Relationship Quality with Parents: Implications for Own and Partner Well‐Being in Middle‐Aged Couples

• Author: Steffany J. Fredman,Kira S. Birditt,Steven H. Zarit,Courtney A. Polenick
• Date: 01 March 2018
• Published date: 01 March 2018
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.1111/famp.12275

Relationship Quality with Parents: Implications for

Own and Partner Well-Being in Middle-Aged

Couples

COURTNEY A. POLENICK*

STEFFANY J. FREDMAN

†

KIRA S. BIRDITT

‡

STEVEN H. ZARIT

†

Relationships with parents have significant implications for well-being throughout the

lifespan. At midlife, these ties are situated within both developmental and family contexts

that often involve the adult offspring’s spouse. Yet, it is not known how ties with aging par-

ents are related to psychological well-being within middle-aged couples. This study exam-

ined how middle-aged wives’ and husbands’ views of the current quality of relationships

with their own parents (positive and negative) are linked to their own and their partner’s

psychological well-being. Using a sample of 132 middle-aged couples from Wave 1 of the

Family Exchanges Study, we estimated actor–partner interdependence models to eva luate

these dyadic associations while controlling for each spouse’s marital satisfaction. Both

actor and partner effects were observed. With respect to actor effects, wives who reported

more negative relationship quality with their own parents had elevated depressive symp-

toms and lower life satisfaction. Husbands who reported more negative relationship qual-

ity with their own parents had lower life satisfaction. In terms of partner effects, husbands

had lower depressive symptoms and greater life satisfaction when wives reported more pos-

itive relationship quality with their own parents. Finally, the link between wives’ positive

ties with parents and husbands’ lower depressive symptoms was intensified when hus-

bands had less positive relationships with their own parents. Findings suggest tha t rela-

tionship quality with wives’ aging parents has implications for both spouses’ well-being

and may serve as a critical social resource for husbands.

Keywords: Intergenerational Relationships; Parent–Child Relationships; Relationship

Quality; Couples; Marriage; Midlife

Fam Proc 57:253–268, 2018

*Department of Psychiatry, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI.

†

Department of Human Development and Family Studies, The Pennsylvania State University, University

Park, PA.

‡

Institute for Social Research, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI.

Correspondence concerning this article should be addressed to Courtney A. Polenick, Department of

Psychiatry, University of Michigan, 2800 Plymouth Road, Building 16, Room 200S, Ann Arbor, MI 48109.

E-mail: cpolenic@med.umich.edu.

This study was supported by grants from the National Institute on Aging (NIA), R01AG027769, Family

Exchanges StudyII,Psychology of Intergenerational Transfers (KarenL. Fingerman, Principal investigator).

The MacArthur Network on an Aging Society (John W. Rowe, Network director) provided funds. This

research also wassupported by grant 5 R24 HD042849 awarded to thePopulation Research Center (PRC) at

The University of Texas at Austin by the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and

Human Development (NICHD). Courtney A. Polenick was supported by training grant T32 MH073553-11

(Stephen J. Bartels,Principal investigator)from the National Institute of MentalHealth (NIMH).

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Family Process, Vol. 57, No. 1, 2018 ©2016 Family Process Institute

doi: 10.1111/famp.12275

Relationships with one’s parents are linked to well-being across the life course (B irditt,

Miller, Fingerman, & Lefkowitz, 2009; Fingerman, Pitzer, Lefkowitz, Birditt, & Mroc-

zek, 2008; Polenick, DePasquale, Eggebeen, Zarit, & Fingerman, 2016; Umberson, 1992).

Parent–child relationships are among the most long-standing and emotionally intense

social ties and often involve complex positive and negative feelings (Fingerman, 2001).

Due to increased life expectancies, parent–child relationships can last well into and

beyond the offspring’s middle years. Remarkably, adult offspring’s perceptions of relation-

ship quality with parents continue to shape their well-being even after the parents’ death

(Shmotkin, 1999).

Ties with aging parents often intersect with the adult offspring’s marriage. Conse-

quently, the relationships that wives and husbands have with their parents at midlife are

embedded within both an individual-focused developmental context and a couple-focused

marital context. Ties with parents may therefore have implications for not only one’s own

well-being but also the well-being of one’s partner. Individual development unfolds in tan-

dem with spouses, parents, and other close family members through their “linked lives”

and shared experiences (Bengtson & Allen, 1993). Although the consequences of parent–

child relationships for well-being may be most apparent when offspring are young and still

forming patterns of social interaction, current ties with parents in adulthood may also

have meaningful implications for the well-being of individuals and their spouses (Pole-

nick, Seidel, Birditt, Zarit, & Fingerman, 2015; Polenick, Zarit, et al., 2016; Reczek, Liu,

& Umberson, 2010). Hence, as married couples develop together over time, they are

immersed in one another’s past and present family narrative that exerts dynamic and

enduring influences on the lives of both partners (Bowen, 1978).

Guided by developmental and family systems perspectives, this study examined dyadic

associations between middle-aged wives’ and husbands’ relationship quality with parents

and their depressive symptoms and life satisfaction. We simultaneously evaluated how

both spouses’ positive and negative feelings about their own parents were linked to their

own well-being and their partner’s well-being over and above each spouse’s marital satis-

faction, a well-established predictor of individual well-being (Robles, Slatcher, Trombello,

& McGinn, 2014).

One’s Own Relationship Quality with Parents and Well-Being

Intergenerational solidarity theory proposes that both positive and negative aspects of

relationships with parents contribute to adult offspring’s well-being (Bengtson, Giarrusso,

Mabry, & Silverstein, 2002). Supporting this perspective, research has shown that more

rewarding and supportive ties with parents are linked to better well-being, whereas strain

or tension in parent–child relationships is associated with poorer well-being (e.g., Bengt-

son et al., 2002; Fingerman et al., 2008; Umberson, 1992). Emotionally close and caring

relationships with parents likely serve as a critical social resource for middle-aged adults

that may enhance their well-being. Conversely, conflict within these ties may persist over

time and represent a chronic stressor that undermines well-being. These findings are con-

sistent with the wider literature on social ties and well-being (Rook, 2015), and indicate

that positive and negative feelings about parents are separate dimensions of these ties

that may have distinct implications for well-being.

One’s Partner’s Relationship Quality with Parents and Well-Being

Relationships with parents may be a source of support or strain in a marriage (Reczek

et al., 2010). According to family systems theory, relationships among adult offspring,

their parents, and their partners are triadic in nature (Bowen, 1978). As such, interactions

between one dyad (e.g., adult offspring and parent) have the potential to affect the third

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