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Centre for Policy on Ageing | |
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| Reciprocity in parent-child relations over the adult life course | | Author(s) | Merril Silverstein, Stephen J Conroy, Haitao Wang |
| Journal title | Journals of Gerontology: Series B, Psychological Sciences and Social Sciences, vol 57B, no 1, January 2002 |
| Pages | pp S3-S13 |
| Keywords | Family relationships ; Parents ; Children [offspring] ; Life span ; Longitudinal surveys ; United States of America. |
| Annotation | The authors tested whether the mechanism on long-term intergenerational exchange is better modelled as a return on investment, an insurance policy triggered by the longevity or physical frailty of parents, or the result of altruistic (or other non-reciprocal) motivations on the part of adult children. A sample of 501 children who had participated in the 1971 University of Southern California Longitudinal Study of Generations and who had at least one parent surviving in 1985. Results indicate that children who spent more time in shared activities with their mothers and fathers in 1971 provided more support to them on average. Receiving greater financial support from parents in 1971 raised the marginal rate at which support provided by children increased over time. Material health operated synergistically with early affection to produce greater levels of support. Both levels and rates of increase in support from children were positive, even for those who received no early transfers from their parents. The motivation of adult children to provide social support to their older parents is partially rooted in earlier family experiences and guided by an implicit social contract that ensures long-term reciprocity. (RH). |
| Accession Number | CPA-020305216 A |
| Classmark | DS:SJ: SR: SS: BG6: 3J: 7T |
Data © Centre for Policy on Ageing |
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| ...from the Ageinfo database published by Centre for Policy on Ageing. |
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