationship strength, living arrangements, geographic propinquity, in-person contact, and inclusion in personal networks) and the impact of stepfamily membership on the well-being of older parents (mortality and institutionalization; depression and caregiving burden). Three overlapping conceptual themes are represented by the articles, each with key implications for aging stepfamilies: (a) negotiation of boundary ambiguity, (b) intergenerational resource exchange, and (c) filial norms and expectations.The dilemma of boundary ambiguity is based on uncertainties in the role expectations of partners in step-relationships. Clear guidelines for behavior are often absent, leading to attenuation in the strength of step-relationships and an increase in their fragility. Suanet, van der Pas, and van Tilburg (2013) provided evidence that the boundary dividing biological and steprelationships has blurred over 17 years. A cohort comparison reveals that mature stepparents are more inclusive in considering stepchildren as members of their close personal networks than they were in the past. This suggests that role uncertainties may be waning, because steprelationships in more contemporary cohorts of parents are less likely to be relegated to the periphery of family life.Boundary ambiguity is extended to new family forms in the article by de Jong Gierveld and Merz (2013), who studied intergenerational relations of repartnered parents in livingapart-together (LAT) relationships (defined as marriagelike relationships whereby partners maintain separate residences). The authors found that adult children who resist accepting their parent's new partner tend to prefer an LAT arrangement because it preserves geographic boundaries, without which active conflict might emerge with the new partner. …

OLDER-AGE PARENTS IN RURAL CAMBODIA AND MIGRATION OF ADULT CHILDREN

This study examines links between migration status and location of adult children and measures associated with the well-being of older parents. Data come from older adults born between 1940 and 1950 living in a region in northwest Cambodia near the Thai border with good access to Phnom Penh. Analyses are conducted from the perspectives of the older adult and adult children. Results show that high rates of out-migration do not leave their older parents without alternative means of support. Migrant children often remain in contact by telephone. Most adult children remit money to their parents, but the majority of remittances are small. While large remittances are atypical, adult children living in Phnom Penh or across the border in Thailand are more likely to provide substantial amounts. The analysis presents a picture of an area where people are on the move but families still share resources and time with older adults.

Wellbeing of adult children and ageing parents: associations with intergenerational support and relationship quality

ABSTRACTThe current study describes from an attachment-theoretical viewpoint how intergenerational support in adult child-parent relationships is associated with wellbeing in both generations. The attachment perspective and its focus on affective relationship characteristics is considered as an important theoretical framework for the investigation of special relationships across the life span. Data from the Netherlands Kinship Panel Study (N=1,456 dyads) were analysed to investigate if relationship quality moderated the association between providing intergenerational support to parents and wellbeing in adult children, on the one hand, and receiving intergenerational support from children and wellbeing of older parents on the other hand. The perspectives of both relationship partners were taken into account to allow for dependence within dyads. Intergenerational support, in terms of instrumental help provision, was negatively associated with the child's and parent's wellbeing. Being the stronger and wiser partner in adult-child parent relationships, as reflected by giving advice and being the initiator within the relationship, was beneficial for the wellbeing of both generations. Additionally, relationship quality was the strongest predictor of wellbeing in both generations. Parental wellbeing was benefited by filial support in high quality relationships. If an intergenerational relationships was of high quality, the challenges of intergenerational support provision and receipt were easier to deal with for both generations, parents and children.

Personal and Family Adjustment in Later Life

Most prior research on relationships of older parents and adult children, as well as their impact on the lives of the elderly, has examined quantitative variables such as frequency of interaction or residential proximity. The primary purpose of this study was to develop and test a theoretical model of qualitative dimensions in these relationships. Furthermore, the impact of these dimensions on the personal and family adjustment of the aged member was assessed. Data were collected from interviews with 171 parents 65 years or older, using a randomized multistage compact design, and from 143 mailed questionnaires returned by adult children. A path analysis procedure was performed on the data, showing the model to account for 36.4% of the total variance. The strongest predictor of the dependent variable, the psychological well-being of older parents, was health. The second strongest predictor was quality of the relationship. Moving backward in the recursive model, affection and communication positively influenced the quality of the relationship, filial responsibility held by the child had a positive impact on affection and communication, and filial expectations by the parent had a negative influence on communication. Several additional predictor variables representing the condition and life circumstances of aged parents indicated some moderate interrelationships and indirect effects on the parent-child interaction and psychological well-being of aged parents. Based on the results of the original model, a reconceptualized model is proposed to provide direction for future study of these intergenerational family relationships.