Prodigal Children: Why Older Mothers Favor Their Once-Deviant Adult Children

Objectives Past research suggests that adult children who reform their deviant behaviors (i.e., problems with drugs/alcohol or the law) are more likely to become favored by their mothers, yet the reasons underlying this phenomenon are unclear. This study employs a longitudinal, qualitative approach to explore why adult children’s behavioral reforms shape changes in maternal favoritism. Methods Analyses are based on qualitative interview data collected at two points seven years apart from older mothers regarding their adult children in 20 families. Each of these families had a “prodigal child”—a child for whom desistance from deviant behaviors between the two waves was accompanied by newfound maternal favoritism. Results Findings revealed two conditions under which mothers came to favor reformed deviants over their siblings. First, this occurred when adult children’s behavioral reformations were accompanied by mothers’ perceptions of these children as having grown more family-oriented. Second, this occurred when mothers came to see reformed deviants as exhibiting a stronger need and appreciation for maternal support, relative to their siblings. Discussion Mothers’ perceptions of children’s behavioral reformations as being accompanied by greater dedication to family or reflecting a need for their mothers’ support offer two explanations for why previously deviant adult children may become mothers’ favored offspring. These findings contribute to a growing body of scholarship on the complexity of intergenerational relations by shedding new light on changing patterns of favoritism in families with a history of parental disappointment, conflict, and strain

The Caregiver Identity in Context: Consequences and Patterns of Identity Threat from Siblings

Caring for older family members has become a focus of national attention among policy makers given concerns for the quality of life of both caregivers and care recipients. Although caregivers’ siblings often represent important ties for both the adult children providing care and parents receiving care, there has been limited attention to how siblings affect one another’s wellbeing during parent care. Guided by theories of identity and stress, the central aims of this dissertation are to investigate: (1) Whether perceiving care-related criticism from siblings is associated with higher depressive symptoms among adult children providing care to their mother; and (2) whether caregivers’ gender and the gender composition of the sibling networks in which they are embedded influence caregivers’ probability of perceiving care-related criticism from siblings. To achieve these aims, I utilize both quantitative and qualitative data collected from adult children providing care to their mothers as part of the Within-Family Differences Study-II. This mixed-methods approach enables me to not only examine statistical relationships, but also to identify mechanisms underlying these statistical patterns. Quantitative analyses revealed that perceived care-related criticism from siblings was not directly associated with caregivers’ depressive symptoms, but rather operated through its association with sibling tension. Consistent with theories of identity maintenance, qualitative analyses suggested that, in response to their siblings’ criticisms, caregivers often reacted in ways that may have been protective for their identity as a “good caregiver,” but that could have been a catalyst for sibling conflict and, in turn, psychological distress. Once perceived sibling criticism was established as a stressor with detrimental consequences for caregivers’ relational and psychological well-being, I then explored whether caregivers’ gender, as well as the genders of their siblings, shape caregivers’ probability of perceiving sibling criticism. As I anticipated based on theories of gender and group dynamics, daughters’ probability of perceiving sibling criticism depended on the gender composition of the sibling networks in which they were embedded; in particular, daughters in predominantly-son families had a notably lower risk of perceiving carerelated criticism than daughters in families with a higher proportion of daughters. Consistent with theories of tokenism, qualitative data revealed that adult children in families with a higher proportion of daughters were less able to rely solely on gender stereotypes to shape caregiving expectations. As a result, there tended to be less consensus among siblings regarding who best understood their mother’s care needs and preferences, and higher rates of perceived sibling criticism among daughters. Taken together, these findings demonstrate the influence that identity processes, as well as the sibling networks in which caregiving takes place, have in shaping the experiences and consequences of parent care. This work demonstrates the value of utilizing a mixed-methods approach to gain a nuanced understanding of complex family processes. In addition, these findings offer valuable insights to health care professionals and other stakeholders who interact with and serve family caregivers. By understanding the mechanisms through which sibling context may contribute to psychological distress among caregivers, these stakeholders will be better prepared to identify and address caregivers’ socio-emotional needs

