ARTICLE
Intergenerational and digital solidarity: Associations with depressive symptoms during the COVID-19 pandemic
Woosang Hwang,
Narges Hadi,
Maria T. Brown,
Merril Silverstein,
Corresponding Author
Woosang Hwang
Department of Human Development and Family Sciences, Texas Tech University, Lubbock, Texas, USA
Correspondence
Woosang Hwang, Department of Human Development and Family Sciences, Texas Tech University, 1301 Akron Ave, Lubbock, TX 97409, USA.
Email: [email protected]
Search for more papers by this authorNarges Hadi
Department of Human Development and Family Sciences, Texas Tech University, Lubbock, Texas, USA
Search for more papers by this authorMaria T. Brown
School of Social Work and Aging Studies Institute, Syracuse University, Syracuse, New York, USA
Search for more papers by this authorMerril Silverstein
Department of Human Development and Family Science, Department of Sociology, and Aging Studies Institute, Syracuse University, Syracuse, New York, USA
Search for more papers by this author
Woosang Hwang,
Narges Hadi,
Maria T. Brown,
Merril Silverstein,
Corresponding Author
Woosang Hwang
Department of Human Development and Family Sciences, Texas Tech University, Lubbock, Texas, USA
Correspondence
Woosang Hwang, Department of Human Development and Family Sciences, Texas Tech University, 1301 Akron Ave, Lubbock, TX 97409, USA.
Email: [email protected]
Search for more papers by this authorNarges Hadi
Department of Human Development and Family Sciences, Texas Tech University, Lubbock, Texas, USA
Search for more papers by this authorMaria T. Brown
School of Social Work and Aging Studies Institute, Syracuse University, Syracuse, New York, USA
Search for more papers by this authorMerril Silverstein
Department of Human Development and Family Science, Department of Sociology, and Aging Studies Institute, Syracuse University, Syracuse, New York, USA
Search for more papers by this author
First published: 30 January 2024
Edited by: Abbie Elizabeth Goldberg
Abstract
Objective
We aimed to explore dyadic latent classes of intergenerational solidarity with digital communication (texting, video call, and social media interaction) among older parent and adult child pairs during the COVID-19 pandemic, and whether derived dyadic latent classes were associated with older parents' and adult children's depressive symptoms.
Background
Previous studies have not considered how digital communication fits with the established intergenerational solidarity paradigm. Consequently, we know little about how the use of digital communication creates new types of intergenerational solidarity between older parents and adult children, and how they are associated with their depressive symptoms during the pandemic.
Methods
Using data from the 2022 survey of the Longitudinal Study of Generations (LSOG), the analysis took a dyadic-centered approach and applied a three-step latent class analysis with 271 mother–child and 190 father–child dyads.
Results
Dyadic partners were consistent in their relationship evaluations for the three latent classes identified in both mother–child and father–child dyads: tight-knit traditional (strong solidarity with frequent in-person contact), distant-but-digitally connected (geographically distant but frequent digital contact), and detached (low solidarity). In mother–child dyads, mothers reported significantly fewer depressive symptoms when they were in tight-knit traditional and distant-but-digitally connected relationships, than those in detached relationships. In father–child dyads, adult children reported significantly fewer depressive symptoms when they were in tight-knit traditional and distant-but-digitally connected relationships, than those in detached relationships.
Conclusions
These findings suggest that digital communication was beneficial for older parents' and adult children's psychological well-being, depending on parents' gender and generational position during the pandemic.
Supporting Information
| Filename | Description |
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| jomf12968-sup-0001-Tables.docxWord 2007 document , 18.7 KB | Appendix S1. Supporting Information. |
Please note: The publisher is not responsible for the content or functionality of any supporting information supplied by the authors. Any queries (other than missing content) should be directed to the corresponding author for the article.
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