I-Fen Lin (PI)
Divorce, Intergenerational Solidarity, and Perceived Support.
Center for Demography of Health and Aging, University of
Wisconsin-Madison. Wisconsin Longitudinal Study Pilot Grant Program.


The aim of the study is twofold: to examine the consequences of divorce and remarriage for older parents' perceptions of potential support from their adult children in times of need and to understand the mechanism through which divorce/remarriage may affect parental perceptions of support availability. Because divorce and remarriage are likely to have different impacts on mother-child and father-child relationships, gender differences are the focus of the proposed study. Specifically, three research questions will be addressed:

Question 1. Is divorce negatively associated with older parents' perceptions of potential support from their adult children? Does the association differ between older women and older men?

Question 2. Does remarriage ameliorate the negative association between divorce and older parents' perceptions of potential support from their adult children? Does the impact differ between older women and older men?

Question 3. What is the mechanism that links divorce/remarriage and older parents' perceptions of potential support from their adult children? Does the mechanism differ between older women and older men?

PRESENTATION :
Lin, I-Fen. “Divorce, Intergenerational Solidarity, and Perceived Support.” Paper presented at the annual meeting of the Population Association of America, New York, New York,  March 29-31, 2007.