Ambivalence in the Relationship of Adult Children to Aging Parents and In-Laws

The concept of ambivalence emphasizes the complexity of family relations and the potential for individuals to evaluate relationships as both positive and negative. Using multilevel models, we investigate ambivalence in adult children's relationships with their aging parents and in-laws (N = 1,5...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of marriage and family 2003-11, Vol.65 (4), p.1055-1072
Main Authors: Willson, Andrea E., Shuey, Kim M., Elder, Glen H.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Adult Children
Adults
Ageing
Aging
Aging (Individuals)
Ambivalence
Ambivalence (Psychology)
Caregivers
caregiving
Children
Critical Theory
Daughters
Dyadic relations
Families & family life
Family
Family life
Family Relations
Family Relationship
Family studies
Gender
Intergenerational Relations
Intergenerational relationships
Iowa
Kinship
Modeling
Mothers
Multilevel models
Of General Interest
Parent Child Relations
Parent Child Relationship
Parents
Power Structure
Predictor Variables
Relatives
Resistance (Psychology)
Role Conflict
Role Theory
Sex
Sexuality. Marriage. Family relations
Social Environment
Social Psychology
Social Structure
Sociology
Sociology of the family. Age groups
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Summary:The concept of ambivalence emphasizes the complexity of family relations and the potential for individuals to evaluate relationships as both positive and negative. Using multilevel models, we investigate ambivalence in adult children's relationships with their aging parents and in-laws (N = 1,599). We focus on factors predicting adult children's ambivalence toward parents and inlaws within a gendered kinship structure that shapes these relations. We conclude that ambivalence is a useful concept for representing the complexity of parent-child relationships and is produced within the context of social relations structured by gender and kinship. Results show greater ambivalence among dyads of women, toward in-laws, among those in poor health, for daughters providing assistance, and for adult children with poor parental relations in early life.
ISSN:0022-2445
1741-3737
DOI:10.1111/j.1741-3737.2003.01055.x