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Moderators of Mother's Problems on Middle-Aged Offspring Depressive Symptoms.

Authors :
Bangerter LR
Zarit SH
Fingerman KL
Source :
The journals of gerontology. Series B, Psychological sciences and social sciences [J Gerontol B Psychol Sci Soc Sci] 2016 Jan; Vol. 71 (1), pp. 41-8. Date of Electronic Publication: 2014 Jul 08.
Publication Year :
2016

Abstract

Objectives: Conservation of Resources (COR) theory postulates that individuals utilize various resources to manage stressful circumstances. Children employ many resources to cope with the problems of parents who suffer from disabilities, cognitive impairment, and functional limitations. This phenomenon is rarely explored among middle-aged offspring and their aging parents.<br />Method: Drawing from the Family Exchanges Study, we focus on a sample (N = 308) of middle-aged adults (mean age = 51) whose only living parent was their mother. We use multiple regression to examine maternal support and self-reported health as moderators of maternal problems on offspring depressive symptoms.<br />Results: Participants whose mothers had few problems generally reported low levels of depressive symptoms. When mothers had high problems, results indicate a negative association between depressive symptoms and physical health. When maternal problems were high, the amount of support offspring receive from their mother had a negative association with offspring depressive symptoms. When mothers had low problems, receiving more maternal support was associated with lower depressive symptoms and receiving low support was associated with increased depressive symptoms.<br />Discussion: Middle-aged offspring use both personal and family-based resources to buffer the psychological ramifications of their mother's problems. Our results provide a unique extension of COR theory.<br /> (© The Author 2014. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of The Gerontological Society of America. All rights reserved. For permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com.)

Details

Language :
English
ISSN :
1758-5368
Volume :
71
Issue :
1
Database :
MEDLINE
Journal :
The journals of gerontology. Series B, Psychological sciences and social sciences
Publication Type :
Academic Journal
Accession number :
25005814
Full Text :
https://doi.org/10.1093/geronb/gbu081