Predictors of Social Media Use in Two Family Generations

Older adults have recently begun to adopt social media in increasing numbers. Even so, little is known about the factors influencing older adults’ social media adoption. Here, we identify factors that predict the use of social media among older adults (aged 68–73) and compare them to those of their adult children (aged 19–56) using population-based data from Finland. As predictors for social media use, we utilized demographic factors as well as characteristics of the respondents’ social lives. In addition, we test whether social media use in older adults is predicted by the social media use of their adult children. The data used in this study uniquely enable the study of this question because actual parent-child dyads are identifiable. In both generations, women and those with higher education were more likely to use social media. Predictors specific to men of the older generation were being divorced and younger, and predictors specific to women of the older generation were having better health and more frequent contact with friends. A higher number of children predicted use in both men and women in the older generation. As for the younger generation, specific predictors for social media use in women were younger age, divorce, higher number of children, and more frequent contact with friends. For men in the younger generation, there were no significant predictors for social media use besides higher education, which predicted social media use in all groups. Finally, social media use in a parent representing the older generation was predicted by the social media use of their adult children. This study provides novel information on the predictors of the use of social media in two family generations.

Parental addiction, conflicts and marital disruption: perception of adult children of divorced parents

Divorce is a stressful event often combined with spouse conflict which significantly affects the way children experience the consequences of family reorganization. Various factors contribute to the impact of divorce on child development, one of the most decisive being the quality of parental relationship prior to, during and after divorce. The article addresses one main question how spouses’ conflict during the process of divorce is intertwined with a child’s experience. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 20 adult children (7 men and 13 women) from divorced families. Adults ranged in age 21 to 42 years old. Five to twenty years passed from their parents’ divorce. The results show that in the cases of violent parents’ relationships or family relationships with addiction prior to divorce, the participants experienced relief when the nuclear family dissolved; however, in most cases conflict between parents persisted after divorce, the child being torn between both parents. When the conflict between the parents is combined with various addictions, the consequences for the child are even more devastating. In most cases, children were left to themselves. The findings of this study can therefore contribute to creating various forms of educational, consulting, or therapeutic help.

New Pharmacological Approaches to Methamphetamine Dependence

Objectives: This study was carried out with the objectives of investigating the relationship between Family relationship and loneliness in adolescents. Accepted children will score less on loneliness. Neglected children will score high on loneliness. Concentrated children score less on loneliness as compare to accepted children. Method: Sample consisted of 150 adolescent selected by purposive sampling technique. The scales employed for data collection were Family Relationship Inventory by Sherry and Sinha and UCLA loneliness (III) Scale by Russell. Hypothesized that accepted children will score less on loneliness as compare to concentrated and neglected. Results: 150 subjects were taken & after scoring those high on accepted, concentrated and neglected were selected to form three groups. Conclusion: Findings indicate that the fundamental cause of loneliness is disconnection. Family support and close relationships with their adult children play a central role in adjusting to a new life and in preventing and/or lessening

Homecomer: Reconstruction of relations in families of former prisoners

The article focuses on the family relations of people sentenced to imprisonment. The aim of the project is to study the relations between former prisoners and their family members, particularly to define various strategies of rebuilding family relations, applied by former prisoners in the process of social adaptation. Based on the reconstruction of biographies of adult people who experienced the imprisonment of a parent during their childhood, adolescence and early adulthood, the author characterised various strategies of rebuilding relations, as well as difficulties and setbacks connected with breaking and losing the bond. The study made use of qualitative strategies of sociological analyses (biographical method). 31 narrative interviews with people who experienced penitentiary isolation of their parent (adult children of prisoners, aged between 18 and 70) were conducted as part of the study.

Does Gender Difference Exist in Typologies of Intergenerational Relations? Adult Son–Parent and Daughter–Parent Relations in Hong Kong

This study examines the typologies of adult son–parent and daughter–parent relations in Hong Kong, a place where East meets West. Data were drawn from a survey of 834 adult children (381 sons and 453 daughters) aged between 18 and 60 with at least one living parent. Latent class analysis identified four types of relations for both son-parent and daughter-parent relations: tight-knit, distant ascending ties, obligatory, and detached. Sons were more likely to engage in obligatory and tight-knit relations with parents, whereas daughters were more likely to engage in distant ascending ties relations. Multinomial logistic regression found that adult children who were young, single, or co-residing with their own child aged above 18 were more likely to have tight-knit relations with their elderly parents. Our findings suggest that although the male-dominated norm remains influential in Hong Kong, daughters are increasingly maintaining close interactions with their parents.

Intergenerational solidarity in family influencing factors

The purpose of this study was to investigate gender differences of adult children in manifestations of emotional closeness and its influence on frequency of contacts with their parents, as well as impact of the socio-economic status of parents on manifesting solidarity by the adult child. The participants of the research were 410 adult children, aged 18–62, living in Latvia, and with at least one parent alive. The results of the research showed that significant differences exist in manifestations of emotional closeness and frequency of contacts with parents by gender of a child and the socio-economic status of parents. Adult daughters more often meet and contact their parents than sons do. Emotional closeness and frequency of contacts correlate with providing functional help to their parents. Normative obligations of adult children to show care and provide help to their parents have been stipulated by the legislation of Latvia; however, the results of the research showed that parents who are emotionally close to their children received significantly greater help and support.