Worrying Across the Generations: The Impact of Adult Grandchildren's Problems on Grandparents' Well-Being.

OBJECTIVES: The intergenerational stake hypothesis and theories of the life course posit that older generations are invested in the well-being of younger generations. Consistent with this, previous research has shown that adult children's problems are associated with worse parental well-being. Because multigenerational ties have become increasingly important in the 21st century, we propose that adult grandchildren's problems may also impact grandparents' well-being. In this paper, we test this hypothesis and investigate the moderating effects of grandparents' race and maternal/paternal status. METHODS: The analytic sample includes 206 grandparents aged 65-95 who participated in the second wave of the Family Exchanges Study. Adult grandchildren's problems were operationalized as the proportions of adult grandchildren who experienced (1) physical-emotional problems and (2) lifestyle-behavioral problems. RESULTS: Main effects multilevel analyses suggested that adult grandchildren's problems did not predict grandparents' well-being. However, moderation analyses revealed that the association between grandparents' depressive symptoms and adult grandchildren's physical-emotional problems was larger among Black than White grandparents, and maternal than paternal grandparents. Adult grandchildren's lifestyle-behavioral problems did not predict grandparents' depression, and these effects were not conditioned by race or maternal/paternal status. DISCUSSION: These findings expand research on the importance of grandparent-adult grandchild relationships and contribute to research on multigenerational relationships and health by considering how problems experienced by members of younger generations impact the psychological well-being of older adults.

Discrepancies in parents' perceptions of adult children's well-being: evidence from mother-father-child triads.

Most studies of discrepancies in parents' reports about children's psychological problems address younger children and psychological problems. The current contribution shifts the focus to adult children and to well-being. In adult intergenerational relationships, knowledge of children's well-being is more uncertain and there is more room for disagreements to arise, especially in the context of divorce. We analyzed Dutch multi-actor survey data, using a sample of triads of adult children, fathers, and mothers (N = 1,440). Two hypotheses were tested about the origins of discrepancies using structural equation models in which child well-being reports were included of parents and self-reports of children. The analyses supported the notion of relational specificity: when parents have a closer and more harmonious relationship with the child, they evaluate the child more positively than the other parent, after controlling for adult children's self-reports of well-being. Qualified support was obtained for the depression-distortion hypothesis, with mothers who have higher well-being themselves being more positive about the child. Discrepancies were larger among separated parents than among married parents and parent-stepparent combinations. The conclusion is that parents do not always have similar views of adult children's well-being and that disagreements are systematic, with bias stemming from the informant and the relationship.

Generational differences in perceived severity of atopic dermatitis.

INTRODUCTION: Atopic dermatitis (AD) is a chronic inflammatory dermatosis that affects all age groups. The impact of AD on patients' lives could differ across generations. Understanding the differences in objective and subjective severity of AD between generations may support more personalized care for the AD patients. Thus, this study aimed to compare the clinical severity and subjective impact of AD between generation Z (GZ) and the millennial generation (MG). MATERIALS AND METHODS: We carried out a cross-sectional observational study in patients diagnosed with moderate to severe AD born between 1993-2001 (GZ) and 1978-1992 (MG) who attended an AD specialist care unit for the first time. We collected severity indices evaluated by the dermatologist, such as the Eczema Area and Severity Index (EASI) or the Investigator Global Assessment (IGA), and severity scales that included patient assessment, such as the SCORing Atopic Dermatitis (SCORAD) or the Patient-Oriented Eczema Measure (POEM). RESULTS: A total of 73 patients were included, of which 56.2% (41/73) were women. 52.86% (37/73) of the patients belonged to the MG, and 43.8% (33/73) belonged to GZ. Patients belonging to GZ presented lower severity of their AD compared to the MG (EASI: 9.75 ± 11.68 vs. 16.63 ± 14.66; P < 0.05). However, their perception of disease severity was similar to the MG (SCORAD: 43.54 ± 28.99 vs. 32.98 ± 21.91; P = 0.96; POEM: 13.21 ± 8.98 vs. 15.48 ± 6.69; P = 0.14). CONCLUSIONS: GZ presents a higher subjective perception of severity than millennials. Understanding these generational disparities contributes to creating more effective treatment strategies and provides a more targeted approach to care that addresses each generational group's unique needs and expectations.

Differential Costs of Raising Grandchildren on Older Mother-Adult Child Relations in Black and White Families.

