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Lin IF, Seltzer JA. Stepfamily Variation in Parent-Child Relationship Quality in Later Life. JOURNAL OF MARRIAGE AND THE FAMILY 2024; 86:718-737. [PMID: 39045223 PMCID: PMC11262569 DOI: 10.1111/jomf.12946] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/06/2021] [Accepted: 09/11/2023] [Indexed: 07/25/2024]
Abstract
Objective We use a family systems approach to examine how stepfamily structure is associated with both positive and negative parent-child relationships while considering mothers' and fathers' discrepant reports. Background Two in five older couples with children are in stepfamilies. Past research on later-life stepfamily dynamics has focused mainly on positive aspects of relationships and compared reports of mothers and fathers from different families. Method Using the U.S. Health and Retirement Study, we estimated multilevel models with data from married couples in which both spouses reported living children and answered all questions about positive and negative parent-child relationships (N = 2,150). Results Couples in stepfamilies reported less positive and more negative relationships with their children than did couples in non-stepfamilies. Mothers reported more positive relationships than fathers, but there was no gender difference in reports of negative relationships. The patterns of perceived parent-child relationships and divergent reports between mothers and fathers also varied by stepfamily structure. Structural complexity was not consistently related to positive or negative relationships. Conclusion This study underscores the importance of considering mothers' and fathers' different points of view in the same family and examining both positive and negative parent-child interactions as negative relationships are not merely the reverse of positive relationships.
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Affiliation(s)
- I-Fen Lin
- Department of Sociology and Center for Family and Demographic Research, Bowling Green State University, 217 Williams Hall, Bowling Green, OH 43403
| | - Judith A. Seltzer
- Department of Sociology and California Center for Population Research, UCLA, 375 Portola Plaza, 264 Haines Hall, Los Angeles, CA 90095-1551
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Lin Z, Liu H. Race/Ethnicity, Nativity, and Gender Disparities in Unmet Care Needs Among Older Adults in the United States. THE GERONTOLOGIST 2024; 64:gnad094. [PMID: 37434547 PMCID: PMC10943507 DOI: 10.1093/geront/gnad094] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/22/2023] [Indexed: 07/13/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES Although disparities in disability and the unequal distribution of care resources are widely discussed in the literature, there has been less research on disparities in experiencing unmet care needs among older adults. This study aims to investigate how unmet care needs are unevenly distributed across social groups with various intersecting identities, such as race/ethnicity, nativity, and gender, although considering their care needs and care networks, drawing on the conceptual framework of the pathway to unmet needs. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS The data for this study came from the National Health and Aging Trends Study (2011-2018), and the study sample consisted of 7,061 Medicare beneficiaries who needed assistance with daily activities. Questions about unmet care needs were in the form of consequences related to difficulty or lack of help with daily activities. Mixed-effects negative binomial regression models were used to predict rates of unmet needs. RESULTS Older adults of color, especially women, experienced higher rates of unmet care needs compared with their White and male counterparts. Although Black-White and gender differences in unmet needs were mostly explained by unequal exposures to care needs and differential care networks, Hispanic women and foreign-born Hispanic men were still at a disadvantage even after adjusting for these covariates. DISCUSSION AND IMPLICATIONS These results emphasize the importance of adopting an intersectional approach to enhance the quality of long-term services and support for older adults facing social disadvantages.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhiyong Lin
- Department of Sociology, The University of Texas at San Antonio, San Antonio, Texas, USA
- Population Research Center, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas, USA
| | - Hui Liu
- Center on Aging and the Life Course and Department of Sociology, Purdue University, West Lafayette, Indiana, USA
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Freedman VA, Agree EM, Seltzer JA, Birditt KS, Fingerman KL, Friedman EM, Lin IF, Margolis R, Park SS, Patterson SE, Polenick CA, Reczek R, Reyes AM, Truskinovsky Y, Wiemers EE, Wu H, Wolf DA, Wolff JL, Zarit SH. The Changing Demography of Late-Life Family Caregiving: A Research Agenda to Understand Future Care Networks for an Aging U.S. Population. THE GERONTOLOGIST 2024; 64:gnad036. [PMID: 36999951 PMCID: PMC10825830 DOI: 10.1093/geront/gnad036] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/06/2022] [Indexed: 04/01/2023] Open
Abstract
Repeated claims that a dwindling supply of potential caregivers is creating a crisis in care for the U.S. aging population have not been well-grounded in empirical research. Concerns about the supply of family care do not adequately recognize factors that may modify the availability and willingness of family and friends to provide care to older persons in need of assistance or the increasing heterogeneity of the older population. In this paper, we set forth a framework that places family caregiving in the context of older adults' care needs, the alternatives available to them, and the outcomes of that care. We focus on care networks, rather than individuals, and discuss the demographic and social changes that may alter the formation of care networks in the future. Last, we identify research areas to prioritize in order to better support planning efforts to care for the aging U.S. population.
