Life Problems and Perceptions of Giving Support: Implications for Aging Mothers and Middle-Aged Children

Abstract

Giving support may be a stressful or rewarding experience, little is known about how family members perceive giving support amidst problems or crises. Using a sample of 226 mother-child dyads (mother mean age = 75.04; child mean age = 49.57), we examine how mothers and their middle-aged children perceive giving support in the context of life problems. Actor–partner interdependence models tested whether associations between problems and perceptions of support are moderated by frequency of support given and if associations were stronger for daughters or sons. Children perceived giving support to their mother as more stressful when they had more of their own problems and gave high levels of support. Daughters, but not sons, considered helping their mother more stressful when their mother had more problems and they gave high levels of support. Distinctions between mother-son and mother-daughter dyads demonstrate the merit of a dyadic approach to understanding mother-child relationships.

Midlife Children's and Older Mothers' Depressive Symptoms: Empathic Mother–Child Relationships as a Key Moderator

“…Mean scores were calculated (α = .72). Life problems were assessed from participants' reports of whether they experienced the following in the past 12 months: a major financial problem, a serious health problem, or a drinking/drug problem (Bangerter et al, 2018). Negative mother–child relationship quality was measured with two items reflecting negative interactions within the parent–child tie (Polenick et al, 2018; Umberson, 1992).…”

“…People in close relationships often experience emotional synchrony or empathy (Hatfield et al, 2008); therefore, similar depressive symptoms may be common within more empathic mother–child ties. Highly supportive relations between adult children and their mothers also might be somewhat stressful (Bangerter et al, 2018; Gunderson & Barrett, 2017), possibly intensifying shared distress for mothers and children in highly empathic relationships. Taken as a whole, prior work suggests that midlife children may report greater depressive symptoms when their mothers have greater depressive symptoms and they have a more empathic bond.…”

Links Between Perceptions of Successes, Problems and Health Outcomes Among Adult Chinese Children: The Mediating Role of Perceptions of Parents’ Feelings and Intergenerational Relationships

“…More recently, a smaller but growing body of literature has developed that has examined the reverse direction of influence. Research conducted by Bangerter et al (2016, 2018a, b) has called attention to the detrimental effects of adult children’s problems and parents’ problems on adult children’s mental health. These findings have demonstrated that stressful events, illnesses, and other problems in adult children’s lives are important predictors of depression and other negative mental health outcomes.…”

“…Thirdly, “There are three unfilial things, and no offspring is the greatest.” This implies two kinds of problems; one is not getting married, and the other is getting married but not having children, which worries parents about family stability and continuity. Therefore, compared with the two types of problems, physical–emotional problems and lifestyle–behavioral problems, in western studies (Greenfield and Marks, 2006; Birditt et al, 2010; Fingerman et al, 2012a; Gilligan et al, 2015b; Pillemer et al, 2017b; Bangerter et al, 2018a, b), the scope of the problems is similar. The classification in western studies is more detailed according to the nature of problems, namely, the controllable and uncontrollable characteristics.…”

“…One is that the adult children have problems so that they are unable to do so, and the other is that they are unwilling to support their parents (e.g., disrespect parents). Providing care to parents is a stressful, especially when parents become ill or have other problems (Amirkhanyan and Wolf, 2006; Kim et al, 2008; Timko et al, 2009; Low et al, 2012; Lin et al, 2013; Bangerter et al, 2018a, b), whether or not the children serve as primary caregivers to them. Therefore, both problems of adult children and problems of parents are significant in adult children’s lives.…”