Work

"did I Ask for Your Advice?”: Effects of Advice From Parents on Adult Children's Depressive Symptoms

Year: 2022

Type: conference-abstract

Abstract: Studies of intergenerational relations typically conceptualize advice as a positive dimension of exchanges between parents and adult children. In contrast, we suggest that advice may often be a source of interpersonal stress and thus have detrimental effects on psychological well-being. Further, we suggest that these effects vary by race and gender. To address these questions, we use data from 725 adult children regarding advice from mothers, collected as part of the Within-Family Differences Study. Multilevel regression analyses revealed that the impact of receiving advice varied by the combination of gender and race. Among sons, receiving advice predicted higher depressive symptoms, regardless of race. However, receiving advice predicted depressive symptoms among Black but not White daughters. Taken together, these findings question whether advice is a positive dimension of intergenerational interaction and suggest that mothers’ advice may have a negative impact on adult children’s depressive symptoms, particularly for sons and Black daughters.

Source: Innovation in Aging

DOI: 10.1093/geroni/igac059.152

Authors: J Jill Suitor, Megan Gilligan, Robert Frase, Catherine Stepniak

Institutions: Purdue University West Lafayette, Iowa State University

Language: English

Topic: Intergenerational Family Dynamics and Caregiving

Subfield: Sociology and Political Science

Field: Social Sciences

Domain: Social Sciences

SDGs: Good health and well-being, Reduced inequalities

Open Access status: gold

Estimated APC paid: $3,615