How Adult Children Influence Older Parents' Mental Health: Integrating Stress-Process and Life-Course Perspectives

Autor/inn/en	Milkie, Melissa A.; Bierman, Alex; Schieman, Scott
Titel	How Adult Children Influence Older Parents' Mental Health: Integrating Stress-Process and Life-Course Perspectives
Quelle	In: Social Psychology Quarterly, 71 (2008) 1, S.86-105 (20 Seiten) PDF als Volltext Verfügbarkeit
Sprache	englisch
Dokumenttyp	gedruckt; online; Zeitschriftenaufsatz
ISSN	0190-2725
DOI	10.1177/019027250807100109
Schlagwörter	Divorce; Social Status; Mothers; Mental Health; Older Adults; Depression (Psychology); Parent Child Relationship; Stress Variables; Parent Role; Psychological Patterns; African Americans; Whites; Racial Differences; Gender Differences; Fathers; Unemployment; Correlation; Social Integration; Regression (Statistics) + Suchen Sie Ihr Suchwort? Ehescheidung; Sozialer Status; Mother; Mutter; Psychohygiene; Älterer Erwachsener; Parents-child relationship; Parent-child-relation; Parent-child relationship; Eltern-Kind-Beziehung; Parental role; Elternrolle; Afroamerikaner; White; Weißer; Rassenunterschied; Geschlechterkonflikt; Arbeitslosigkeit; Korrelation; Soziale Integration; Regression; Regressionsanalyse
Abstract	In this study, we integrate insights from the life-course and stress-process perspectives to argue that adult children's negative treatment of parents, as well as negative events that children experience, detrimentally affect elderly parents' mental health over time. We argue that these strains may affect mothers more than fathers, and blacks more than whites, because of the greater importance of the parental role to these groups in late life. Using data from more than 600 older African American and white parents over a four-year period, we show that negative treatment by adult children is positively related to changes in depression and anger, but effects on depression are limited to black parents and effects on anger are limited to mothers. Adult children becoming ill or unemployed positively relates to changes in distress over time, but only for black parents. Surprisingly, marital dissolution by adult children is related to decreases in anger for black parents. This research indicates that the social-psychological implications of the parental role do not end when children are adults; however, the influence on mental health in old age may vary by social status. (Contains 2 figures, 3 tables and 5 footnotes.) (As Provided).
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Erfasst von	ERIC (Education Resources Information Center), Washington, DC
Update	2017/4/10