Childlessness, parenthood, and depressive symptoms among middle-aged and older adults

Journal of Family Issues

Volumn 30, Issue 5, 2009, Pages 670-687

  Bures, Regina M ^a   Koropeckyj Cox, Tanya ^a   Loree, Michael ^a  

^a UNIVERSITY OF FLORIDA   (United States)

Author keywords

Childlessness; Depressive symptoms; Measurement; Parental status

Indexed keywords

EID: 65249145683     PISSN: 0192513X     EISSN: 15525481     Source Type: Journal    
DOI: 10.1177/0192513X08331114     Document Type: Article

References (44)

1. Allen, K.R., Blieszner, R., & Roberto, K.A. (2000). Families in the middle and later years: A review and critique of research in the 1990s. Journal of Marriage and the Family, 62, 911-926.
2. Bachrach, C.A. (1980). Childlessness and social isolation among the elderly. Journal of Marriage and the Family, 42, 627-637.
3. Barth, J., Schumacher, M., & Herrmann-Lingen, C. (2004). Depression as a risk factor for mortality in patients with coronary heart disease: A meta-analysis. Psychosomatic Medicine, 66, 802-813. (Pubitemid 39552862)
4. Bengtson, V., Rosenthal, C., & Burton, L. (1996). Paradoxes of families and aging. In R. Binstock & L. George (Eds.), Handbook of Aging and the Social Sciences (4 th ed., pp. 253-282). San Diego, CA: Academic Press.
5. Bornat, J., Dimmock, B., Jones, D., & Peace, S. (1999). Stepfamilies and older people: Evaluating the implications of family change for an ageing population. Ageing and Society, 19, 239-261. (Pubitemid 29386406)
6. Clawson, J., & Ganong, L. (2002). Adult stepchildren's obligations to older stepparents. Journal of Family Nursing, 8, 50-62.
7. Connidis, I.A. (2001). Family ties and aging. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.
8. Dykstra, P.A., & Hagestad, G.O. (2007). Roads less taken: Developing a nuanced view of older adults without children. Journal of Family Issues, 28, 1275-1310.
9. Fisher, A.P. (2003). Still "not quite as good as having your own"? Toward a sociology of adoption. Annual Review of Sociology, 29, 335-361. (Pubitemid 37395374)
10. Ganong, L.H., & Coleman, M. (1999). Changing families, changing responsibilities: Family obligations following divorce and remarriage. Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum.
11. Ganong, L., Coleman, M., McDaniel, A.K., & Killian, T. (1998). Attitudes regarding obligations to assist an older parent or stepparent following later-life remarriage. Journal of Marriage and the Family, 60, 595-610. (Pubitemid 128124605)
12. Glenn, N.D., & McLanahan, S. (1981). The effects of offspring on the psychological well-being of older adults. Journal of Marriage and the Family, 42, 409-421.
13. Hagestad, G.O., & Call, V.R.A. (2007). Pathways to childlessness: Life course perspectives. Journal of Family Issues, 28, 1338-1361.
14. Health and Retirement Study. (2002). Survey design. Ann Arbor: University of Michigan. Retrieved February 10, 2003, from http://hrsonline.isr.umich.edu/ intro
15. Hewlett, S.A. (2002). Creating a life: Professional women and the quest for children. New York: Talk Miramax Books.
16. Jeffries, S., & Konnert, C. (2002). Regret and psychological well-being among voluntarily and involuntarily childless women and mothers. International Journal of Aging and Human Development, 54, 89-106. (Pubitemid 34595259)
17. Johnson, C.L. (2000). Perspectives on American kinship in the later 1990s. Journal of Marriage and the Family, 62, 623-639.
18. Keith, P.M. (1983). A comparison of the resources of parents and childless men and women in very old age. Family Relations, 32, 403-409.
19. Kessler, R.C., Foster, C., Webster, P.S., & House, J.S. (1992). The relationship between age and depressive symptoms in two national surveys. Psychology and Aging, 7, 119-126.
20. Killian, T., & Ganong, L. (2002). Ideology, context, and obligations to assist older persons. Journal of Marriage and Family, 64, 1080-1088.
21. Kivett, V.R., & Learner, M. (1980). Perspectives on the childless elderly: A comparative analysis. The Gerontologist, 20, 708-716.
