Journals of Gerontology Series B: Psychological Sciences and Social Sciences
HOME HELP FEEDBACK SUBSCRIPTIONS ARCHIVE SEARCH TABLE OF CONTENTS
QUICK SEARCH:   [advanced]
Author:
Keyword(s):
Year:  Vol:  Page: 


This Article
Full Text
Full Text (PDF)
Alert me when this article is cited
Alert me if a correction is posted
Services
Similar articles in this journal
Similar articles in PubMed
Alert me to new issues of the journal
Download to citation manager
Cited by other online articles
Google Scholar
Articles by Ward, R. A.
Articles by Spitze, G. D.
Articles citing this Article
PubMed
PubMed Citation
Articles by Ward, R. A.
Articles by Spitze, G. D.
The Journals of Gerontology Series B: Psychological Sciences and Social Sciences 59:S2-S8 (2004)
© 2004 The Gerontological Society of America


RESEARCH ARTICLE

Marital Implications of Parent–Adult Child Coresidence: A Longitudinal View

Russell A. Ward and Glenna D. Spitze

Department of Sociology, University at Albany, State University of New York.

Address correspondence to Russell A. Ward, Department of Sociology, University at Albany, SUNY, Albany, NY 12222. E-mail: r.ward{at}albany.edu

Objectives. This study assesses implications of changes in coresidence with adult children for parents' marital relations, hypothesizing that transitions into coresidence lower marital quality and transitions out of coresidence increase marital quality.

Methods. Panel data from Waves 1 and 2 of the National Survey of Families and Households are used to analyze whether change in three measures of marital quality—time together, happiness, and disagreements—is related to adult child coresidence.

Results. When adult children move out, parent couples increase their time together; there is a tendency for reduced time together when the nest "refills." However, there are no effects of moves in or out on the marital happiness of parents or the number of marital disagreements they have. There is also no effect on time together or on marital quality when one adult child moves out but another moves in during the same period. The presence of younger children has more consistent associations with marital quality.

Discussion. Coresidence with adult children does not appear to be an experience that disrupts the quality of marital relations. It may be that qualitative dimensions of coresidence experiences with adult children matter more than coresidence per se.




This article has been cited by other articles: (Search Google Scholar for Other Citing Articles)


Home page
Research on AgingHome page
J.-H. Ha and D. Carr
The Effect of Parent-Child Geographic Proximity on Widowed Parents' Psychological Adjustment and Social Integration
Research on Aging, September 1, 2005; 27(5): 578 - 610.
[Abstract] [PDF]




HOME HELP FEEDBACK SUBSCRIPTIONS ARCHIVE SEARCH TABLE OF CONTENTS
All GSA journals The Gerontologist
Journals of Gerontology Series A: Biological Sciences and Medical Sciences
Copyright © 2004 by The Gerontological Society of America.