Living with sons over 30 interferes with mothers' wellbeing
The Experimental and Computational Economics Group of the UJI opens a new line of research that analyses the relationship between the economy and well-being or health, among others.
image: Photo: María José Gil-Moltó and Arne Risa Hole, study authors. Analysis of data from the Family Financial Survey, included in the Spanish Statistical Plan, shows that parents aged 50-75 living together with children over 30 in the family home has an adverse effect on the well-being of mothers, especially if they are adult male sons. In Southern European countries, more than 40% of adults aged 25-34 live at home with their parents and the average age of leaving the family home is 29.8 years. Apart from economic aspects, the cultural contexts of Mediterranean countries seem to explain these results, as they are traditionally characterised by stronger family ties and a less equal division of household labour. The Family Financial Survey, which is carried out every three years, contains detailed information on the economic situation of Spanish households and demographic information on their members and the relationship between them. For the study, researchers have analysed the results for parents aged between 50 and 75, and their responses on their life satisfaction, tracking them over time and looking at the effect of their children's emancipation or return to the family home. Mothers report lower levels of life satisfaction (of a magnitude equivalent to a deterioration in their health from "very good" to "acceptable") if they have children over 30 in the household. However, there is no similar evidence for fathers, suggesting that mothers face a greater burden than their partners when there are adult children living in the family home. The researchers also consider that it would be relevant to study the impact on children's well-being, which they hope to do in future research.
Credit: Universitat Jaume I of Castellón (Spain)
Analysis of data from the Family Financial Survey, included in the Spanish Statistical Plan, shows that parents aged 50-75 living together with children over 30 in the family home has an adverse effect on the well-being of mothers, especially if they are adult male sons.
In Southern European countries, more than 40% of adults aged 25-34 live at home with their parents and the average age of leaving the family home is 29.8 years. Apart from economic aspects, the cultural contexts of Mediterranean countries seem to explain these results, as they are traditionally characterised by stronger family ties and a less equal division of household labour.
The Family Financial Survey, which is carried out every three years, contains detailed information on the economic situation of Spanish households and demographic information on their members and the relationship between them. For the study, researchers have analysed the results for parents aged between 50 and 75, and their responses on their life satisfaction, tracking them over time and looking at the effect of their children's emancipation or return to the family home.
Mothers report lower levels of life satisfaction (of a magnitude equivalent to a deterioration in their health from "very good" to "acceptable") if they have children over 30 in the household. However, there is no similar evidence for fathers, suggesting that mothers face a greater burden than their partners when there are adult children living in the family home. The researchers also consider that it would be relevant to study the impact on children's well-being, which they hope to do in future research.
According to the research team, "in an international context where cohabitation between parents and children has become increasingly common since the financial crisis and, in recent years, due to the rising cost of living, it is important to bear in mind that cohabitation between generations can negatively affect the well-being of parents and, in particular, as we show in our study, that of mothers. This suggests an additional reason to develop economic and social policy measures that contribute to facilitating the emancipation of young people".
The article published in Social Science & Medicine "The impact of adult children living at home on the well-being of Spanish parents: evidence from panel data" by María José Gil-Moltó and Arne Risa Hole, from the Experimental and Computational Economics Group of the UJI, is part of a new line of research in which the relationships or interconnections between economics and life satisfaction, well-being, decision-making or health are studied.
This line of research has been opened up by the arrival of these two lecturers and researchers in the Department of Economics from the University of Sheffield. Hole is a specialist in the areas of Health Economics and Microeconometrics and Gil-Moltó in Microeconomics. Both have joined the Department of Fundamentals of Economic Analysis at the Universitat Jaume I.