Research on Aging

 

Advanced Search

Journal Navigation

Journal Home

Subscriptions

Archive

Contact Us

Table of Contents

Click here for free access to the SAGE eReference platform!

Sign In to gain access to subscriptions and/or personal tools.
This Article
Right arrow Full Text (PDF)
Right arrow References
Right arrow Alert me when this article is cited
Right arrow Alert me if a correction is posted
Right arrow Citation Map
Services
Right arrow Email this article to a friend
Right arrow Similar articles in this journal
Right arrow Similar articles in ISI Web of Science
Right arrow Alert me to new issues of the journal
Right arrow Add to Saved Citations
Right arrow Download to citation manager
Right arrowRequest Permissions
Right arrow Request Reprints
Right arrow Add to My Marked Citations
Citing Articles
Right arrow Citing Articles via HighWire
Right arrow Citing Articles via ISI Web of Science (2)
Right arrow Citing Articles via Google Scholar
Google Scholar
Right arrow Articles by Ha, J.-H.
Right arrow Articles by Carr, D.
Right arrow Search for Related Content
Social Bookmarking
Add to CiteULike   Add to Connotea   Add to Del.icio.us   Add to Digg   Add to Reddit   Add to Technorati  
What's this?
Research on Aging, Vol. 27, No. 5, 578-610 (2005)
DOI: 10.1177/0164027505277977

The Effect of Parent-Child Geographic Proximity on Widowed Parents’ Psychological Adjustment and Social Integration

Jung-Hwa Ha

University of Michigan, jhha{at}umich.edu

Deborah Carr

Rutgers University

The authors examine the ways that parent-child geographic proximity affects widowed older parents’ psychological well-being and social integration. Analyses are based on the Changing Lives of Older Couples (CLOC) study, a prospective study of 1,532 married individuals aged 65 and older. Compared with those who live more than one hour away from a child, widowed older adults who live with or live within an hour’s drive of their child(ren) report significantly lower levels of psychological distress, after controlling for parent-child relationship quality. However, parents who live with their children are less likely to be integrated into informal networks of friends, neighbors, and relatives. The findings reveal the complex ways that living arrangements and geographic proximity between generations affect bereaved parents’ psychosocial adjustment. This study also suggests ways that bereaved older adults may optimize their support networks during an era marked by high levels of geographic mobility and low fertility.

Key Words: widowhood • geographic proximity • intergenerational relations • psychological well-being • social integration


Add to CiteULike CiteULike   Add to Connotea Connotea   Add to Del.icio.us Del.icio.us   Add to Digg Digg   Add to Reddit Reddit   Add to Technorati Technorati    What's this?


This article has been cited by other articles:


Home page
 J. Gerontol. B Psychol. Sci. Soc. Sci.Home page
R. A. Ward
Multiple Parent-Adult Child Relations and Well-Being in Middle and Later Life
J. Gerontol. B. Psychol. Sci. Soc. Sci., July 1, 2008; 63(4): S239 - S247.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

Home page
 Research on AgingHome page
M. Pai and A. E. Barrett
Long-Term Payoffs of Work? Women's Past Involvement in Paid Work and Mental Health in Widowhood
Research on Aging, September 1, 2007; 29(5): 436 - 456.
[Abstract] [PDF]

Home page
 Research on AgingHome page
M.-A. Lee and D. Carr
Does the Context of Spousal Loss Affect the Physical Functioning of Older Widowed Persons? A Longitudinal Analysis
Research on Aging, September 1, 2007; 29(5): 457 - 487.
[Abstract] [PDF]