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. 2008 Feb 13;5(1):31-45.
doi: 10.1007/s10433-008-0074-8. eCollection 2008 Mar.

Children's impact on the mental health of their older mothers and fathers: findings from the Survey of Health, Ageing and Retirement in Europe

Isabella Buber  1 , Henriette Engelhardt  2
Affiliations

Children's impact on the mental health of their older mothers and fathers: findings from the Survey of Health, Ageing and Retirement in Europe

Isabella Buber et al. Eur J Ageing. .

Abstract

The relation between social support and mental health has been thoroughly researched and structural characteristics of the social network have been widely recognised as being an important component of social support. The aim of this paper is to clarify the association between children and depressive mood states of their older parents. Based on international comparative data from the Survey of Health, Ageing and Retirement in Europe we analysed how the number of children, their proximity and the frequency of contact between older parents and their children are associated with the mental health of older people, using the EURO-D index. Our results indicate a positive association of children and depressive mood since childless men and women report more depressive symptoms. Moreover, few contacts with children were associated with an increased number of depressive symptoms. The family status was related to mental health as well: older men and women living with a spouse or partner had the lowest levels of depression. Interestingly, the presence of a spouse or partner was more relevant for the mental health of older people than the presence of, or contact with, their children.

Keywords: Children; EURO-D; Mental health; Older mothers and fathers; SHARE.

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Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
a Distribution of number of depressive symptoms among women. Source SHARE, women aged 60 and older who are not in the labour force, weighted sample. Note sorted in ascending order according to the percentages of “not depressed”, i.e., EUROD 0 to 3. b Distribution of number of depressive symptoms among men. Source SHARE Release 2.0.1, men aged 60 and older who are not in the labour force, weighted sample. Note sorted in ascending order according to the percentages of “not depressed”, i.e., EUROD 0–3
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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