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Est modus in rebus: a longitudinal study of intergenerational solidarity and Locus of Control

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  10 March 2014

VALERIA BORDONE
VALERIA BORDONE*
Affiliation:
Wittgenstein Centre for Demography and Global Human Capital (IIASA, VID/ÖAW, WU), International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis.
*
Address for correspondence: Valeria Bordone, World Population Program, International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis, Schlossplatz, 1 - 2361 Laxenburg, Austria. E-mail: bordone@iiasa.ac.at
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Abstract

This study challenges the persistent assumption behind research on intergenerational relationships, wondering: ‘can there be too much of a good thing’? The guiding hypothesis states that intergenerational solidarity, although beneficial for older parents' wellbeing at moderate levels, may be negatively associated with their individual sense of control at high levels. In contrast to previous studies, fixed-effects regression models on panel data from the English Longitudinal Study of Ageing control for selection in solidarity and changes in health. The analysis of 4,811 women and 3,847 men above the age of 50 also accounts for intergenerational conflict. Using multiple dimensions of intergenerational solidarity, our findings offer insight into the different roles of the various types of solidarity and can aid the design of formal and informal social support interventions.

Keywords

ageingintergenerational solidarityLocus of Controllongitudinal analysiswithin-person estimation
Type
Articles
Information
Ageing & Society , Volume 35 , Issue 6 , July 2015 , pp. 1242 - 1277
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2014 

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