Dataset Information

Depression in Later Life: The Role of Adult Children's College Education for Older Parents' Mental Health in the United States.

ABSTRACT:

Objectives

Research on the socioeconomic gradient in mental health links disadvantaged family background with subsequent symptoms of depression, demonstrating the "downstream" effect of parental resources on children's mental health. This study takes a different approach by evaluating the "upstream" influence of adult children's educational attainment on parents' depressive symptoms.

Methods

Using longitudinal data from the U.S. Health and Retirement Study (N = 106,517 person-years), we examine whether children's college attainment influences their parents' mental health in later life and whether this association increases with parental age. We also assess whether the link between children's college completion and parents' depression differs by parents' own education.

Results

Parents with children who completed college have significantly lower levels of depressive symptoms than parents without college-educated children, although the gap between parents narrows with age. In addition, at baseline, parents with less than a high school education were more positively affected by their children's college completion than parents who themselves had a college education, a finding which lends support to theories of resource substitution.

Discussion

Offspring education is an overlooked resource that can contribute to mental health disparities among older adults in a country with unequal access to college educations.

SUBMITTER: Yahirun JJ

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7530494 | biostudies-literature | 2020 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Publications

Depression in Later Life: The Role of Adult Children's College Education for Older Parents' Mental Health in the United States.

Yahirun Jenjira J JJ Sheehan Connor M CM Mossakowski Krysia N KN

The journals of gerontology. Series B, Psychological sciences and social sciences 20200101 2

<h4>Objectives</h4>Research on the socioeconomic gradient in mental health links disadvantaged family background with subsequent symptoms of depression, demonstrating the "downstream" effect of parental resources on children's mental health. This study takes a different approach by evaluating the "upstream" influence of adult children's educational attainment on parents' depressive symptoms.<h4>Methods</h4>Using longitudinal data from the U.S. Health and Retirement Study (N = 106,517 person-year ...[more]

PMID: 30412237

Similar Datasets

Project description:BackgroundDespite the importance of family and parent-focused practice, there has been a dearth of research on interventions for parents with mental illness. This paper describes the process and outcome of adapting an evidence-based intervention, Let's Talk about Children (LTC), in the context of adult mental health services in Massachusetts, United States.MethodsSpecific objectives included: (1) to specify the core components, functions, and principles of LTC essential to adapting the intervention (i.e., program theory), (2) to consider contextual factors related to the new setting; (3) to pre-test the adapted materials with diverse practitioners; and (4) to compile the program model and materials (i.e., the practice profile) for use by adult mental health service providers in Massachusetts. The Adaptation Team included individuals with expertise in psychiatric rehabilitation and clinical care, policymaking, program development and research, and parents. Activities occurred between 2015-2019 and included: (1) consulting with experts to specify the core elements and theory behind the selected intervention (i.e., with the LTC purveyor and international experts); (2) consulting with key stakeholders for input regarding the Massachusetts target population and context to inform adaptations (i.e., individual and group key informant interview sessions); (3) pretesting the initial adapted materials (i.e., training and coaching sessions with adult mental health practitioners); and (4) using feedback to refine and compile the final intervention manual (i.e., the ParentingWell Practice Profile). Participants reflected diverse, oftentimes multiple roles and perspectives, including those of parents with mental illness, adult children, and family members.ResultsParentingWell is practitioner- and setting-agnostic, addresses parenting across the lifespan, fits into the routine workflow, and builds on practitioners' existing skills. Eight themes emerged, which were translated into four core elements (engage, explore, plan, access and advocate) consistent with Self-Determination Theory and four underlying principles (trauma-informed, strengths-based, family-focused, culturally sensitive) in keeping with the LTC model. The ParentingWell Practice Profile operationalizes each core element and addresses the underlying principles.ConclusionParentingWell makes talking about parenting and family experiences a routine part of the therapeutic conversation with adults with mental illness. Future research will test the adaptation, implementation, and impact of ParentingWell.

Dataset Information

Depression in Later Life: The Role of Adult Children's College Education for Older Parents' Mental Health in the United States.

Objectives

Methods

Results

Discussion

Publications

Depression in Later Life: The Role of Adult Children's College Education for Older Parents' Mental Health in the United States.

Similar Datasets

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