• Journal of Family Resource Management and Policy Review
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• v.16 no.2
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• pp.103-121
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• 2012

This study examines whether reciprocity exists in intergenerational resource transfers from middle-aged children to elderly parents. Analyzing data from a sample of 1123 middle-aged adults, this study highlights the importance of reciprocity in the transfer of resources between middle-aged adults and their elderly parents. The possibility of an inheritance shows a very strong effect on care-giving to elderly parents. Furthermore, past financial transfers from parents to middle-aged children correlates strongly with financial transfers from middle-aged children to their elderly parents.

• Human Ecology Research
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• v.54 no.3
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• pp.227-238
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• 2016

This study investigates the mediation effects of adult children's ambivalence for elderly parents in the relation of psychological well-being of middle aged children with dependence and the intrusiveness of elderly parents that examines the difference of mediation effects by children's gender. We collected data from 659 middle aged children of 40 to 59 years old who have living mother or father. The main findings are as follows. First, there were mediation effects of ambivalence for elderly parents in the relation between psychological well-being of middle aged children and dependency and intrusiveness of elderly parents. The perceived dependence and intrusiveness of elderly parents had a positive influence on the ambivalence of middle aged childen for their elderly parents. Ambivalence for elderly parents had a negative effect on the psychological well-being of middle aged children. In addition, the dependence and intrusiveness of elderly parents did not directly influence the psychological well-being of middle aged children. Second, the mediation effect of ambivalence for elderly parents indicated a gender difference of middle aged children. The dependence of elderly parents affected the ambivalence for elderly parents in the woman group and the intrusiveness of elderly parents only affected ambivalence for elderly parents in the man group. The results were discussed in terms of gender difference.

• Journal of Family Resource Management and Policy Review
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• v.18 no.1
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• pp.69-91
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• 2014

This study aims to examine the patterns of middle-aged parents' intergenerational support exchange with their adult children and its effects on the happiness of the parents. The sample consisted of 765 middle-aged parents selected from the National Survey of Korean Families by the Ministry of Equality and Family in 2010. The results were as follows. First, intergenerational support exchange between parents and their adult children was categorized into four groups depending on the provider of support: parents who exchanged no support with their children, parents who only received support from their children, parents who only provided support to their children, and parents who exchanged support with their children. Second, parents who exchanged no support with their children were high in instrumental support and those who both provided and received support were high in emotional support. Third, consciousness of their children significantly affected the satisfaction level of their relationship with their children. The more the parents emphasize on the growth of their children, the more they were satisfied. Parents in the support exchange group were more satisfied when they received economic support from their children. With regard to instrumental and emotional support, parents were more satisfied when they provided support to or mutually exchanged support with their children. Forth, subjective health conditions, consciousness of their children, and household's income more significantly affected the happiness of middle-aged parents than the patterns of intergenerational support exchange. With regard to economic support, parents who only received support from their children were less happy than the other groups. With regard to instrumental support, parents who exchanged no support with their children were happier than the other groups. With regard to emotional support, parents who provided support to their children were happier than the other groups.

• Journal of Families and Better Life
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• v.35 no.1
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• pp.139-158
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• 2017

Following the global trend of the delayed transition to adulthood, the number of unmarried middle aged adult children living with, or economically dependent on their parents has increased in Korea. Middle aged adult children in Korea are traditionally expected to satisfy their duty to support their elderly parents both in economic and emotional needs. This study aims to explore group differences in unmarried adult children in their mid 30s or older and in parents having unmarried middle aged child(ren) depending on co-residency and the children's eonomic dependency in Korea. Using quota sampling in terms of living arrangements (living together vs. living apart), 500 unmarried adult children 35 years of age or older and 500 elderly parents, having at least one unmarried child in the mid of 30s or over, were selected in Seoul, Korea in June 2016. First, the findings show that unmarried adult children living together with their parents and depending on their parents economically were in the lowest level of educational achievement and the lowest level of monthly average income among the respondents. Second, both unmarried adult children and parents from the group of co-residency and economically dependent showed the lowest level of psychological well-being. Third, parents from the group of co-residency and economically independent had mostly positive relationships with children, whereas, parents from the group of living apart and economically dependent reported the most negative relationships. Finally, respondents included in the group of co-residency had positive attitudes toward marriage and the support for their elderly parents regardless of the child's economic dependency. This study has implications for the increasing number of unmarried middle aged adult children and their elderly parents.

• Journal of Families and Better Life
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• v.31 no.4
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• pp.131-144
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• 2013

Financial transfers between parents and their adult children are a growing trend in Korean society. This study investigates the relation of household assets to intergenerational financial transfers among the middle-aged and focuses on the influences of various types of assets on financial transfers from the middle-aged to their older parents and adult children. The paper presents an analysis of data from the second wave of KReIS on the financial transfers provided by those aged 50-69 years to their parents and children. The results show that around one-fifth of the respondents reported providing financial resource transfers to their parents, and that about one-third of the respondents provided financial transfers to their children. In terms of the other direction of financial transfers, a small percentage of the respondents received financial transfers from their parents; otherwise more than half of the respondents reported receiving financial transfers from their children. The influences of various types of assets are statistically significant on financial transfers to parents, to adult children and from adult children. Specifically the size of financial assets is associated with a likelihood of providing financial resource to both parents and children.

