Mothers’ Health and Relationships With Adult Children: The Moderating Role of Gender and Race

Abstract Consistent with theories of the life course and intergenerational solidarity, families are generally closely tied groups in which one family member’s event affects other members as well. Although the literature has documented that parents and adult children affect one another’s well-being, less is known about how parents’ health shapes relationship quality between family members. In this paper, we utilize data from the Within-Family Difference Study (WFDS) II to explore how mothers’ functional limitations affect relationship quality between mothers and their adult children, as reported by both family members. We hypothesized that the association between mothers’ health and intergenerational relationship quality would be moderated by gender and race. Using multi-level regression modeling, we found that mothers’ reports of relationship quality were not predicted by the presence of mothers’ functional limitations, nor were there any moderating effects of race or gender. In contrast, adult children who perceived that their mothers had limitations reported higher tension with them. Further, daughters were more likely than sons to report greater tension when they perceived that their mothers had limitations (differences between coefficients p < .10). White adult children reported lower levels of closeness and higher levels of tension when they perceived that their mothers had health limitations (differences between coefficients p < .05; p < .10 respectively). However, limitations did not predict Black children’s reports of closeness or conflict with mothers. This study sheds new light on the complex ways in which race and gender moderate the role of mothers’ limitations in intergenerational relationship quality.

similar levels of loneliness regardless of sexual orientation. However, significant differences between heterosexuals and LGBT participants were found in their communication and time usage when they are lonely. For example, heterosexual individuals socialize with friends in person more than homosexuals (t=-2.393, p<.05), whereas LGBT older adults use technology more to socialize with friends (t=3.749), p<.001. Further, findings revealed that older LGBT adults tend to engage in more risky or unhealthy behaviors when lonely than do heterosexual older adults (t=3.907, p<.001). Overall, the results indicate that while LGBT older adults may spend more time alone (t=7.350, p<.001), they are engaging in different types of activities, particularly involving technology to communicate with friends, suggesting compensation for their lack of in-person contact. By understanding how LGBT older adults cope with loneliness along with the risks and resources that have influences on their health disparities can be useful for developing interventions to improve the health and well-being in these communities.

DOES SEXUAL ORIENTATION INFLUENCE TRAJECTORIES OF CHANGE IN HEALTH? A 20-YEAR FOLLOW-UP STUDY Christi Nelson, and Ross Andel, University of South Florida, Tampa, Florida, United States
We examined the differences in physical health outcomes over a 20-year period between lesbian, gay, and bisexual (LGB) and heterosexual middle-aged and older adults. We also examined whether the associations were moderated by social support and affect. The analytical sample included 168 LGB adults and 336 propensity-matched heterosexual adults from the Midlife in the United States (MIDUS) study, ranging in age from 25 to 74 years (mean age=42.83) at baseline. Using negative binomial generalized estimating equations and mixed-effects analyses, data from three waves of MIDUS, spanning approximately 20 years from 1995 to 2014, were used to examine the associations between sexual orientation and the health outcomes (number of chronic conditions and functional limitations). Social support and affect were added to the models to test for moderation. The results found that LGB participants reported one more chronic condition at baseline and scored significantly higher for functional limitations. However, LGB participants increased less over time for number of chronic conditions than heterosexual participants, and there were no significant differences in terms of changes in functional limitation over time. Positive affect reduced the strength of the relationship between sexual orientation and functional limitations for LGB participants. No other moderating effects were significant. The results of this study suggest that LGB individuals may become resilient to the negative health effects of minority stressors over time.
Interventions should focus on improving the health of LGB individuals when they are younger and more at risk of negative health outcomes.

IT PROTECTS THEM FROM ME: REASONS OLDER ADULT BLACK WOMEN ENGAGE IN LIVING-APART-TOGETHER RELATIONSHIPS Nytasia Hicks, Miami University, Oxford, Ohio, United States
The preference for living-apart-together (LAT) relationships, where individuals are committed to one another but reside in separate households, has increased among older adults. Despite the growing trend to LAT in later life, there is a dearth of literature on living-apart-together exploring the experiences of minority older adult sub-groups. Particularly, few studies have explored motivations for living-aparttogether among minority older adult sub-groups. In this study, using a qualitative descriptive approach, reasons older adult Black women engage in living-apart-together relationships were explored. As part of a larger study, thirteen black women ages 59-74 (married and unmarried) completed two semi-structured phone interviews about their motivations for living-apart-together and how decisions, or lack thereof, to LAT were made. Inductive thematic analytic methods revealed three major motivations for LAT among this subgroup. Motivations included: (1) to protect freedom and self-governance; (2) to maintain current living arrangements with live-in family members; and (3) to maximize healthy relationship characteristics (e.g. individuality). Participants reflected that reasons to engage in LAT were influenced by the distance between living-apart-together partners, current caregiving roles, and level of commitment. As to how older adult black women decided to engage in living-apart-together relationships, Participants reported that LAT happened by coincidence or because of a partner's preference to maintain separate households. Boundary reinforcement regarding role strain was also identified as a core concept. Findings point to the need for applications to variations in relationship types among older adults regarding living arrangements, to professionals supporting aging families, and to further studies of family gerontology.

MOTHERS' HEALTH AND RELATIONSHIPS WITH ADULT CHILDREN: THE MODERATING ROLE OF GENDER AND RACE
Catherine Stepniak, 1 J. Jill Suitor, 1 and Megan Gilligan, 2 1. Purdue University,West Lafayette,Indiana,United States,2. Iowa State University,Ames,Iowa,United States Consistent with theories of the life course and intergenerational solidarity, families are generally closely tied groups in which one family member's event affects other members as well. Although the literature has documented that parents and adult children affect one another's well-being, less is known about how parents' health shapes relationship quality between family members. In this paper, we utilize data from the Within-Family Difference Study (WFDS) II to explore how mothers' functional limitations affect relationship quality between mothers and their adult children, as reported by both family members. We hypothesized that the association between mothers' health and intergenerational relationship quality would be moderated by gender and race. Using multi-level regression modeling, we found that mothers' reports of relationship quality were not predicted by the presence of mothers' functional limitations, nor were there any moderating effects of race or gender. In contrast, adult children who perceived that their mothers had limitations reported higher tension with them. Further, daughters were more likely than sons to report greater tension when they perceived that their mothers had limitations (differences between coefficients p < .10). White adult children reported lower levels of closeness and higher levels of tension when they perceived that their mothers had health limitations (differences between coefficients p < .05; p < .10 respectively). However, limitations did not predict Black children's reports GSA 2020Annual Scientific Meeting Innovation in Aging, 2020