Characteristics and Determinants of Intergenerational Financial Transfers Within Families Using Mixed Care for Elderly People

Abstract

Starting from Bengtson's solidarity paradigm, we will investigate the role of internalized family norms in intergenerational support as well as experienced ambivalence from the adult child perspective. We assume that internalized family norms are an important determinant of relationship regulation as they have an impact both on the selection of specific behavior as well as on its evaluation. As a consequence, own and others' behavior should be most positively evaluated if it is in line with internalized norms and values. In contrast, if intergenerational solidarity and support exchange do not converge with internalized norms and expectations, ambivalence might be experienced. These assumptions are examined in a sample of N = 131 middle-aged adults living in Luxembourg and Germany. Findings showed that normative aspects of intergenerational solidarity were less important compared to affective aspects when predicting support exchange between adult children and their parents; however, family values had a moderating role in the relation between support exchange and ambivalence. Results are discussed with respect to the centrality of values in implicitly and explicitly guiding support behavior within families.

An Integral Approach to Well-Being in Transnational Families: A Brief Proposal for Best Practices

“…The changes in the perception of what each person considers to be norms/values and expectations about their lives or society lead to a relationship that, although reported by all to be more appropriate, tends to have marked aspects of conflict and ambivalencewhich is in line with more recent findings of authors in the field (Albert and Ferring 2018;Lowenstein 2007).…”

“…With the rise of digital and face-to-face communication, there is also an attempt to understand the role played by space-time in transnational families (Baykara-Krumme and Fokkema 2019; Mateia 2018) and how this communication behavior mitigates the impact of the difficulties and challenges of geographical distance, allowing adaptation in the various family contexts and rituals-in their daily forms, celebrations or traditions (Barros 2023a). Furthermore, this alerts us to the growing differences that give rise to conflicts and ambivalence, both in the context of the family group-their perceptions/expectations of care and presence-and the shared values and social norms that can bring generations together to build their trajectory together (Albert and Ferring 2018;Barros et al 2023).…”

“…In his terms: "A more universal psychology will thus be generated that will be valid for a wider range of cultures" (Neto 2003, p. 15). In this way, we invite the reader to take a closer look at the specific case of Portuguese transnational families, recognizing the important role of identifying transversal behaviors in the psychosocial sciences and the specific contexts that influences intergenerational relationships (Albert and Ferring 2018;Baykara-Krumme and Fokkema 2019).…”

“…Daily, celebratory or occasional family rituals are experienced in person and digitally, in turn changing the classic view that geographical proximity reflects the ability and willingness to interact, which is in line with the latest approaches to transnational families, which refer to the importance of a hybrid connection for contact and care between family members in different countries and between different generations (Baldassar and Merla 2014;Baldassar et al 2016;Barros 2023a). Simultaneously, both sub-groups indicate that their family presence has improved in terms of well-being and connectedness compared to before migration, but there is also the potential for conflict or ambivalence in those relationships, with a need to adjust not only to the social context but also to their families (Albert and Ferring 2018). This is illustrated by an extract from a daughter, Marta: "We're always there, whether it's on the screen [of the smartphone] or in person.…”

“…The family group is, across the entire life cycle, an important influence that must be considered in individual and group development, providing resources and challenges to the various elements that form them (Albert and Ferring 2018). This observation invites us to reflect systemically on family groups and social contexts, but also on how we can understand resilience in these contexts.…”