Relationship Between Ties With Adult Children and Life Satisfaction Among the Middle-Aged, the Young-Old, and the Oldest-Old Korean Adults

Int J Aging Hum Dev. 2017 Dec;85(4):354-376. doi: 10.1177/0091415016685834. Epub 2017 Jan 2.

Abstract

One of the important determinants of well-being among aging parents is their relationship with adult children. Using the two waves of the Korean Longitudinal Study of Ageing, this study examined how different types of ties with adult children affect the life satisfaction of the Korean middle-aged, the young-old, and the oldest-old adults. Multigroup analysis was used to see if the effects of ties with adult children differ by the three age-groups. The results showed that frequency of contact had positive effect on life satisfaction for all of the age-groups. However, coresidence with children had a negative effect for the middle-aged, but a positive effect for the oldest-old. Finally, exchanges of support with adult children had significant effects only for the young-old. These results show that the importance of different types of ties with children change according to aging parents' life stages.

Keywords: intergenerational relationships; life satisfaction; multigroup analysis; the middle-aged; the oldest-old; the young-old.

MeSH terms

  • Adult
  • Adult Children / psychology*
  • Aged
  • Aged, 80 and over
  • Aging / psychology*
  • Female
  • Humans
  • Longitudinal Studies
  • Male
  • Middle Aged
  • Parent-Child Relations*
  • Personal Satisfaction*
  • Republic of Korea