The impact of family structure and disruption on intergenerational emotional exchange in Eastern Europe

Differential Impact of Parental Practices and Parental Emotional Clarity on Child Symptoms in Single-Child vs. Multiple-Child Divorced Families

OBJECTIVE

The main objective of this study was to analyze the differences in parental emotional clarity and parental practices among families with a single child and families with more than one child, and their relationship with the children's internalizing and externalizing symptomatology, specifically, anxiety-depression and aggressive behavior in a conflictive divorce context.

METHODS

The participants were 247 Spanish divorced parents. In total, 62% of the participants reported being the parents of one child and 38% of two children. All participants answered questionnaires that measured the variables investigated in this study.

RESULTS

The results supported the working hypothesis that families with more than one child present with less emotional clarity, which, concatenated with critical and rigid parental guidelines, is associated with children's greater presence of anxious-depressive and aggressive symptoms.

CONCLUSIONS

Families with more than one child have less positive parental guidelines and so their children express more symptoms.

Scoping Review: Intergenerational Resource Transfer and Possible Enabling Factors

We explore the intergenerational pattern of resource transfer and possible associated factors. A scoping review was conducted of quantitative, peer-reviewed, English-language studies related to intergenerational transfer or interaction. We searched AgeLine, PsycINFO, Social Work Abstracts, and Sociological Abstracts for articles published between Jane 2008 and December 2018. Seventy-five studies from 25 countries met the inclusion criteria. The scoping review categorised resource transfers into three types: financial, instrumental, and emotional support. Using an intergenerational solidarity framework, factors associated with intergenerational transfer were placed in four categories: (1) demographic factors (e.g., age, gender, marital status, education, and ethno-cultural background); (2) needs and opportunities factors, including health, financial resources, and employment status; (3) family structures, namely, family composition, family relationship, and earlier family events; and (4) cultural-contextual structures, including state policies and social norms. Those factors were connected to the direction of resource transfer between generations. Downward transfers from senior to junior generations occur more frequently than upward transfers in many developed countries. Women dominate instrumental transfers, perhaps influenced by traditional gender roles. Overall, the pattern of resource transfer between generations is shown, and the impact of social norms and social policy on intergenerational transfers is highlighted. Policymakers should recognise the complicated interplay of each factor with different cultural contexts. The findings could inform policies that strengthen intergenerational solidarity and support.

Intergenerational contacts and depressive symptoms among older parents in Eastern Europe

OBJECTIVE

We investigate the association between parent-child contact frequency and changes in older parents' depressive symptoms in Bulgaria, Georgia and Russia. These are countries in which societal transformations may mean that psychological feelings of security engendered by having children in close contact may have particularly important implications for the mental health of older parents.

METHODS

We analysed data from two waves of the Generation and Gender Surveys conducted three years apart and took account of relationships with more than one child. Analyses were performed using OLS regression models, adjusted for depressive symptoms at baseline.

RESULTS

Among mothers increases in depressive symptoms were greater for those who lacked at least weekly contact with any child than for those with frequent contact with at least one child (b = 0.64; p<0.01). Increases in depressive symptoms were associated with infrequent contacts with children, even after controlling for relationship quality (b = 0.55; p<0.05). Among unpartnered fathers, less than weekly meetings with children were associated with increases in depressive symptoms.

CONCLUSIONS

Among mothers and unpartnered fathers changes in depressive symptoms varied by parent-child contact. The adverse effect of not having a partner on fathers' mental health was reduced, but not eliminated, by having frequent contacts with adult children.

Men's health and co-residence with older generations in Russia: better or worse?

Background

Previous studies show contradictory findings on the relationship between health and intergenerational living arrangements (ILAs), which may be due to variation in who selects themselves into and out of ILA. Addressing the selectivity into ILA and the health of the older generation, we assess whether there is a health-protective or health-damaging effect of ILA. We locate our study in the Russian context, where ILA is prevalent and men’s health has become a public health issue.

Methods

We apply a fixed-effects logistic regression to self-rated health status of 11 546 men aged 25 years or older who participated in at least two waves in the Russian Longitudinal Monitoring Survey from 1994 to 2015. To further isolate the health effect of ILA, we observe only associations after transitioning into or out of ILA.

Results

A transition into co-residence with an unhealthy older generation increases men’s odds of reporting poor health (OR=0.64, CI 0.44 to 0.93). A transition out of co-residence with a healthy older generation decreases men’s odds of reporting fine health by 63% (OR=0.37, CI 0.28 to 0.50), whereas continuing to live with an unhealthy older generation decreases the odds by half (OR=0.49, CI 0.38 to 0.63).

