As we live longer, most of us maintain relationships with our parents into middle age and beyond. How do these connections affect our health and well-being?
References
1.
RonaldAngelJacqueline LoweAngel.Who Will Care for Us? Aging and Long-term Care in Multicultural America (New York University Press, 1999). Explores sources of formal and informal care for an aging population, how these sources of care vary by race and ethnicity, and the implications for health and public policy.
2.
DaphnaGansMerrilSilverstein. “Norms of Filial Responsibility for Aging Parents across Time and Generations.” Journal of Marriage and Family (in press). Examines norms about adult children's responsibility to care for their parents and how these norms change over time, across generations, and as individuals age.
3.
GlennaSpitzeMaryP. Gallant. “The Bitter with the Sweet: Older Adults' Strategies for Handling Ambivalence in Relations with Their Adult Children.” Research on Aging26 (2004): 387–412. Considers older parents' feelings about the desire for both autonomy and connection with their adult children and includes a review of work on ambivalence between the generations.
4.
Jill SuitorJ.KarlPillemer. “Choosing Daughters: Exploring Why Mothers Favor Adult Daughters Over Sons.” Sociological Perspectives (in press). Explores the role of a child's gender in intergenerational ties, particularly in terms of support and closeness to mothers.
5.
DebraUmberson.Death of a Parent: Transition to a New Adult Identity (Cambridge University Press, 2003; paperback, 2006). Using in-depth interviews and national surveys, the author explains why the death of a parent has strong effects on adults, often for the worse, but sometimes for the better.
