The intergenerational transmission of loneliness between parents and their adult children

Abstract

Objective: This study examined the relationship between loneliness in parents and in their adult children, and took into account the role of gender differences in the intergenerational transmission of loneliness.
 Background: Although it is well documented that loneliness has negative effects on a person’s physical and mental health, only a relatively small number of empirical studies have investigated the intergenerational transmission of loneliness between parents and their children, including the potential long-term effects of transmission processes. Moreover, the findings of the few existing studies have been inconsistent and contradictory, particularly with regard to gender differences.
 Method: The statistical analysis drew on data from the German Socio-Economic Panel Study (SOEP). Based on data from 2013 and 2017, stepwise multilevel linear regression models were estimated for 4,457 respondents between the ages of 18 and 40 and their parents.
 Results: Significant associations were found between loneliness in parents and in their adult children. The analysis also revealed that the relationship between loneliness in mothers and in their children did not depend on whether mothers and children were living in the same household. However, no significant differences were found between same-sex and opposite-sex parent-child dyads.
 Conclusion: This study provided moderate evidence for the intergenerational transmission of loneliness between parents and their adult children, as well as indirect evidence for the long-term effects of transmission processes between mothers and children.

Intergenerational continuity of loneliness and potential mechanisms: Young Finns Multigenerational Study

“…Parental loneliness was associated with 1.5–1.7 times higher odds of offspring loneliness in midlife, after controlling for age, sex, education, income, marital status or number of children. These findings are in line with previous studies reporting associations between parental and offspring loneliness 14 – 17 , 22 , although only one recent study examined the intergenerational transmission of loneliness in adult offspring 13 .…”

“…Only relatively few studies have examined the potential association between loneliness in parents and in their offspring 13 . This is surprising, given that intergenerational processes underlying loneliness may have long-lasting negative consequences for health and wellbeing among both generations.…”

“…Some studies observed the association only between mothers and offspring 14 , and others only among offspring girls 16 , 17 . A recent study examining the intergenerational transmission of loneliness from parents to their adult offspring showed that 13 higher levels of loneliness among both mothers and fathers were associated with higher levels of loneliness in their adult children. However, when examining adult children who no longer shared a household with their parents, loneliness among mothers was associated with loneliness among adult children, while no corresponding relationship was found between fathers and their adult children.…”

The effect of parental regulatory focus on the loneliness stigma of college children

“…In the process of raising and educating their children, parents transmit both their own advantages and disadvantages to their children and influence their psychological and behavioral development [ 60 ]. The effects of parenting on offspring loneliness and stigma have been explored in previous studies [ 35 , 61 ]. However, the literature has not addressed the phenomenon of intergenerational transmission of loneliness stigma.…”

“…The present study is the first to analyze this phenomenon, reflecting certain innovative insights. In addition, previous research on the intergenerational transmission effect of loneliness has identified that mothers are more predictive of adult children than fathers [ 35 ]. In contrast, the present study reached inconsistent conclusions in the area of loneliness stigma.…”