• Journal of Families and Better Life
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• v.14 no.2
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• pp.265-276
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• 1996

Due to the increase in life expectancy the family life of recent days has been through significant changes including prolonged relationships among different generations within families and changing roles and relationships. From the perspective of the care for elderly parents middle-aged children's filial responsibility habe been examined. Based on balanced reciprocity between middle-aged children and their aging parents each party is able to allow each other to respond needs and to respect rights. It is assumed that middle-aged children's moral development may be useful to discriminate levels of filial responsibility from filial obligation to filial maturity. This assumption challenges previous beliefs that filial obligation and filial maturity are the same,.

• The Journal of the Korea Contents Association
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• v.18 no.12
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• pp.611-623
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• 2018

Ten middle-aged women who support their biological parents have been interviewed to investigate their experiences of caregiving their parents. As a qualitative research method, data were collected through in-depth interviews and analyzed by Colaizzi's phenomenological method. Consequently 244 meaningful sentences were selected from the collected interview data and then were sorted into 67 meaningful sentences and, consequently into 9 sub-themes. Finally four high-level themes are wrapped through the summarizing process. The first theme is motivation of caregiving. Inevitable cases are most common for caregiving their biological parents. And, general responsibilities to their parents are also deduced as a motivation of caregiving. The second theme is a psychological phenomenon of middle-aged women while they provide consistent caregiving their biological parents even though they have some troubles with their parents. The third theme is meaning of caregiving. For some women, caregiving their biological parents is their own happiness and gratitude such as lifelong gifts. The final theme is influence of caregiving. Further understanding their parents, and more distinct prospecting their future lives are unexpected fruits from the caregiving their biological parents.

• Journal of Family Relations
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• v.23 no.2
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• pp.111-131
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• 2018

Objectives: This study examined the effects of residential proximity to adult children on the mental and physical health of middle-aged and older parents. The study also evaluated whether the parental age and gender of the adult child in closest proximity to the parent might moderate the association. Method: Data were drawn from five waves of the Korean Longitudinal Study of Aging(2006-2014). The analytic sample consisted of 7,359 parents aged 45 or older who had at least one non-coresidential adult child aged 19 or older. The analyses were conducted by estimating a series of fixed effects models while adjusting for the nested structure of the data. Results: The results showed that first, a closer distance between an adult child and the parent was generally associated with the parent experiencing a decrease in depressive symptoms. Yet, the mental health benefit was smaller for parents aged 65 years or older whose closest living adult child was a son. Second, a closer distance was observed to affect chronic illness only among middle-aged parents (aged 45 to 64). When the closest living adult child was a daughter, the middle-aged parent experienced deterioration in their chronic illness. On the other hand, the opposite pattern was observed when the closest living adult child was a son. Conclusions: The parental age and gender of the adult child in closest proximity to the parent might have varying effects on parents' health. A closer distance between an adult child and their parent has a positive impact on the mental health of the parent as a whole, whereas the effect of living closer was mixed in relation to the parental physical health.

• Journal of Families and Better Life
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• v.14 no.2
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• pp.97-110
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• 1996

The purpose of this study was to compare the caregiver burden and rewards in new generation and middle-aged couples. Data were collected from 207 new generation couples and 196 middle-aged couples who had either of older parents and lived in Seoul. Major findings are as fallows; 1. The burden were constituted with restriction of privacy physical burden strain psychological burden economic cost and guilt. The rewards were constituted with recognition pride maturity improving relationship and assistance of household and childcare. 2. The caregiver burden of new generation and middle-aged wives were hgiher than husbands. Hwever the caregiver rewards of new generation and middle-aged husbands were higher than wives. 3. The caregiver burden of middle-aged husbands were higher than new generation husbands bur there was no significant difference between new generation and middle-aged wives. 4. The caregiver rewards of middle-aged wives were higher than new generation wives but there was no significant difference between new generation and middle-aged husbands.

• Journal of Family Resource Management and Policy Review
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• v.18 no.3
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• pp.79-101
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• 2014

The main objective of this study is to explain the differences in intergenerational resource transfers among the middle-aged at various income levels. Analyses of data on financial resource transfers from the 2nd wave of the Korean Retirement and Income Study were conducted. The study sample consisted of 931 middle-aged individuals who had at least one living parent and one child. The data analysis methods were ${\chi}^2$ analysis, one-way analysis of variance(ANOVA), logistic regression analysis, and multiple regression analysis. Financial resource transfers are statistically significant factors explaining the preparation for later life and life satisfaction of middle-aged individuals. The empirical results reveal that the frequency of intergenerational financial transfers was significantly higher in high-income households than in middle- and low- income households. A comparison of high-, middle- and low-income households shows that financial resource transfers had a greater influence on the preparation for later life and life satisfaction of the middle-aged in middle-income households than in low- or high-income households. The level of life satisfaction was dependent upon to whom middle-aged individuals gave financial resources. In the middle-income group, the middle-aged who gave financial resources to their parents were more likely to have higher life satisfaction than those who did not. Receiving financial transfers from parents or children did not have a statistically significant impact on the life satisfaction of the middle-aged in any income-level group.