Changes in Intergenerational Relationships across the Life Course

The authors examine the amount of stability and change in respondents relationships with their parents between the first and second interviews of the National Survey of Families and Households. They find that although a small proportion of young adults live with their parents at any one time, nearly a sixth of the respondents co-resided with their parents for some time over this period. Further analyses show that co-residence with parents is more common for those with a widowed parent and those who have experienced the dissolution of a marriage. Proximity to and contact with parents are also associated with changes in parents and childrens marital and parenthood status. About one-half of the respondents experienced a change in distance from their parents and about one-half reported a change in their frequency of contact with parents. By using longitudinal data the authors are able to show the short-term effects of parents widowhood, respondents marriage and divorce, and respondents transition to parenthood on these aspects of intergenerational relationships. In general, a parents widowhood intensifies childrens relations with their surviving parents. Getting married and having children is associated with a decrease in relations with parents. Although getting divorced is associated with a greater likelihood of experiencing a period of co-residence with parents, it tends to decrease womens involvement with parents but increase mens involvement.

Dataset(s): National Survey of Families and Households (NSFH): U.S., 1987-88 and 1992-94.