This Article Full Text Full Text (PDF) Services Download to citation manager PubMed PubMed Citation

Ambivalent Relationship Qualities Between Adults and Their Parents: Implications for the Well-Being of Both Parties

¹ Department of Child Development and Family Studies, Purdue University, West Lafayette, Indiana.
² Department of Human Development and Family Studies, Pennsylvania State University, University Park.
³ Institute for Social Research, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor.

Address correspondence to Karen L. Fingerman, PhD, Department of Child Development & Family Studies, Purdue University, 1200 West State Street, West Lafayette, IN 47907. E-mail: karenf{at}purdue.edu

This study considered whether intergenerational ambivalence has implications for each party's psychological well-being and physical health. Participants included 158 families (N = 474) with a mother, a father, and a son or daughter aged 22 to 49 years. Actor–partner interaction models revealed that parents and offspring who self-reported greater ambivalence showed poorer psychological well-being. Partner reports of ambivalence were associated with poorer physical health. When fathers reported greater ambivalence, offspring reported poorer physical health. When grown children reported greater ambivalence, mothers reported poorer physical health. Fathers and offspring who scored lower in neuroticism showed stronger associations between ambivalence and well-being. Findings suggest that parents or offspring may experience greater ambivalence when the other party is in poorer health and that personality moderates associations between relationship qualities and well-being.

Key Words: Intergenerational relationships • Relationship quality • Ambivalence • Family • Parents • Children