Drawing from theories of affect, role strain and stress processes, we studied the impact of raising grandchildren on older mothers' relationships with the adult offspring whose children they raised, with particular attention to how these patterns differ by race and ethnicity. We used mixed-methods data collected from 531 older mothers regarding their relationships with 1935 of their adult children as part of the Within-Family Differences Study. Multilevel regression analyses showed that raising grandchildren was associated with greater mother-adult child closeness in Black families; however, in White families, raising grandchildren was associated with greater mother-adult child conflict. Qualitative analyses revealed that these differences could be explained by the tendency of Black grandmothers to emphasize positive aspects of raising grandchildren, compared to White grandmothers, who viewed raising grandchildren as demanding and who described their exchanges with their adult children as unequal. Overall, our findings reflect racial and ethnic differences in intergenerational solidarity.

The role of mating effort and co-residence history in step-grandparental investment.

The prevalence of divorce in both parental and grandparental generations has led to a rise in the number of children who now have families that include both biological and step-grandparents. Despite the thorough examination of biological grandparents' contributions in the recent literature, there remains a scarcity of studies focusing on the investment of step-grandparents. Using population-based data from a sample of 2494 parents in Germany, we assessed grandparental investment through financial support and assistance with childcare of grandparents (N = 4238) and step-grandparents (N = 486). The study revealed that step-grandparents provided lower levels of investment in their grandchildren compared with biological grandparents. Furthermore, the study identified that a longer duration of co-residence between step-grandparents and parents earlier in life did not correspond to an increase or decrease in step-grandparental investment. However, investment by separated biological grandparents increased with the increasing length of co-residence with parents. In line with the scarce literature on step-grandparental investment, these findings indicate that mating effort may be the most important motivation for step-grandparental investment.

Gender Differences in the Protective Role of Grandparenting in Dementia Risk.

OBJECTIVES: This study provides one of the first national longitudinal studies of the association between caring for grandchildren (i.e., grandparenting) and the risk of dementia in the United States, with a focus on gender-specific variations. METHODS: We estimated discrete-time event history models, drawing upon data from the Health and Retirement Study (2000-2016). The analytic sample included 10,217 community-dwelling White and Black grandparents aged 52 years and older at baseline. RESULTS: Noncoresident grandparenting was associated with a lower risk of dementia for both women and men compared to grandparents who did not take care of grandchildren. However, the cognitive advantage showed different patterns based on gender and the combination of care intensity and family structure. Grandmothers had a lower risk of dementia than noncaregiving grandmothers when providing a light level of noncoresident grandparenting, whereas grandfathers who provided intensive noncoresident grandparenting had a reduced risk of dementia compared to their noncaregiving counterparts. Grandparenting experiences within multigenerational households and skipped-generation households were not associated with dementia risk. DISCUSSION: Intergenerational caregiving plays a pivotal role in shaping cognitive health during later life; however, the impact is nuanced, depending on factors such as gender, care intensity, and family structure.

Inessential objects: Cherished possessions in late life in Indian fiction.

Through close readings of three Indian short stories, this essay seeks to show how cherished possessions, such as a bed, a blanket and books, are not stable repositories of past memories but a means of materializing intergenerational relations within the family in the lived present and, perhaps even more interestingly, catalysts for new and hitherto unforeseen possibilities of self-discovery and connections with the world beyond. Part of the apparatus of self-care that older people can summon in the moment to supplement their selfhood, objects as presented in these stories appear to exceed their limited understanding as passive recipients of externally imposed meaning, with their complex and unstable signification finally shown to emerge through their mutually transformative entanglement with people.

The Perceived Contribution of Older People to Climate Change Impact, Mitigation, and Adaptation: Measurement Development and Validation.

Background and Objectives: To improve the understanding of ageism toward older people in the context of climate change, the present study developed and validated a new measure that examines the perceived negative and positive contributions of older people to climate change impact, mitigation, and adaptation efforts. Research Design and Methods: Four studies (N = 774) were conducted to develop a new measure and evaluate its reliability and validity, relying on exploratory factor analysis, reliability analysis, confirmatory factor analysis, multiple-group analysis (Australia and India), discriminative validity, and convergent and divergent validity. Results: A 2-subscale measure covering older people's perceived negative contribution to climate change effects (5 items) and perceived positive contribution to adaptation and mitigation measures (3 items; eg, negative, and positive ageism in the context of climate change) was supported by the data. The measure has demonstrated adequate validity and reliability. Discussion and Implications: The measure highlights a relatively neglected area in current climate change discourse and may assist in identifying ways to improve intergenerational solidarity as part of climate change adaptation and mitigation efforts toward building a world for all ages under a healthy climate, which allows for healthy aging and healthy longevity. These objectives are in line with the current mission posed by the UN Decade of Healthy Ageing.