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Affiliation(s)
- Vicki A Freedman
- Institute for Social Research, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA
| | - Emily M Agree
- Department of Sociology, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
| | - Judith A Seltzer
- Department of Sociology, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California, USA
| | - Kira S Birditt
- Institute for Social Research, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA
| | - Karen L Fingerman
- Department of Human Development and Family Sciences, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas, USA
| | - Esther M Friedman
- Institute for Social Research, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA
| | - I-Fen Lin
- Department of Sociology, Bowling Green State University, Bowling Green, Ohio, USA
| | - Rachel Margolis
- Department of Sociology, University of Western Ontario, London, Ontario, Canada
| | - Sung S Park
- Office of Population Research, Princeton University, Princeton, New Jersey, USA
| | - Sarah E Patterson
- Institute for Social Research, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA
| | | | - Rin Reczek
- Department of Sociology, Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio, USA
| | - Adriana M Reyes
- Brooks School of Public Policy and Department of Sociology, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York, USA
| | | | - Emily E Wiemers
- Department of Public Administration and International Affairs, Syracuse University, Syracuse, New York, USA
| | - Huijing Wu
- Department of Sociology, University of Western Ontario, London, Ontario, Canada
| | - Douglas A Wolf
- Aging Studies Institute, Syracuse University, Syracuse, New York, USA
| | - Jennifer L Wolff
- Department of Health Policy and Management, Bloomberg School of Public Health, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
| | - Steven H Zarit
- Department of Human Development and Family Studies, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, Pennsylvania, USA
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Wu H, Margolis R, Sheftel MG, Verdery AM. The Care Gap in Later Life Across European Countries. J Gerontol B Psychol Sci Soc Sci 2023; 78:1935-1946. [PMID: 37589455 PMCID: PMC10645305 DOI: 10.1093/geronb/gbad118] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/05/2022] [Indexed: 08/18/2023] Open
Abstract
OBJECTIVES Do adults without kin experience a care gap where they need help with activities of daily living but get no help from any source? We examine the prevalence of the care gap across Europe, and test whether those without partners or children substitute for their lack of close kin with help from broader networks, or whether they disproportionately experience care gaps. METHODS Using data from the Survey on Health, Ageing and Retirement in Europe, we estimate the care gap in 28 European countries and Israel, how it varies, and who provides help for respondents with different family structures. RESULTS The care gap is substantial, with 6.1% of all respondents ages 50 and above reporting a gap. It is highest in Western and Eastern Europe and lowest in Southern Europe and Israel. Respondents without partners or children are significantly more likely to have care gaps than those with close kin. However, respondents without close kin draw more often on more diverse networks of friends and relatives and use nursing home care. DISCUSSION Our study introduces the concept of the care gap and shows that although it is most common among unpartnered adults without children it is also quite common for those with immediate family. A broader network partially but not completely substitutes for care gaps among those without immediate family. Our results offer new insights into the demand for public care services in countries with diverse welfare states.
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Affiliation(s)
- Huijing Wu
- Department of Sociology, University of Western Ontario, London, Ontario, Canada
| | - Rachel Margolis
- Department of Sociology, University of Western Ontario, London, Ontario, Canada
| | - Mara Getz Sheftel
- Population Research Institute, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, Pennsylvania, USA
| | - Ashton M Verdery
- Department of Sociology and Criminology, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, Pennsylvania, USA
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Schoeni RF, Freedman VA, Cornman JC, Seltzer JA. The Strength of Parent-Adult Child Ties in Biological Families and Stepfamilies: Evidence From Time Diaries From Older Adults. Demography 2022; 59:1821-1842. [PMID: 36112392 PMCID: PMC9930742 DOI: 10.1215/00703370-10177468] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/29/2023]
Abstract
We examine older partnered parents' time spent with adult children in biological and step families, treating time together as an indication of relationship strength. Using a unique national sample of U.S. time diaries from the Panel Study of Income Dynamics, we investigate time with all adult children combined and with each adult child. We find that time together depends on family structure and parent-adult child dyadic relationship type embedded in family structure. In analyses of all adult children combined, an older parent is more likely to spend time with adult children in biological families than in stepfamilies only when there is no shared biological child in the stepfamily. In dyadic analyses, a parent's tie with an adult child who is a biological child of both partners is stronger in stepfamilies than in biological families. Moreover, among stepfamilies, ties are not uniformly stronger with biological children relative to stepchildren; differences emerge only in more complex families when each partner has biological children from previous relationships. Our findings challenge the view that ties with older parents are always weaker with stepchildren in stepfamilies and point to the importance of considering parent-child relationships in the broader family context.
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Affiliation(s)
- Robert F Schoeni
- Institute for Social Research, Ford School of Public Policy, and Department of Economics, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
| | - Vicki A Freedman
- Institute for Social Research, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
| | | | - Judith A Seltzer
- Department of Sociology and California Center for Population Research, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA
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