Retirement transition is a major life event in later adult life. Its timing is important for older individuals for economic, personal and family reasons, as well as for aging societies contemplating a comprehensive plan for population changes, including sustainability of the labor force, pension system, and welfare services such as eldercare. This thesis explores retirement timing in contemporary Sweden, which serves as an interesting case study because of its aging population, high labor force participation of men and women, universal pension system and generous welfare services. The overarching aim of the thesis is to investigate how relationships in the private sphere associate with retirement timing by focusing on leisure engagement, family relations and intergenerational ties. The thesis consists of an introductory chapter and four empirical studies. The purpose of the introductory chapter is to place the four studies in context by focusing on the Swedish population structure, labor force participation and pension system and by highlighting some of the central theories and empirical findings related to retirement transition. Study I addresses leisure engagement before retirement and retirement timing, and how engagement in leisure changes after retirement. The study finds that retirement timing varies by both the type of preretirement activity domain and the level of engagement. For instance, occasional or frequent engagement in dance and music postponed retirement compared to no engagement in these activities. The study also finds that patterns of leisure engagement after transition into retirement tend to be a continuation of the corresponding preretirement patterns. Study II investigates the association between grandparenthood and retirement timing. The results show that grandparents at different life stages are more likely to retire compared to non-grandparents, but there is also variation among grandparents, and the more complex the family situation, the more likely grandparents are to retire. In Study III, the focus shifts to the relationship between survival of elderly parents and retirement timing. The study finds that parental survival is positively linked to retirement timing and that the effects are stronger and more consistent for women thanfor men, in particular when only one parent is still alive. Additionally, women have a higher propensity of retiring in the immediate period after parental death, especially when the father is widowed. In contrast, men have a higher propensity of retiring when either the mother or father has been widowed for some years. Study IV examines married couples’ propensity to coordinate retirement. The study finds that the likelihood that spouses will coordinate their retirement decreases as their age difference increases but that age differences have a similar effect on retirement coordination for couples with a larger age difference. The study also finds that coordination is largely gender neutral in opposite-sex couples with age differences, regardless of whether the male is the older spouse. The thesis shows that, compared to wealth or health predictors of retirement, factors concerning the private sphere are also most relevant in non-trivial ways to large shares of retirees in Sweden. Increased knowledge of these relationships is important both for individuals’ retirement planning and for decision-makers’ and policy-makers’ planning and organization. / <p>At the time of the doctoral defense, the following papers were unpublished and had a status as follows: Paper 3: Manuscript. Paper 4: Manuscript.</p>

Globalisation is increasing and influences the families that emigrate as well as those that stay behind. In South Africa the left behind aged parents of adult children who emigrated experience a sense of helplessness as they feel that they have raised children who abandoned them when they relocated to other parts of the world due to push and pull factors. They also feel that they are missing the experiences of being part of their grandchildren’s lives. Emigration of adult children disrupts the normal functioning of the family for the emigrants as well as those left behind. The reciprocal caring becomes difficult and complicated. The aim of the study was to explore and describe reciprocal transnational caring as it was experienced by aged parents in a selected retirement village in South Africa and their emigrated children. Descriptive phenomenological research was done where scheduled interviews were used with informed consent to obtain data from the 23 selected participants in a retirement village and their emigrated children abroad. Interviews were carefully recorded and transcribed where after the gathered data was used to identify the essence and supporting constituents of the phenomenon. The essence and constituents were thoroughly described and a literature study was done of existing material to integrate the findings of the phenomenon. The findings revealed the essence as “We do love and care, but we can’t touch and hug”, and the supporting constituents: “We are as involved as we can”, “We live a dual life”, “The grandchildren outgrow the grandparents”, “Technology makes it much easier”, “They have a future as ‘world citizens’” and “Financially we are independent” were identified. / Dissertation (MCur)--University of Pretoria, 2018. / Nursing Science / MCur / Unrestricted

