Adult Children’s Divorce and Depressive Symptoms in Older Koreans: The Moderating Effect of Gender
2024

Impact of Adult Children's Divorce on Older Parents' Depression

Sample size: 1254 publication Evidence: moderate

Author Information

Author(s): Kim Taeeun, Lee Seolah, Lee Hyo Jung

Primary Institution: Yonsei University

Hypothesis

How is adult children's divorce associated with older parents' depressive symptoms in South Korea, and does parents' gender moderate this association?

Conclusion

Adult children's divorce negatively impacts older parents' depressive symptoms, particularly among older mothers.

Supporting Evidence

  • Parents with divorced children showed significantly higher levels of depressive symptoms over time compared to those with only married children.
  • Older mothers with divorced children reported higher depressive symptoms than those with only married children.
  • No significant effects were found for older fathers.

Takeaway

When adult children get divorced, their older parents can feel sadder, especially older moms.

Methodology

The study used mixed ANOVA, hierarchical regression analyses, and Process Macro model 1 on data from the Korean Longitudinal Study of Aging.

Participant Demographics

Parents aged 65 and over from South Korea.

Statistical Information

Statistical Significance

p<0.05

Digital Object Identifier (DOI)

10.1093/geroni/igae098.2724

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