Childhood Parental Disfavoritism and Chinese Adults' Psychological Well-Being in Middle and Later Life: The Moderating Effect of Gender.

OBJECTIVES: Parental differential treatment of children, particularly disfavoritism, has been found to detrimentally affect adult children's psychological well-being in the United States. However, no study has investigated the long-reaching influence of parental disfavoritism in China, where there is an absence of equal treatment norms. Drawing from theories of social comparison, life course, and gender dynamics in China, we tested how perceptions of childhood parental disfavoritism affect midlife and older Chinese adults' depressive symptoms, and how the effects differ by own and parent's gender. METHODS: Random-intercept models were used based on a sample of 17,682 midlife and older Chinese adults, drawn from 5 waves of China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study. RESULTS: Recollections of childhood parental disfavoritism were associated with higher depressive symptoms among Chinese adults. Perceptions of paternal disfavoritism predicted both men's and women's depressive symptoms, whereas perceptions of maternal disfavoritism predicted women's depressive symptoms only. Paternal disfavoritism was more detrimental than maternal disfavoritism, but only for men. Maternal disfavoritism was more detrimental for women than men. DISCUSSION: These findings shed light on the universality of the long-reaching detrimental effect of perceptions of parental disfavoritism across cultures as well as the unique gendered patterns in China shaped by patriarchy. Findings suggest that the implementation of Three-Child Policy in China should be accompanied with parental education programs involving fathers on equal treatment of children.

Qualitative inquiry of a community dance program for older adults in Singapore.

Dance programs promote physical and psychosocial well-being. However, studies focusing on the experiences of older adults in dancing are limited. This study aims to develop a community dance program (CDP) for older adults at senior activity centers in Singapore, as well as to explore the older adults' and student instructors' experiences of the CDP. A qualitative inquiry of semi-structured and in-depth focus group discussions was conducted. In total, 20 older adults and 10 student dance instructors participated in the study. Student instructors who were undergraduate students from a dance society were trained in how to provide step-by-step instructions for the older adults. An inductive approach of thematic analysis was undertaken. Three main themes were identified: (i) promotion of physical, cognitive, and psychosocial health with dance; (ii) imagination is power-travel through dance; and (iii) further enhancement of the dance program. The themes highlighted the prominence of CDP in improving memory, physical health, mood, and social interactions-thus mitigating the risk of social isolation. The findings illustrated the benefits of CDP in cultivating intergenerational bonds amongst older adults and student instructors.

Children's Transitions to Adulthood and Midlife Parents' Depressive Symptoms and Activities of Daily Living Conditions in the United States.

BACKGROUND: Parents and children are close over the life course. However, these relationships often change as parents age and children enter adulthood. Today, the entrance into adulthood for children has become delayed and increasingly unstable. Such changes may interrupt the child's acquisition of resources used to support themselves and their midlife parents, having implications for parents' mental and physical health. The purpose of this study is to examine the role of adult children's transitions to adulthood on parents' mental and physical health. METHODS: Using data from the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent to Adult Health (Add Health) and the Add Health Parent Study (AHPS), we investigated how certain transitions to adulthood (e.g., education, marriage, residential independence, employment, parenthood, and incarceration) for children were linked to the mental and physical health of their midlife parents. RESULTS: In sum, we found that children's educational attainment was linked to fewer activities of daily living (ADL) limitations and depressive symptoms among parents. Children's marriage and employment were also associated with fewer ADL limitations among parents. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings reveal that adult children's circumstances are associated with the mental and physical health of their midlife parents.

Parental Investment by Birth Fathers and Stepfathers : Roles of Mating Effort and Childhood Co-residence Duration.