This study examined the effects of Systematic Training for Effective Parenting (STEP) on affection, communication, and relationship between elderly parents and their assisting adult children. Twenty-eight pairs of parents and children were randomly assigned to treatment or control groups. Subjects took Quinn's Family Life Questionnaire as pre-, post-, and follow-up tests. Parents and children in the treatment groups attended a four-session STEP workshop. No significant differences were found on the 2 x 2 analysis of variance for repeated measures for the parents or adult children. Quinn's affection and relationship variables approached significance for the parents over time. His variable affection approached significance for the children over time, irrespective of group. Agreement approached significance for children in the treatment group. The results for the parents regarding affection suggest that the study may have emphasized their feelings of trust. Although the data for relationship approached significance, it was negative, indicating that parents in the treatment group may have reduced their interaction with their assisting children perhaps because they were learning new communication skills. The data for the children regarding affection approached significance, but it was negative, suggesting they felt free to question their feelings about themselves and their parents. The results for children in the treatment group regarding agreement may suggest that the study increased their awareness of areas of agreement with their parents. When the data for parents and children were compared, communication approached significance for the parents; that is, they felt more comfortable with their communication with their children than did their children. The variables affection and perception showed significance. The elderly parents perceived their relationship with their children more positively than did their children. Absence of statistically significant data may be explained because Quinn's Family Life Questionnaire was not sensitive enough. Analysis of covariance might have identified significant findings. Increasing the number of participants and informing them of the purpose of the study might also affect a repeated study.

This study explored the extent of triangulation between elderly people and their adult children, and examines the relationship of triangulation with marital and individual outcomes such as problem solving, negative affective communication, time spent together, intimacy, depression, and marital satisfaction. Triangulation between adult children and elderly parents was found to be strongly related with negative outcomes for elderly parents in each of the dependent variables.

No description available.

Cette thèse s’intéresse aux parents âgés et à l’implication de leurs enfants adultes lorsque le besoin d’aide se fait sentir. Plus précisément, il s’agit ici de comprendre la signification que les enfants adultes attribuent à ce qu’ils considèrent comme un besoin d’aide de la part de leur parent âgé. Elle s’inscrit à la croisée de trois champs sociologiques : le vieillissement, les relations et solidarités familiales, les aides aux personnes âgées dépendantes. La démarche a consisté, d’une part, à repérer dans le récit que nous livrent des enfants adultes à propos de leurs parents, les significations accordées de part et d’autre à ce qui peut apparaître, ou non, comme un besoin d’aide ; d’autre part, à approfondir la réflexion sur l’évolution complexe du lien entre les parents âgés et leurs enfants, dès lors que la frontière entre ce que l’on appelle « autonomie » et « dépendance » apparaît éminemment subjective. Trois questions spécifiques sont posées. Premièrement, comment les enfants conçoivent-ils l’autonomie de leur parent ? Comment parlent-ils de cette autonomie ? Deuxièmement, en quoi les types d’aide apportés aux parents considérés comme « autonomes » diffèrent-ils de ceux apportés aux parents considérés « en perte d’autonomie » ? Troisièmement, dans quelle mesure la proximité résidentielle entre les parents âgés et leurs enfants répond-elle à un type de besoin spécifique et/ou traduit-elle un type de lien particulier entre ceux-ci ? La méthodologie privilégiée est celle de l’analyse de discours. Les résultats mettent en évidence trois éléments. Premièrement, le caractère éminemment subjectif des notions d’aide et de besoin d’aide, lorsqu’ils s’inscrivent dans une relation parent âgé / enfant adulte, en particulier dès que ce parent âgé apparaît comme étant potentiellement en perte d’autonomie. Deuxièmement, la grande plasticité de cette notion d’autonomie que l’on invoque, ou non, lorsqu’il est question d’apporter de l’aide au parent âgé : on n’aide pas forcément moins un parent considéré comme autonome qu’un autre étiqueté comme étant en perte d’autonomie. Troisièmement, l’imbrication étroite des statuts de fils/filles d’une part, et d’aidant(e), d’autre part, faisant en sorte qu’il est difficile de démêler les différents ordres de motivation qui interviennent tant dans les discours que dans les pratiques d’adultes « aidant » leur parent âgé. / This thesis studies elderly parents and the involvement of their adult children whenever help is needed. More precisely, the goal has been to understand the signification attributed, by the adult children, to what they consider to be a need of their parents. The study stands at the crossroads of three sociological fields: aging, family relationship and family solidarity, and care provided to the dependent elderly. The process consisted in extracting from the children’s discourse, the diversity of significations attributed to the sense of need, on both parts. Also, the complex evolution of the bond between the elderly parents and their children will be questioned, for it is hard to clearly distinguish autonomy from dependence. Three specific questions will be asked. Firstly, how do children perceive the autonomy of their parents? How do they express their point of view? Secondly, to what extent is the care brought to «autonomous» parents differing from that brought to parents with «decreasing autonomy»? Lastly, in what measure does residential proximity play a role; does it respond to a specific need and/or does it demonstrate a specific type of relationship? The methodology employed in this study consisted in discourse analysis. The results shed light on three elements. Firstly, the eminently subjective understandings of the notion of help/need, when having to care about elderly parents, especially when they are losing autonomy. Secondly, the great plasticity of the notion of parental autonomy, spoken or not, in the case that care need be offered to one's parents: more care is not necessarily brought to more dependent parents. Thirdly, the major implications of the double status of child and carer make it complicated to bring out the numerous motivations that intervene when a child decides to help.

