Adult Children’s Problems and Successes: Implications for Intergenerational Ambivalence

Ambivalence theory suggests that parents experience ambivalence due to conflicting desires to help children in need and to launch children into adulthood. This study examined parents’ reports of their adult children’s problems and successes and implications for ambivalence. Participants aged 40–60 y...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:The journals of gerontology. Series B, Psychological sciences and social sciences Psychological sciences and social sciences, 2010-03, Vol.65B (2), p.145-153
Main Authors: Birditt, Kira S., Fingerman, Karen L., Zarit, Steven H.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Achievement
Adolescent
Adult
Adult children
Adult. Elderly
Adulthood
Adults
Ambivalence
Attitude
Biological and medical sciences
Child
Children
Couple and family
Developmental psychology
Emotions
Female
Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology
Gender
Gender differences
Health Status
Humans
Intergenerational Relations
Intergenerational relationships
Journal of Gerontology: Psychological Sciences
Male
Men
Middle Aged
Neurotic Disorders - epidemiology
Neurotic Disorders - psychology
Parents
Parents & parenting
Problems
Psychological aspects
Psychology. Psychoanalysis. Psychiatry
Psychology. Psychophysiology
Social psychology
Successes
Young Adult
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Summary:Ambivalence theory suggests that parents experience ambivalence due to conflicting desires to help children in need and to launch children into adulthood. This study examined parents’ reports of their adult children’s problems and successes and implications for ambivalence. Participants aged 40–60 years (302 men and 331 women from different families) reported on up to 3 of their adult children (N = 1,251). Men and women differentiated among children in ratings of problems, successes, and ambivalence. Men and not women reported greater ambivalence regarding children with more physical–emotional problems and less career success. Men and women reported greater ambivalence regarding children with less relationship success. Consistent with ambivalence theory, individuals feel more ambivalent regarding problematic and less successful children but men’s ambivalence appears to be more sensitive to their children’s problems and successes than women's ambivalence.
ISSN:1079-5014
1758-5368
DOI:10.1093/geronb/gbp125