Reciprocity in Parent-Child Relations Over the Adult Life Course

Abstract

The results offer some support for investment, insurance, and altruistic models of intergenerational exchange. Sharing time in activities provides a direct return to the parent that is characteristic of an investment strategy, whereas financial transfers provide a time-contingent return that is characteristic of an insurance mechanism. That affection triggers greater support to more functionally impaired mothers suggests that emotionally investing in children as a health insurance mechanism may be based on the greater moral equity accorded to mothers. The motivation of adult children to provide social support to their older parents is partially rooted in earlier family experiences and guided by an implicit social contract that ensures long-term reciprocity.

Age Relations and Family Ties Over the Life Course: Spanning the Macro–Micro Divide

“…Financial help from and coresidence with parents are associated with greater support to parents later in life (Leopold, 2012;Silverstein, Conroy, Wang, Giarrusso, & Bengtson, 2002), indicating reciprocity between parents and children over the life course. An ample body of research shows support from adult children to their older parents, usually in the context of very old age, declining health, and widowhood of the older parent (Seltzer & Friedman, 2013;for review, see Connidis, 2010).…”

Intergenerational contact beyond the dyad: the role of the sibling network

“…Parent-child contact frequency has also been shown to be higher if parental investments during childhood were larger in terms of time (Grundy 2005;Silverstein et al 2002) or affection (Downey 1995;Kaufman and Uhlenberg 1998).…”

Experienced Support from Adult Children in the Retirement Process

“…It should be mentioned though, that in earlier research on intergenerational support the effect of direct reciprocity remained intact when controlling for these types of potential underlying factors (Klein Ikkink et al, 1999). Also no information was available about the level of support parents provided to their children earlier in life (Silverstein et al, 2002) and therefore it was not possible to test the notion of long-term reciprocity.…”

“…The norm of reciprocity reduces uncertainty and ensures that if people give something, they will always receive something in return (Gouldner, 1960). Among parents and their children this is not, however, necessarily the same kind of support nor does it have to be exchanged at the same moment in time (Silverstein, Conroy, Wang, Giarrusso, & Bengtson, 2002). Research has shown that parents who give support to their children are more likely to receive help from them in return (e.g., Grundy, 2005; Klein Ikkink, Van Tilburg, & Knipscheer, 1999).…”