This study investigates the determinants of paternal investment by birth fathers and stepfathers. Inclusive fitness theory predicts higher parental investment in birth children than stepchildren, and this has consistently been found in previous studies. Here we investigate whether paternal investment varies with childhood co-residence duration and differs between stepfathers and divorced birth fathers by comparing the investment of (1) stepfathers, (2) birth fathers who are separated from the child's mother, and (3) birth fathers who still are in a relationship with her. Path analysis was conducted using cross-sectional data from adolescents and younger adults (aged 17-19, 27-29, and 37-39 years) from the German Family Panel (pairfam), collected in 2010-2011 (n = 8326). As proxies of paternal investment, we used financial and practical help, emotional support, intimacy, and emotional closeness, as reported by the children. We found that birth fathers who were still in a relationship with the mother invested the most, and stepfathers invested the least. Furthermore, the investment of both separated fathers and stepfathers increased with the duration of co-residence with the child. However, in the case of financial help and intimacy, the effect of childhood co-residence duration was stronger in stepfathers than in separated fathers. Our findings support inclusive fitness theory and mating effort theory in explaining social behavior and family dynamics in this population. Furthermore, social environment, such as childhood co-residence was associated with paternal investment.

The Association Between Parent and Child ACEs is Buffered by Forgiveness of Others and Self-Forgiveness.

The purpose of the present study was to examine intergenerational transmission of adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) from parents to children and examine the buffering influence of forgiveness of oneself and others. Participants were 150 parents and children enrolled in Head Start in an upper midwestern, rural state who volunteered to complete questionnaires measuring ACEs and levels of forgiveness of oneself and others. Multiple correlation and regression were used to examine the associations between parent-reported parent and child ACEs and self-forgiveness and forgiveness of others. Analyses revealed that parental ACEs and child ACEs were positively correlated. Parents with low and medium levels of self-forgiveness and forgiveness of others had a stronger positive correlation between their own experience of ACEs and their child's, whereas, for parents with high levels of self-forgiveness and forgiveness of others, the correlation between parent and child ACEs was reduced statistically to zero. The cycle of intergenerational transmission of ACEs may be interrupted, or at very least notably buffered, by forgiving oneself and others.

Does the Economic Status of Adult Children Influence Self-Rated Health Among Older Adults in China?

OBJECTIVES: We aim to investigate the association between children's economic status and parents' self-rated health and examine the potential mediating mechanisms for this relationship. METHODS: Utilizing nationally representative data in China in 2014, this study predicted parent's self-rated health from children's economic status using inverse probability of treatment weighting to account for selection and endogeneity bias. We further examined depressive symptoms, kin and nonkin social support networks, emotional closeness to children, and economic support from children, as potential mediators of this relationship. RESULTS: The study reveals that parents whose children had greater economic success tended to have better self-rated health. For both rural and urban older adults, depressive symptoms served as the most influential mediator. However, only among rural older adults did the size of their support networks mediate the relationship between children's economic status and perceived health. DISCUSSION: The results from this study suggest that children's economic success contributes to better self-rated health among older adults. In part, this relationship was explained by better emotional well-being and greater availability of support resources among parents in rural areas with successful children. This quasi-causal analysis demonstrates that adult children remain important for the well-being of their older parents in China, but also suggests that health inequalities in later life are exacerbated by the chance of having economically successful offspring.

Which interventions with youths counter ageism toward older adults? Results from a realist review.

Age-related social biases - ageism - are developed at an early age. Interventions to counter ageism have been identified but little is known about their mechanisms, particularly in children. This study aimed to provide a comprehensive understanding of which interventions in youths are most effective, under which circumstances, how, and with what outcomes. Using 46 keywords in 6 databases, a realist review identified 24 studies published between 2000 and 2022 targeting youths under 18. A content analysis of these studies led to the construction of a Context-Mechanisms-Outcomes explanatory model. Contextual facilitators triggering mechanisms for changing stereotypes, prejudices and discrimination were: 1) enhancing knowledge about aging and older adults by providing nuanced information, 2) improving the quality of intergenerational contacts, 3) increasing opportunities to apply previously acquired knowledge in intergenerational interactions, and 4) promoting reflective thinking about experiences with older adults. However, stereotypes and prejudices appeared to be resistant and changes difficult to generalize. Insufficiently advanced cognitive development in children or viewing healthy and socially engaged older adults as unrepresentative of their age group were obstacles that reduced intervention effectiveness. Future studies should explore how advancing age influences interventions as well as the characteristics of older adults involved.

Be the mother, not the daughter: Immigrant Chinese women, postpartum care knowledge, and mothering autonomy.

