Childlessness and Psychological Well-Being in Midlife and Old Age: An Examination of Parental Status Effects Across a Range of Outcomes

Hansen, Thomas; Slagsvold, Britt; Moum, Torbjørn

doi:10.1007/s11205-008-9426-1

Cited by 147 publications

(180 citation statements)

References 85 publications

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“…Folk wisdom and anecdotal evidence suggest that children are a source of great happiness in their parents' lives (Caplan, 2011;Hansen, 2012). Parents often refer to their children as "bundles of joy" or "the light of my life," and research indicates that young adults consider having children a valuable part of adult life (Gerson et al, 1991); accordingly, 85% proceed to become parents by age 45 (Child Trends, 2002).…”

Section: Why Children Might Lead To Greater Happinessmentioning

confidence: 99%

The pains and pleasures of parenting: When, why, and how is parenthood associated with more or less well-being?

Nelson¹,

Kushlev²,

Lyubomirsky³

2014

Psychological Bulletin

463

461

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The pains and pleasures of parenting: When, why, and how is parenthood associated with more or less well-being? The relationship between parenthood and well-being has become a hot topic among scholars, media, and general public alike. The research, however, has been mixed-some studies indicate that parents are happier than nonparents, whereas others suggest the reverse. We suggest that the question of whether parents are more or less happy than their childless peers is not the most meaningful one. To reconcile the conflicting literature and expand understanding of the emotional experience of parenthood, we present a model of parents' well-being that describes why and how parents experience more or less happiness than nonparents (i.e., mediators of the link between parenthood and well-being). We then apply this model to explain when parents are more likely to experience more or less happiness (i.e., moderators of parents' well-being, such as parent age or child temperament). Supporting our model, we review 3 primary methodological approaches: studies comparing parents and nonparents, studies examining changes in well-being across the transition to parenthood, and studies comparing parents' experiences while with their children to their other daily activities. Our review suggests that the relationship between parenthood and well-being is highly complex. We propose that parents are unhappy to the extent that they encounter relatively greater negative emotions, magnified financial problems, more sleep disturbance, and troubled marriages. By contrast, when parents experience greater meaning in life, satisfaction of their basic needs, greater positive emotions, and enhanced social roles, they are met with happiness and joy.

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Section: Why Children Might Lead To Greater Happinessmentioning

confidence: 99%

The pains and pleasures of parenting: When, why, and how is parenthood associated with more or less well-being?

Nelson¹,

Kushlev²,

Lyubomirsky³

2014

Psychological Bulletin

463

461

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Findings to the contrary were reported by McQuillan et al [15] and Hansen et al [5], who stated that being in a relationship had a stronger influence on psychological wellbeing than being a parent; therefore, support should target elderly individuals living alone, rather than the childless. This is in line with this author's own results, demonstrating that married women enjoyed a higher quality of life in the social domain than single respondents.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 72%

“…Other negative consequences of childlessness cited include feelings of loneliness, social exclusion, deteriorated health, and a higher risk of depression. Positive outcomes of childlessness are said to include increased freedom and independence, decreased stress, fewer responsibilities and daily concerns or financial worries [1,5,8].…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

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The quality of life and satisfaction with life of women who are childless by choice

Bień

Rzońca

Iwanowicz-Palus

et al. 2017

Ann Agric Environ Med.

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Objective. The study attempts to identify and analyze factors affecting the quality of life and satisfaction with life of women who are childless by choice. Materials and method. The research instruments used were: the WHOQOL-Bref questionnaire and the Satisfaction with Life Scale (SWLS), and author's own questionnaire. Results. A better overall quality of life, perception of own health and quality of life in all the specific domains analyzed was found among childless women living in cities, college/university-educated, and with a good or very good financial standing. Conclusions. A positive correlation was found between satisfaction with life and overall quality of life, general perceived health, and all quality of life domains. Higher satisfaction with life scores in childless women are correlated with a higher quality of life scores and better perceived health.

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“…First, we did not dispose of longitudinal data, which would have allowed us to draw conclusions about the effect of changes in the availability of family ties over time. Second, it would have been interesting to also study happiness as another aspect of mental wellbeing, since certain family ties, such as having children, can simultaneously foster depressive mood and happiness (Hansen, Slagsvold and Moum 2009); however, data restrictions prevented us from doing so.…”

Section: Conclusion and Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Family ties and depression across the life course: An Overview

Moor¹,

Komter²

2012

DemRes

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Childlessness and Psychological Well-Being in Midlife and Old Age: An Examination of Parental Status Effects Across a Range of Outcomes

Abstract: Psychological well-being, Parental status, Childlessness, Norway, Cognitive, Affective, Moderating effects,

Cited by 147 publications

References 85 publications

The pains and pleasures of parenting: When, why, and how is parenthood associated with more or less well-being?

The pains and pleasures of parenting: When, why, and how is parenthood associated with more or less well-being?

The quality of life and satisfaction with life of women who are childless by choice

Family ties and depression across the life course: An Overview

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