With a background in the ageing of the population and the new challenges facing individuals, families and the welfare state, the aim of this thesis is to analyse the changing family landscape and the geographical distances between elderly parents and adult children. The thesis consists of four empirical studies derived from three different sources of data: In the first paper (Paper I), historical population data is combined with modern register data for two Swedish regions. In the second and third papers, individual-level register data covering the entire Swedish population serves as the empirical starting point. The fourth paper leaves the registers aside and builds upon interviews. Paper I provides an introduction and historical background to the question of intergenerational geographical proximity and distance. The paper analyses intergenerational distances and seeks to compare and discuss the significance of the variations. It is shown that concerning extreme proximity a great decrease has occurred over 200 years, however when it comes to having kin within reach the decrease is less dramatic, and that now, just as then, a majority of elderly parents have an adult child within reach. The article concludes that even though geographical distances between generations vary over time and space, no clear linear trend towards intergenerational geographical separation can be established. In Paper II we analyse some features and trends in intergenerational distances in Sweden. We find that 10% of all elderly parents have at least one child living very close and that a majority, 85%, have an adult child within reach. The study shows no clear trend towards increasing intergenerational separation, but suggests that periods of intense societal restructuring, such urbanisation, can lead to spells of increased intergenerational separation on an aggregated level. Paper III investigates whether, and to what extent, elderly parents and adult children move close to each other. We find that even though the older generation makes up a smaller share of the moves made, when they do move they are more likely to move closer to an adult child. Further, having more than one relative at a destination adds to the attraction, and that older elderly are less likely to move close to a child than younger elderly. One interpretation is that young-old parents serve as a resource for their adult children, while older elderly are more influenced by the need for welfare state based assistance. The last paper, IV, returns to the elderly parents living very close to an adult child. In interviews with 14 elderly the aim of the paper is to gain new understanding about the interaction between intergenerational proximity, assistance and the meaning of being close. Some of the issues raised in the paper relate to migration histories, reciprocity and independence. / I två av delarbetena har författaren efternamnet Pettersson.