Scholars have documented the transformation of modern motherhood, as mothering practices have been a target of medical knowledge that comes to define correct modes of conduct for women caring for their pregnant bodies, undergoing childbirth and childrearing. Such accounts usually set scientific knowledge and medical authority in opposition to women's autonomy. Drawing on the interviews with immigrant Chinese mothers in Canada, we offer a different account of knowledge and agency in new motherhood. These women's often-intense experiences of intergenerational care-giving associated with the practice of zuo yuezi reveal a more fluid relationship between medical authority and mothering agency. We find that the central tension during the postpartum experience lies in intergenerational and family relationships. In this context, new mothers draw on alternative sources of knowledge-and medical professionals are one such key source-to demonstrate within the family their competence to make care decisions for themselves and their babies. These women's use of medical knowledge to counter a familial and intergenerational authority complicates dominant accounts about medicalisation, demonstrating that women's relationship to medical knowledge and authority maybe be far more fluid and complex than a standard account of medicalisation and loss of women's agency would predict.

Fostering Positive Views About Older Workers and Reducing Age Discrimination: A Retest of the Workplace Intergenerational Contact and Knowledge Sharing Model.

Ageism toward older workers is prevalent in the labor market. The present study aimed to understand psychosocial mechanisms that may counteract this form of discrimination and help retain workers in the labor force. Using a sample of 500 Canadian younger and older workers, this study tested a model hypothesizing that intergenerational contacts and knowledge sharing practices can reduce ageist views about older adults and age-based discrimination against one's own group, and in turn, enhance work engagement and intentions to remain in the workplace. The final model shows that knowledge sharing practices mediate the relationship between intergroup contacts and positive views about older workers as well as age-based discrimination. It also suggests that low levels of age-based discrimination increase work engagement and intentions to remain in the organization for workers of all ages. Practice and policy implications are discussed.

Adult Children's Education and Mothers' Psychological Well-Being: Do Adult Children's Problems Mediate This Relationship?

OBJECTIVES: A growing body of literature documents a positive association between adult children's education and older parents' health, and existing studies have identified social support, social influence, and material transfers as factors linking adult children's education and various dimensions of older parents' health. The present study joins this literature by assessing adult children's problems as mechanisms that may underlie disparities in psychological well-being between mothers whose adult children have completed higher and lower levels of education. METHODS: Using 2 waves of longitudinal data collected in 2001-2003 and 2008-2011 from 400 mothers aged 73-85 years at the second wave as part of the Within-Family Differences Study, we examine the role of adult children's problems in mediating the association between adult children's education and mothers' depressive symptoms. RESULTS: Mothers with children who completed post-high school education reported fewer depressive symptoms than mothers whose children all completed high school or less. We found evidence that this relationship was mediated by the proportion of adult children who have experienced physical and emotional problems in the last 5 years. DISCUSSION: This study underscores the importance of considering how resources and risks that affect well-being accumulate both across the life course and across generations. Providing education opportunities to younger generations and enhancing programs that address challenges that low-attaining children may face have the potential to help minimize socioeconomic disparities in psychological well-being among older adults.

Intergenerational Programming Increases Solid Food Consumption for Adult Day Center Attendees.

We examined whether participation in intergenerational programming would impact daily food and liquid intake for adult day service center (ADSC) participants, many of whom are at risk for malnutrition and dehydration. Data came from 75 ADSC participants who, on average, attended the center for 472.32 days between 2007 and 2018. We analyzed daily data using multilevel modeling, nesting attending days within ADSC participants. On days when participants joined intergenerational programming, they consumed significantly more solid food (ß = 1.54, SD = .37, p < .001), but no different liquid (ß = -.16, SD = .09, p = .06), than their own average across all days they attended the ADSC. Intergenerational programming may be an effective way to support ADSCs participants' nutrition. Future research is needed to determine the longer-term health benefits of daily increases in food consumption and to explore why intergenerational programming may differentially impact eating and drinking.

A Case of Intergenerational Conflict: The 2015 Finnish Citizens' Initiative on Pension Indexation.

Pension reforms become more common in times of population aging. In 2015, a Finnish citizens' initiative recommended increasing pension benefits. Opponents argued this may be at the cost of youths and middle-agers. We investigate the initiative from the viewpoint of intergenerational conflict. A mixed methods analysis reveals no conflict during the signature collection. It only became visible during the newspaper debate, when experts explained the reform effects. The parliament rejected the reform. Findings reveal a unique conflict dynamic in citizens' initiatives: a reflected judgment gradually emerges during the public debate. Policymakers may use this insight to advance pension-related direct democracy.