Work

Intergenerational Relationships During the COVID-19 Pandemic: Challenges and Opportunities of Data Collection

Year: 2021

Type: article

Abstract: Family scholars experienced numerous unique challenges and opportunities when studying intergenerational relationships during the COVID-19 pandemic. In this presentation, we draw examples from the Within-Family Differences Study to highlight some of the ways in which respondents’ patterns of study participation, reports of their relationships with their late-life parents and their own young adult children, and their psychological well-being, subjective physical health, and health behaviors reflected the fluctuating waves of the pandemic. Among the patterns we discuss are systematic variations in the intensity of respondents’ answers to both open and closed-ended items, respondents’ expressions of concern regarding choosing the “right” answers to questions, and their attempts to negotiate their responses with interviewers. Our observations led us to conclude that measures family gerontologists use to capture many constructs central to the field are subject to different “meanings” by respondents in the face of disaster.

Source: Innovation in Aging

DOI: 10.1093/geroni/igab046.644

Authors: J Jill Suitor, Megan Gilligan

Institution: Iowa State University

Language: English

Topic: Intergenerational Family Dynamics and Caregiving

Subfield: Sociology and Political Science

Field: Social Sciences

Domain: Social Sciences

SDG: Good health and well-being

Open Access status: gold

Estimated APC paid: $3,493