Psychological well-being in mid to late life: The role of generativity development and parent–child relationships across the lifespan

This study examined the association between generativity and psychological well-being for a subsample of 1882 mid- to late-life parents using the MIDUS data set. Guided by Erikson's theory of psychosocial development, we tested a structural model of psychological well-being that also included d...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:International journal of behavioral development 2006-09, Vol.30 (5), p.410-421
Main Authors: An, Jeong Shin, Cooney, Teresa M.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Adult. Elderly
Age
Biological and medical sciences
Couple and family
Developmental psychology
Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology
Gender Differences
Generativity
Intervention
Life span
Older Adults
Parent Child Relationship
Parents
Psychological wellbeing
Psychology
Psychology. Psychoanalysis. Psychiatry
Psychology. Psychophysiology
Social Development
Social psychology
Trust (Psychology)
Volunteers
Well Being
Wellbeing
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Summary:This study examined the association between generativity and psychological well-being for a subsample of 1882 mid- to late-life parents using the MIDUS data set. Guided by Erikson's theory of psychosocial development, we tested a structural model of psychological well-being that also included direct and indirect effects (via generativity) of remembered pre-adult relationships with parents and current parental experiences with offspring on well-being. Respondents who recalled positive, trusting relationships with parents in childhood reported more positive parental experiences with their adult offspring and better psychological well-being. Current parental experiences had both indirect and direct effects on well-being too, but generativity had the strongest direct effects. Thus, it appears that the achievement of generativity plays a substantial role in well-being in mid- and late life. Findings also reveal that the impact of generativity on well-being is stronger for females than males. Implications for intervention with older adults, such as promoting volunteer work, are discussed.
ISSN:0165-0254
1464-0651
DOI:10.1177/0165025406071489