RAND, 1776 Main Street, Santa Monica, CA 90407 (dgans@rand.org).
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Older Parent–Child Relationships in Six Developed Nations: Comparisons at the Intersection of Affection and Conflict
Article first published online: 9 JUL 2010
DOI: 10.1111/j.1741-3737.2010.00745.x
Copyright © National Council on Family Relations, 2010
Additional Information
How to Cite
Silverstein, M., Gans, D., Lowenstein, A., Giarrusso, R. and Bengtson, V. L. (2010), Older Parent–Child Relationships in Six Developed Nations: Comparisons at the Intersection of Affection and Conflict. Journal of Marriage and Family, 72: 1006–1021. doi: 10.1111/j.1741-3737.2010.00745.x
Department of Gerontology, University of Haifa, Haifa 31950, Israel (ariela@research.haifa.ac.il).
Department of Sociology, California State University, Los Angeles, 5151 State University Drive, Los Angeles, CA 90032 (rgiarru@calstatela.edu).
Davis School of Gerontology, University of Southern California, 3715 McClintock Ave., Los Angeles, CA 90089-0191 (bengtson@usc.edu).
Publication History
- Issue published online: 9 JUL 2010
- Article first published online: 9 JUL 2010
- Abstract
- Article
- References
- Cited By
Keywords:
- aging;
- ambivalence;
- emotions;
- intergenerational;
- international;
- solidarity
Intergenerational solidarity and ambivalence paradigms suggest that emotional relationships between generations consist of both positive and negative sentiments. We applied latent class analysis to measures of affection and conflict in 2,698 older parent–child relationships in 6 developed nations: England, Germany, Israel, Norway, Spain, and the United States (Southern California). The best fitting model consisted of 4 latent classes distributed differently across nations but with a cross-nationally invariant measurement structure. After controlling for demographics, health, coresidence, contact, and support, the following classes were overrepresented in corresponding nations: amicable (England), detached (Germany and Spain), disharmonious (United States), ambivalent (Israel). We discuss policy and cultural differences across societies that may explain why the prevalence of particular emotional types varied by nation.