22. Koropeckyj-Cox, T. (1998). Loneliness and depression in middle and old age: Are the childless more vulnerable ? Journal of Gerontology: Social Sciences, 53B, S302 - S312. (Pubitemid 28523202)
23. Koropeckyj-Cox, T. (2002). Beyond parental status: Psychological well-being in middle and old age. Journal of Marriage and Family, 64, 957-971.
24. Kreager, P. (2004). Where are the children? In P. Kreager & E. Schröder-Butterfill (Eds.), Ageing without children: European and Asian perspectives (pp. 1-45). Oxford, UK: Berghahn.
25. Lawton, L., Silverstein, M., & Bengtson, V. (1994). Affection, social contact, and geographic distance between adult children and their parents. Journal of Marriage and the Family, 56, 57-68. (Pubitemid 24773290)
26. McMullin, J.A., & Marshall, V.W. (1996). Family, friends, stress and well-being: Does childlessness make a difference? Canadian Journal on Aging, 15, 355-373. (Pubitemid 26371660)
27. Morgan, S.P., & King, R.B. (2001). Why have children in the 21st century ? European Journal of Population, 17, 3-20.
28. RAND Center for the Study of Aging. (2008, February). RAND HRS data, Version H [Electronic file]. Santa Monica, CA: Author. Available from http://www.rand.org/labor/aging/dataprod
29. Rempel, J. (1985). Childless elderly: What are they missing ? Journal of Marriage and the Family, 47, 343-348.
30. Rindfuss, R.R., Morgan, S.P., & Swicegood, C.G. (1988). First births in America: Changes in the timing of parenthood. Berkeley: University of California Press.
31. Rubinstein, R.L. (1987). Childless elderly: Theoretical perspectives and practical concerns. Journal of Cross-Cultural Gerontology, 2, 1-14.
32. Ryff, C.D., Schmutte, P.S., & Lee, Y.H. (1996). How children turn out: Implications for parental self-evaluation. In C. D. Ryff & M. M. Seltzer (Eds.), The parental experience in mid life (pp. 383-422). Chicago: University of Chicago Press.
33. Schoen, R., Kim, Y.J., Nathanson, C.A., Fields, J., & Astone, N. (1997). Why do Americans want children? Population and Development Review, 23, 333-358. (Pubitemid 127632395)
34. Silverstein, M., & Bengtson, V.L. (1991). Do close parent-child relations reduce the mortality risk of older parents ? Journal of Health and Social Behavior, 32, 382-395.
35. Suitor, J.J., Pillemer, K., Keeton, S., & Robison, J. (1994). Aged parents and aging children: Determinants of relationship quality. In R. Blieszner & V. H. Bedford (Eds.), Aging and the family: Theory and research. Westport, CT: Praeger.
36. Sweet, J., Bumpass, L.L., & Call, V. (1988). The design and content of the National Survey of Families and Households (NSFH Working Paper No. 1). Madison: Center for Demography and Ecology, University of Wisconsin.
37. Szinovacz, M., & Davey, A. (2007). Changes in adult child caregiver networks. The Gerontologist, 47, 280-295. (Pubitemid 47308970)
38. Vissing, Y. (2002). Women without children: Nurturing lives. New Brunswick, NJ: Rutgers University Press.
39. Ward, R.A. (2008). Multiple parent-adult child relations and well-being in middle and later life. Journals of Gerontology Series B: Psychological Sciences and Social Sciences, 63, S239 - S247.
40. Waite, L.J. (1995). Does marriage matter ? Demography, 32, 483-507.
41. Waite, L.J., & Gallagher, M. (2000). The case for marriage: Why married people are happier, healthier, and better off financially. New York: Doubleday.
42. Wegar, K. (2000). Adoption, family ideology, and social stigma: Bias in community attitudes, adoption research, and practice. Family Relations, 49, 363-370.
43. Wirtberg, I., Möller, A., Hogström, L., Tronstad, S.-E., & Lalos, A. (2007). Life 20 years after unsuccessful infertility treatment. Human Reproduction, 22, 598-604. (Pubitemid 46152586)
44. Zhang, Z., & Hayward, M.D. (2001). Childlessness and the psychological well-being of older persons. Journals of Gerontology, 56B, S311 - S320. (Pubitemid 32824073)