The Interdependence of Relationships with Adult Children and Spouses

• Published date: 01 April 2016
• Author: Steven H. Zarit,Karen L. Fingerman,Michael J. Rovine,Jeong Eun Lee,Kira Birditt
• Date: 01 April 2016
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.1111/fare.12188

J E L, S H. Z,  M J. R The Pennsylvania State University∗

K B University of Michigan∗∗

K L. F University of Texas at Austin∗∗∗

The Interdependence of Relationships with Adult

Children and Spouses

Researchers have documented the interrelated-

ness of parent–child and marital relationships

during the early parenting years, but little is

known about how these two family subsystems

are associated once children reach adulthood.

The authors of the current study addressed

this gap by examining parents’ relationships

with their adult children and their marital

satisfaction using an actor–partner interde-

pendence model. Participants included 197

married other-sex couples (N=394 individu-

als; range: 40–69 years of age) who had a child

over age 18 years. A spillover effect was found

among fathers, indicating that parent–child

relationship quality was positively associated

with marital satisfaction, but the same was not

found for mothers. Interestingly, a negative

crossover effect was also found, meaning that

more negative relationship quality between

1225 Theater Drive,Human Development Center, Kent State

University,Kent, OH 44240 (jlee118@kent.edu).

∗Department of Human Development and Family Studies,

The Pennsylvania State University, 119 Health and Human

Development Building, University Park, PA 16802.

∗∗Institute for Social Research, University of Michigan, P.O.

Box 1248, 426 Thompson St., Ann Arbor, MI 48106–1248.

∗∗∗Department of Human Development and Family Science,

School of Human Ecology, Universityof Texas, 200 W 24th

St., Stop A2700, Austin, TX 78712–1247.

Key Words: adult children, family systems, marital satisfac-

tion, parent–child relationships.

mothers and their adult children was asso-

ciated with lower marital satisfaction on the

part of the father. These ndings suggest that

the interdependence between parent–child and

marital relationships persist once childrenreach

adulthood.

Notable shifts in life expectancy over the past

century have brought many changes in family

ties, including longer parent–child and marital

relationships. Enduring family ties are character-

ized by new expectations and potential sources

of support as well as conicts among family

members (Clarke, Preston, Raksin, & Bengtson,

1999; Fingerman, 1996; Shaw,Krause, Chatters,

Connell, & Ingersoll-Dayton, 2004). These rela-

tionships are not static features of individuals’

lives; instead, they change over time, as individ-

uals age and as they face challenges through-

out life (Umberson & Reczek, 2007). Indeed,

life course perspectives emphasize the impor-

tance of linked lives, including that relation-

ships with children interact with and inuence

the relationship between parents as they age

(Elder, Johnson, & Crosnoe, 2003). This has led

researchers to examine the interrelatedness of

parent–child and spousal relationships.

Research on family relationships in adult-

hood highlights their importance for individual

well-being. Studies of marital relationships have

consistently found that a satisfying marriage is

associated with well-being and successful aging

342 Family Relations 65 (April 2016): 342–353

DOI:10.1111/fare.12188