• Journal of Family Relations
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• v.21 no.1
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• pp.123-141
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• 2016

Objective: This study examined correlates of residential proximity between parents and non-coresident married children. A majority of existing studies on intergenerational living arrangement has focused on exploring factors that are associated with intergenerational coresidence only, despite an increasing number of parents and children who do not live together but close by. Because residential proximity facilitates frequent contacts and support exchanges between the two generations, it is important to understand its correlates. Method: The data were drawn from first wave of the Korean Longitudinal Study of Ageing (KLoSA, 2006), a nationally representative sample of adults 45 years or older and their spouses. The analytic sample consisted of 3,950 parents with 10,946 non-coresident married children. Both regression with robust standard errors and sibling fixed effects regression models were estimated using the reg and xtreg procedures in STATA. Results: Younger, less depressed, and more physically impaired parents lived closer to at least one of their married children (within a 30-minute distance by public transportation). Fathers (compared to mothers), parents living in cities (compared to those living in rural areas), parents with at least one co-resident child or fewer numbers of married children tended to have at least one married child living nearby. With regard to child characteristics, married children who were less educated, homeowners, and had more children lived closer to their parents. Also, sons (compared to daughters) lived in closer distance to their parents. Conclusion: Overall, findings suggest that intergenerational residential proximity may primarily be motivated by the childcare needs of married children or parents' needs for assistance with functional impairment. Also, the traditional patrilineal norms of intergenerational support may still be a critical factor in residential decisions as observed in the difference between married sons and daughters in proximity to their parents.

• Journal of Families and Better Life
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• v.34 no.6
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• pp.69-85
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• 2016

This study examined bidirectional associations between intergenerational residential proximity and older parents' mental and physical health. The data were drawn from first three waves of the Korean Longitudinal Study of Ageing (KLoSA, 2006, 2008, 2010), a nationally representative sample of adults 45 years or older and their spouses. The analytic sample consisted of 2,391 parents aged 60 years or older with at least one child who were continuously married between 2006 and 2010. Intergenerational residential proximity was measured with travel time between parental residence and that of the oldest of the continuously married children. For statistical analysis, autoregressive cross-lagged models were estimated using AMOS. Findings suggest that intergenerational residential proximity may have bidirectional associations with functional health, and an unidirectional association with life satisfaction. Specifically, a closer distance to a married son or daughter reported in 2006 was associated with poorer functional health of the parent in 2008. An older parent's greater number of functional limitations in 2006 was also related to a closer residential proximity to the married child in 2008. A greater residential proximity to a son, but not a daughter, reported in 2006 was associated with a higher level of parental life satisfaction in 2008. Overall, results suggest that having nearby a married adult child, particularly a married son, may help maintain parental health.

• Journal of Family Relations
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• v.21 no.2
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• pp.129-147
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• 2016

Objective: This study examined the role of siblings with respect to living arrangements between married children and their parents. Previous studies have rarely considered the possibility that family context such as siblings may be associated with intergenerational residential proximity. Method: Using data from first wave of the Korean Longitudinal Study of Ageing (2006), I investigated if, among married children, their sibling characteristics may be associated with the probability of their coresiding with the parent(s), living nearby (within a 30-minute distance from parent(s) by public transportation), or living further away. Specifically, the total numbers of sisters and brothers, the numbers of siblings coresiding with the parent(s) and living nearby, their relative position in the sibling network (first-born son, later-born son, first-born daughter, later-born daughter), and sibship existence and gender configurations (only child, son with brother(s) only, son with sister(s) only, son with both brother(s) and sister(s), daughter with brother(s) only, daughter with sister(s) only, daughter with both brother(s) and sister(s)) were evaluated in the study. For data analysis, multinomial logit models with robust standard errors were estimated using the Stata mlogit procedure. Results: Results suggest that the probability of a married child living together with the parent(s), relative to living close by, was significantly higher the more sisters he or she has. Being a son, especially first-born son, was associated with a higher probability of intergenerational coresidence compared to near residence, respectively. Also, the numbers of siblings coresiding with the parent(s) and living in close proximity were linked to a higher risk of intergenerational coresidence and near residence. Supplementary analyses revealed that the last finding was held over and above the total number of siblings, their relative position in the sibling network, as well as sibling existence and gender configurations. Conclusion: Overall, the study findings indicate that sibling characteristics have significant impacts on intergenerational living arrangement. The influence of traditional patrilineal norm of intergenerational coresidence and a trend towards modified extended family have emerged when siblings characteristics are taken into consideration as determinants of intergenerational living arrangement.

• 한국노년학
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• v.41 no.2
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• pp.253-270
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• 2021

We examined if intergenerational proximity might be associated with upstream financial transfer from adult children to older parents, and whether adult child gender might moderate the association. We considered siblings' proximity to parents, as well as that of the adult child. Prior work conducted in the US and other countries has suggested that children living further from parents might provide financial support to compensate for instrumental support provided more by siblings living closer to parents. Data were drawn from the Korean Longitudinal Study of Ageing (2014). Our analytic sample consisted of older adults 60+ and their children aged 35 and 55. None of the children co-resided with parents. Parental households consisted of either widowed individuals or married couples. For within-family analyses, fixed effects and random effects regression models were estimated. Results suggest first, sons living within a 30-minute distance, or within an hour to two-hour distance provided more monetary support to married parents compared to daughters. Second, contrary to existing findings, greater financial assistance was provided by sons and daughters when no children lived within an hour distance from their parents. For widowed parents living alone, intergenerational proximity was not associated with the amount of financial transfer from adult children.

