How intergenerational estrangement matters for maternal and adult children's health

Objective

We compare maternal and adult child health outcomes across (1) estranged (i.e., no contact, or low contact and low quality), (2) socially positive (i.e., high quality, moderate to high contact), and (3) socially negative (i.e., high contact but low quality) maternal–adult child relationships.

Background

We develop intergenerational resource, crisis, and strain theories to test the link between socially positive, socially negative, and estranged maternal–adult child dynamics and the health of both generations.

Method

Regression models of National Longitudinal Survey of Youth (NLSY79 and NLSY79-CYA) data compare self-rated health and CES-D scores across maternal–adult child relationship types (N = 2609 mothers; 5590 children).

Results

Mothers with estranged ties report poorer health relative to those with socially positive ties. Mothers with socially negative ties report statistically similar health relative to mothers with either socially positive or estranged ties. The health of adult children with estrangement exposure is similar to those in socially negative ties, while adult children with socially negative ties have worse health relative to those in socially positive ties. Estranged adult children report worse self-rated health than those in socially positive ties, but adult children's mental health is not statistically different than those in socially positive ties. Family-level analyses incorporating siblings suggest that for mothers, an estranged/socially negative tie with any child is associated with worse self-rated health; for adult children, one's own maternal relationship is more consequential than the sibling context.

Conclusion

This study has implications for research and theory on the health cost of socially negative and estranged intergenerational ties.