Organizations’ Perspectives on Successful Aging with Long-Term Physical Disability

In recent decades, there has been considerable discussion surrounding what it means to age successfully, and what supports, services, and programs are needed to facilitate successful aging. Rehabilitation scholars advocate for models of successful aging that take into account the unique needs and priorities of those aging with long-term physical disability. The aim of this study is to explore how organizations that serve those with physical disability define successful aging for this population, and whether their understanding of successful aging is consistent with the needs and priorities identified by those aging with physical disability. To do so, we analyze qualitative data from a national online survey of disability organizations (N = 106 organizations). Organizations described the following domains of successful aging for those with physical disability: (a) autonomy and/or maximized independence; (b) living arrangement; (c) health and well-being; and (d) social connection and meaningful community engagement. Overall, organizations’ understandings of successful aging are consistent with the priorities identified by those aging with long-term physical disability. We discuss strategies that organizations can adopt to ensure that the programs and services that they offer facilitate these elements of successful aging

Family Networks and Psychological Well-Being in Midlife

Scholarship has highlighted the importance of kin relations for well-being in adulthood. Much focus has been on relationships between spouses and between parents and children. However, limited research has explored the role of adult sibling relationships in well-being, and no studies have made direct comparisons among the effects of tension with these multiple family members. Using data collected from 495 adult children nested within 254 families, we examined the differential impact of tension with mothers, siblings, and spouses on depressive symptoms in midlife. Separate multi-level regression analyses showed that tension with spouses, mothers, and siblings each predicted depressive symptoms. Combined analyses revealed that greater tension with spouses was associated with higher depressive symptoms, but tension with mothers and siblings was not. However, Wald tests comparing the strength of these associations between tension and depressive symptoms indicated that these associations did not significantly vary across family members. Interactions with gender indicated that tension with mothers was more strongly associated with higher depressive symptoms for women than men. These findings highlight the importance of the quality of relationships with family members on individuals’ psychological well-being, and call for researchers to consider multiple ties and gender when examining family relationships and well-being

Prodigal Children: Why Older Mothers Favor Their Once-Deviant Adult Children

Objectives Past research suggests that adult children who reform their deviant behaviors (i.e., problems with drugs/alcohol or the law) are more likely to become favored by their mothers, yet the reasons underlying this phenomenon are unclear. This study employs a longitudinal, qualitative approach to explore why adult children’s behavioral reforms shape changes in maternal favoritism. Methods Analyses are based on qualitative interview data collected at two points seven years apart from older mothers regarding their adult children in 20 families. Each of these families had a “prodigal child”—a child for whom desistance from deviant behaviors between the two waves was accompanied by newfound maternal favoritism. Results Findings revealed two conditions under which mothers came to favor reformed deviants over their siblings. First, this occurred when adult children’s behavioral reformations were accompanied by mothers’ perceptions of these children as having grown more family-oriented. Second, this occurred when mothers came to see reformed deviants as exhibiting a stronger need and appreciation for maternal support, relative to their siblings. Discussion Mothers’ perceptions of children’s behavioral reformations as being accompanied by greater dedication to family or reflecting a need for their mothers’ support offer two explanations for why previously deviant adult children may become mothers’ favored offspring. These findings contribute to a growing body of scholarship on the complexity of intergenerational relations by shedding new light on changing patterns of favoritism in families with a history of parental disappointment, conflict, and strain.This accepted article is published as Reilly Kincaid, B.A, Marissa Rurka, M.S, J Jill Suitor, Ph.D, Megan Gillian, Ph.D, Karl Pillemer, Ph.D, Liam Mohebbi, B.A, Nicholas Mundell, B.S, Prodigal Children: Why Older Mothers Favor Their Once-Deviant Adult Children, The Journals of Gerontology: Series B, 2021;gbab075, doi: 10.1093/geronb/gbab075.</p