• International Journal of Human Ecology
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• v.15 no.2
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• pp.69-80
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• 2014

Guided by the exchange model, altruistic model, intergenerational solidarity theory, and cultural contexts, this study explored the determinants of financial intergenerational transfers between older parents and adult children in South Korea. We examined 18,820 parent-child dyads by using random-effects models on the first wave of the Korean Longitudinal Study of Ageing (KLoSA) data. Findings showed that downward financial intergenerational transfers were consistent with the self-interest exchange model but upward transfers did not support microeconomic theories. Family solidarity theory was generally supported by downward transfers but geographical proximity was not positively associated with upward transfers. Lastly, cultural contextual variables such as marital status, birth order, and sex of a child were found to be significant. Parents tended to both provide and receive more financial support from unmarried children than from married children. Within the same marital status, the hierarchy existed in order of the first-born son, the second or later sons, and daughters when it came to downward financial transfers. Regarding upward financial transfers, the preference in order was more complicated. The findings of this study help in understanding the intergenerational financial transfers in the Korean context.

• Survey Research
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• v.13 no.1
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• pp.89-112
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• 2012

This study aims to explore emotional closeness between grandparents and grandchildren in Korean families with a focus on the lineage. The effects of the geographical proximity and the normative aspect as well as intergenerational financial, instrumental, and emotional supports were taken into consideration to accounting for the grandparent-grandchildren affective solidarity. Research questions are addressed using the data of "Survey on Generational Solidarity and Differences in Cultural Experience and Perception in Korea", and a series of multinomial regression model were conducted. Findings indicate that the salient factor to boost grandchildren's affective solidarity with paternal grandparents is financial transfers between grandparents and parents. By contrast, all types of intergenerational supports affected grandchildren's emotional closeness toward maternal grandparents. Geographical proximity was associated with the affective solidarity between grandchildren and maternal grandparents. The effects of normative solidarity were not shown at both lineages.

• Journal of Family Relations
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• v.23 no.2
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• pp.111-131
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• 2018

Objectives: This study examined the effects of residential proximity to adult children on the mental and physical health of middle-aged and older parents. The study also evaluated whether the parental age and gender of the adult child in closest proximity to the parent might moderate the association. Method: Data were drawn from five waves of the Korean Longitudinal Study of Aging(2006-2014). The analytic sample consisted of 7,359 parents aged 45 or older who had at least one non-coresidential adult child aged 19 or older. The analyses were conducted by estimating a series of fixed effects models while adjusting for the nested structure of the data. Results: The results showed that first, a closer distance between an adult child and the parent was generally associated with the parent experiencing a decrease in depressive symptoms. Yet, the mental health benefit was smaller for parents aged 65 years or older whose closest living adult child was a son. Second, a closer distance was observed to affect chronic illness only among middle-aged parents (aged 45 to 64). When the closest living adult child was a daughter, the middle-aged parent experienced deterioration in their chronic illness. On the other hand, the opposite pattern was observed when the closest living adult child was a son. Conclusions: The parental age and gender of the adult child in closest proximity to the parent might have varying effects on parents' health. A closer distance between an adult child and their parent has a positive impact on the mental health of the parent as a whole, whereas the effect of living closer was mixed in relation to the parental physical health.

• Journal of Families and Better Life
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• v.34 no.2
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• pp.15-27
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• 2016

This study examined intergenerational contact and financial support exchange between parents and each of their non-coresident married children. Prior qualitative work has suggested that increased contact between parents and their married daughters may indicate a decline in patrilineal norms in contemporary Korean families. Using a nationally representative sample, this study investigated if married daughters engage in similar levels of intergenerational contact and financial support exchange with their parents in contrast to their married brothers (first-born sons in particular). The data were drawn from the first wave of the Korean Longitudinal Study of Ageing (KLoSA, 2006). For analyses, individuals who had at least one non-coresident married child were selected, resulting in the analytic sample of 3,950 parents with 10,947 non-coresident married children. Both regression with robust standard errors and sibling fixed effects regression models were estimated using the reg and xtreg procedures in STATA. Residential proximity and sociodemographic characteristics of both parents and children were controlled in analyses. Findings suggest that, overall, parents report more frequent face-to-face contact with and financial support from their first-born sons in comparison to other sons and daughters. Daughters, on the other hand, were found to engage in more frequent contact via phone call, mail, or email with their parents. In conclusion, we did not find a strong evidence to support the contention that patrilineal norms have softened in contemporary Korean families to the extent that has been suggested in qualitative studies.

• Journal of Families and Better Life
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• v.33 no.4
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• pp.105-118
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• 2015

This study examined whether structural (coresidence, proximity) and associational (frequency of face-to-face contact, frequency of contact via phone, email or letter) solidarity between adult children and older parents may influence older parents' cognitive functioning. Adult children may help delay older parents' cognitive decline by promoting healthier lifestyle, engaging parents in complex everyday problem solving, and providing emotional support. The data consisted of men and women 65+ at Wave 1 who had at least one child 20+ and participated in at least two waves of the Korean Longitudinal Study of Ageing (KLoSA, N=3,961). Cognitive functioning was measured with the Korean version of the Mini Mental State Examination. Fixed effects models were estimated using the xtreg procedure in STATA. Findings suggest that increases in proximity with at least one adult child may lead to enhanced cognitive functioning among older parents. Neither transitioning to coresidence with at least one adult child nor increases in frequency of contact with at least one non-resident adult child was associated with changes in older parents' cognitive functioning. With older parents' increasing preference for living close by, but not necessarily living with adult children, greater proximity may provide more opportunities for reciprocal support exchanges between the two generations, leading to better cognitive functioning of older parents.