Conclusions

We reveal a health interlinkage between co-residing generations by finding a detrimental health effect of co-residence with an unhealthy older generation. No longer living with an older generation who was in fine health also negatively affects men’s health. Future studies should address heterogeneity related to the health of older generations, unobserved time-constant characteristics of younger generations and selectivity into/out of ILA.

Intergenerational Relations in Older Stepfamilies: A Comparison of France, Germany, and Russia

OBJECTIVES

Our study examines cross-national variations in intergenerational relations of partnered parents aged 50 and older with adult non-coresident children by family structure (intact vs stepfamilies) and parent-child relationship type (biological tie vs steprelation). We focus on three European countries-France, Germany, and Russia-which have in common a relatively large proportion of stepfamilies, but differ with regard to contextual characteristics potentially impacting the stepfamily-intergenerational-relations nexus.

METHOD

The analysis is based on data from the Generations and Gender Survey (Wave 1). Our pooled analytical sample consists of 14,309 parent-child relationships derived from responses by 6,590 surveyed parents with adult children living outside the parental household. We consider two core dimensions of intergenerational solidarity as dependent variables, namely frequency of contact and emotional closeness.

RESULTS

Our results support the notion of commonly weaker intergenerational relations in stepfamilies. We also observe differences between biological parent-child ties and steprelations. Compared with their French and German counterparts, there is a weaker association between having a steprelation and parent-child contact frequency as well as a stronger negative correlation between having a steprelation and emotional closeness among Russian respondents.

DISCUSSION

The observed cross-national differences are proposed to result from different economic incentives to form a stepfamily, translating into a stronger "functional" basis of stepfamily intergenerational relations in the Russian context.

The psychometric qualities of the Groningen Frailty Indicator in Romanian community-dwelling old citizens

BACKGROUND

Primary health care may play an important role in identifying persons at risk for frailty. The Groningen Frailty Indicator (GFI) is considered a valid instrument to assess frailty in old age. However, it is not tested yet in a different cultural context. The aim of this study is to analyse the construct, content and criterion validity of the GFI in independent-living old Romanians.

METHODS

Twenty-two GPs participated in this study. They have sent he GFI questionnaire to 215 patients of 65 years and over. The GPs assessed the frailty of the patients, independently from the questionnaire.

RESULTS

The mean age of the respondents was 74.9 years. The mean GFI score was 5.5 (SD 2.9). Three-quarters of the respondents fit into the 'moderate' or 'severe' frailty category. Citizens 80 years old and older scored higher in terms of frailty. Ninety-eight per cent of the respondents completed at least 75% of the GFI items. The construct validity was good (Cronbach's alpha 0.746). All the items contributed statistically significant to the total GFI score (content validity). The old citizens who were rated as frail by the GPs (criterion validity) had a higher GFI score

CONCLUSION

This study showed the GFI to be a feasible and valid instrument to assess frailty in independent-living old Romanians. Compared with the Dutch old, the prevalence of frailty in independently living old Romanians is high. Further research is needed to determine the appropriate cut-off points in the GFI scores in different care systems.

Health status of independently living older adults in Romania

AIM

Aging is affecting health care all over Europe, but it is expected to have a much greater impact in Eastern Europe. Reliable data on various indicators of health of older adults in Eastern Europe are lacking. The objectives of the present study were to describe the health of older Romanian adults, and to examine its relationship with sociodemographic, psychological and social factors.

METHODS

This cross-sectional study used a stratified sample of 600 independent-living older Romanian adults from the great metropolitan area of Bucharest; 549 citizens aged ≥ 65 years participated. Data were collected by a mailed questionnaire and interviews. Measurements included self-rated health, the number of chronic conditions, the Short Form-20, the Eysenck Personality Questionnaire and Social support.

RESULTS

Romanian older adults rate their health as "fair". On average, they report three chronic conditions. They more frequently have problems in executing daily activities as compared with older adults from other European countries. Three components of health are identified: independent functioning, suffering from chronic diseases and psychological health. Regression analysis shows that age, education and social support are related to each component, and neuroticism and extraversion to two components of health.

CONCLUSIONS

A comparison with international data shows various indicators of health of older Romanian adults to be relatively worse. The three identified components of health offer opportunities for an integrated approach to deal with the health care needs of older citizens.