Cette thèse s’intéresse aux parents âgés et à l’implication de leurs enfants adultes lorsque le besoin d’aide se fait sentir. Plus précisément, il s’agit ici de comprendre la signification que les enfants adultes attribuent à ce qu’ils considèrent comme un besoin d’aide de la part de leur parent âgé. Elle s’inscrit à la croisée de trois champs sociologiques : le vieillissement, les relations et solidarités familiales, les aides aux personnes âgées dépendantes. La démarche a consisté, d’une part, à repérer dans le récit que nous livrent des enfants adultes à propos de leurs parents, les significations accordées de part et d’autre à ce qui peut apparaître, ou non, comme un besoin d’aide ; d’autre part, à approfondir la réflexion sur l’évolution complexe du lien entre les parents âgés et leurs enfants, dès lors que la frontière entre ce que l’on appelle « autonomie » et « dépendance » apparaît éminemment subjective. Trois questions spécifiques sont posées. Premièrement, comment les enfants conçoivent-ils l’autonomie de leur parent ? Comment parlent-ils de cette autonomie ? Deuxièmement, en quoi les types d’aide apportés aux parents considérés comme « autonomes » diffèrent-ils de ceux apportés aux parents considérés « en perte d’autonomie » ? Troisièmement, dans quelle mesure la proximité résidentielle entre les parents âgés et leurs enfants répond-elle à un type de besoin spécifique et/ou traduit-elle un type de lien particulier entre ceux-ci ? La méthodologie privilégiée est celle de l’analyse de discours. Les résultats mettent en évidence trois éléments. Premièrement, le caractère éminemment subjectif des notions d’aide et de besoin d’aide, lorsqu’ils s’inscrivent dans une relation parent âgé / enfant adulte, en particulier dès que ce parent âgé apparaît comme étant potentiellement en perte d’autonomie. Deuxièmement, la grande plasticité de cette notion d’autonomie que l’on invoque, ou non, lorsqu’il est question d’apporter de l’aide au parent âgé : on n’aide pas forcément moins un parent considéré comme autonome qu’un autre étiqueté comme étant en perte d’autonomie. Troisièmement, l’imbrication étroite des statuts de fils/filles d’une part, et d’aidant(e), d’autre part, faisant en sorte qu’il est difficile de démêler les différents ordres de motivation qui interviennent tant dans les discours que dans les pratiques d’adultes « aidant » leur parent âgé. / This thesis studies elderly parents and the involvement of their adult children whenever help is needed. More precisely, the goal has been to understand the signification attributed, by the adult children, to what they consider to be a need of their parents. The study stands at the crossroads of three sociological fields: aging, family relationship and family solidarity, and care provided to the dependent elderly. The process consisted in extracting from the children’s discourse, the diversity of significations attributed to the sense of need, on both parts. Also, the complex evolution of the bond between the elderly parents and their children will be questioned, for it is hard to clearly distinguish autonomy from dependence. Three specific questions will be asked. Firstly, how do children perceive the autonomy of their parents? How do they express their point of view? Secondly, to what extent is the care brought to «autonomous» parents differing from that brought to parents with «decreasing autonomy»? Lastly, in what measure does residential proximity play a role; does it respond to a specific need and/or does it demonstrate a specific type of relationship? The methodology employed in this study consisted in discourse analysis. The results shed light on three elements. Firstly, the eminently subjective understandings of the notion of help/need, when having to care about elderly parents, especially when they are losing autonomy. Secondly, the great plasticity of the notion of parental autonomy, spoken or not, in the case that care need be offered to one's parents: more care is not necessarily brought to more dependent parents. Thirdly, the major implications of the double status of child and carer make it complicated to bring out the numerous motivations that intervene when a child decides to help.

The family roles and responsibilities are still allocated along the gender lines. Women assume primary child care and household roles despite working fulltime. They suffer from work-family conflict as they battle with these competing demands. A phenomenological approach was adopted for this study. The existing literature was used in defining work-family conflict, looking at different work-family theories; development of gendered defined roles, motherhood and demands brought on by women working fulltime. The semi-structured interview was used for data collection. The themes which emerged showed that women experience strong emotions associated with raising children whilst working. There is compromise on quality time dedicated in each role. Women assume sole custodian over their children’s upbringing. Women enter into a second shift after work. Having a career and children, is made easier through adoption of strong coping strategies and mechanisms. The conclusions and recommendations were made for future a research and organisational practices. / Industrial and Organisational Psychology / Thesis (M.A. (Industrial and Organisational Psycology))

The family roles and responsibilities are still allocated along the gender lines. Women assume primary child care and household roles despite working fulltime. They suffer from work-family conflict as they battle with these competing demands. A phenomenological approach was adopted for this study. The existing literature was used in defining work-family conflict, looking at different work-family theories; development of gendered defined roles, motherhood and demands brought on by women working fulltime. The semi-structured interview was used for data collection. The themes which emerged showed that women experience strong emotions associated with raising children whilst working. There is compromise on quality time dedicated in each role. Women assume sole custodian over their children’s upbringing. Women enter into a second shift after work. Having a career and children, is made easier through adoption of strong coping strategies and mechanisms. The conclusions and recommendations were made for future a research and organisational practices. / Industrial and Organisational Psychology / Thesis (M.A. (Industrial and Organisational Psycology))