by Judith A. Seltzer, Professor, Department of Sociology and California Center for Population Research, UCLA. seltzerj@ucla.edu
I believe that we need new U.S. data to answer the following questions: When do parents and adult children help each other? Why do they help? How do they help? And what difference do intergenerational ties make for individual family members?
by Ingrid Arnet Connidis, Ph.D., the University of Western Ontario
Occasionally a concept comes along that resonates with the research community. A recent example is the idea of ambivalence. Despite some reservations, an impressive array of studies has used ambivalence in creative and thoughtful ways to enhance our understanding of intergenerational relations.
by Marilyn Coleman, Ph.D. and Lawrence Ganong, Ph.D., University of Missouri
Most Americans agree that "adult children should take care of their parents when they get old." But suppose that your parents divorced when you were 10 years old and your mother moved far away. Would that affect how you would feel about helping her? Would that make a difference to you?
