Date of Award

1-1-1991

Document Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

Department

Psychology

Abstract

The support which older widowed women receive from their adult children and their friends has been the subject of wide ranging support. The support needs of this group include companionship, emotional support, and assistance with the practical aspects of daily living such as household chores and transportation for shopping and medical appointments. More recently, the life satisfaction of older adults has measured as a method for understanding the impact of relationships between older adults and their adult children and friends. The consistent finding has been that relationships with adult children have no impact on life satisfaction, while relationships with friends make an important contribution.The purpose of the present study was to compare these two important relationships across a number of relationship variables, including strength of the relationship, intrinsic and utilitarian rewards, and relationship strain, and to examine the differential impact of these variables on life satisfaction. Subjects were 44 widowed women over 65 years of age, who were retired and had at least one adult child not living with them. Each completed Wright's Acquaintance Description Form for a child and a friend, and the Life Satisfaction Index - Form A.The results demonstrated that subjects had consistently stronger and more rewarding relationships with their adult children than with their friends. Relationships with daughters tended to be stronger than those with sons. However, strength of relationship with the adult child had no impact on life satisfaction. The greatest contributions to life satisfaction were frequency of visits with the friend, the utilitarian rewards of the relationship with the friend, and the intrinsic reward value of the relationship with the friend.The results are seen as underscoring the voluntary nature of friendships in contrast to relationships with children. The application of the results to social services for older adult women are discussed, including suggestions for intervention to increase the availability of support.

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