TY - JOUR

T1 - Declines in Health and Support Between Parents and Adult Children

T2 - Insights from Diabetes

AU - Cunningham, Solveig A.

AU - Beckles, Gloria L.

AU - Nielsen, Jannie

PY - 2022

Y1 - 2022

N2 - We investigate associations between a diabetes diagnosis and financial and instrumental transfers between parents and adult children. Data are from the Panel Study of Income Dynamics, a nationally representative household cohort from the USA with prospective data on diabetes and cross-sectional data on transfers for households in which the head and partner had adult children (n = 4210) or surviving parents (n = 6930). We used survey-adjusted multivariate logistic regressions to compare the probabilities of receiving and giving intergenerational transfers in households where the head and/or partner were recently diagnosed with diabetes or had diabetes-related limitations in daily activities. Households with a diabetes diagnosis in the previous 2 years were less likely than those without diabetes to give money to adult children (OR = 0.46, p < 0.01). While recent onset of diabetes was not consistently associated with receiving transfers, transfers were more likely with progressing disease: households in which the head or partner had been diagnose more than 5 years earlier were more likely to receive instrumental help from an adult child (OR = 1.24; p < 0.05); those with diabetes-related limitations were more likely to receive assistance, especially instrumental help from adult children (OR = 1.43; p < 0.01) than households without diabetes. The onset of a chronic health condition affects not only individuals' own health and financial wellbeing; it also has implications for their adult children and parents, for family relations, time allocation, and financial resources. These broader implications of chronic disease may perpetuate health and economic inequalities across generations.

AB - We investigate associations between a diabetes diagnosis and financial and instrumental transfers between parents and adult children. Data are from the Panel Study of Income Dynamics, a nationally representative household cohort from the USA with prospective data on diabetes and cross-sectional data on transfers for households in which the head and partner had adult children (n = 4210) or surviving parents (n = 6930). We used survey-adjusted multivariate logistic regressions to compare the probabilities of receiving and giving intergenerational transfers in households where the head and/or partner were recently diagnosed with diabetes or had diabetes-related limitations in daily activities. Households with a diabetes diagnosis in the previous 2 years were less likely than those without diabetes to give money to adult children (OR = 0.46, p < 0.01). While recent onset of diabetes was not consistently associated with receiving transfers, transfers were more likely with progressing disease: households in which the head or partner had been diagnose more than 5 years earlier were more likely to receive instrumental help from an adult child (OR = 1.24; p < 0.05); those with diabetes-related limitations were more likely to receive assistance, especially instrumental help from adult children (OR = 1.43; p < 0.01) than households without diabetes. The onset of a chronic health condition affects not only individuals' own health and financial wellbeing; it also has implications for their adult children and parents, for family relations, time allocation, and financial resources. These broader implications of chronic disease may perpetuate health and economic inequalities across generations.

KW - Transfer

KW - Intergenerational support

KW - Diabetes

KW - Chronic disease

KW - Parents

KW - Adult children

KW - Aging

KW - INTERGENERATIONAL SUPPORT

KW - DEPRESSIVE SYMPTOMS

KW - UNITED-STATES

KW - TRANSFERS

KW - RECIPROCITY

KW - DAUGHTERS

KW - WIDOWHOOD

KW - MOTHERS

KW - GENDER

KW - TRENDS

U2 - 10.1007/s11113-022-09708-4

DO - 10.1007/s11113-022-09708-4

M3 - Journal article

VL - 41

SP - 1699

EP - 1723

JO - Population Research and Policy Review

JF - Population Research and Policy Review

SN - 0167-5923

ER -