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, and little is known about how family members perceive giving support amid problems or crises. Using a sample of 226 mother–child dyads (mother mean age = 75.04 years; child mean age = 49.57 years), 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.