J. Jill Suitor

Did Mom Really Love You Best? Developmental Histories, Status Transitions, and Parental Favoritism in Later Life Families

In this paper, we draw upon insights from the developmental psychological literature on younger families to investigate within-family differences in parent–adult child relations in later life families. Using data from 30 families, we examine whether mothers aged 65–75 report greater closeness to particular adult children, and the extent to which patterns of closeness can be explained by within-family differences in the childrens status transitions and developmental histories. Eighty percent of the mothers reported being closer to at least one of their adult children. Further, mothers were more likely to report that the children to whom they were closest had experienced nonnormative status transitions or other problematic events that had been involuntary and had made the children more dependent on their mothers. In contrast, mothers were least likely to name children who experienced voluntary problematic events. Comparison of the data from mothers with that from adult children revealed substantial discrepancies in reporting developmental histories, thus demonstrating the limitations imposed by collecting data from only one generation. Taken together, these findings suggest that examining within-family variations in social structural transitions and developmental histories, in combination with collecting data from multiple generations, may shed light on the quality of intergenerational relations.

When experience counts most: effects of experiential similarity on men’s and women’s receipt of support during bereavement

Abstract The literature on gender and social support demonstrates that women are substantially more likely than men to both solicit and receive support — particularly emotional support — throughout the life course. In the present paper, we extend work on experiential similarity by examining whether gender affects patterns of support in the face of major negative life events. Previous research has suggested that following status transitions, women’s interactions are affected more strongly than are men’s by similarity of experience (i.e. having experienced the same transition). However, the transitions that have been studied are especially salient to women. Bereavement provides an ideal context in which to further examine these issues, since loss of a close family member is not a gendered event. To investigate the differential effects of experiential similarity on men’s and women’s support, we used longitudinal data on 59 individuals who recently experienced the death of an elderly family member for whom they were caring, and 863 members of their social networks. Multivariate analysis demonstrated that experiential similarity was important in explaining both men’s and women’s patterns of emotional support during bereavement. Further, examination of qualitative data suggested that similarity of bereavement became a focal point for dyads in which the associates had experienced both caregiving and the subsequent loss of the care recipient.

Predictors of successful relationships in a peer support program for Alzheimer's caregivers

This study explores the role of similarity in the success of peer support relationships in an intervention program for dementia caregivers. Hypothesized predictors of successful matches included structural similarity between partners (e.g., in age, education), appraisal similarity (e.g., in satisfaction with support for caregiving), and psychological similarity (e.g., in psychological wellbeing). Contrary to expectations, no relationship between these types of similarity and the success of the match were found, but effects were found for dissimilar pairs on several characteristics. The findings suggest: 1) that what really makes a difference for successful peer support is sharing the stressful but also rewarding experience of caregiving; and 2) that program planners do not need to develop extensive matching criteria.

Family Stress and Social Support among Caregivers to Persons with Alzheimer’s Disease

Despite the current emphasis on “productive” and “successful” aging, the fact remains that many elderly people spend the last part of their lives suffering from chronic debilitating ailments. Moreover, contrary to deep-seated societal fears about the abandonment of the aged by their relatives, responsibility for caring for impaired elderly persons is usually assumed by kin. Although families have cared for the aged throughout recorded history, only in the past three decades has the topic become a vigorous and rapidly expanding area of research interest.