• 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.

• The Korean Journal of Community Living Science
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• v.27 no.3
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• pp.387-403
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• 2016

This study explored the relationships between unmarried adult children and their coresident parents with a focus on the role of intergenerational exchanges and family values affecting parent-child relations. A total of 767 unmarried adult children who lived with their parents were selected from the data of the third National Korean Family Survey in 2015. The main findings were that coresident adult children exchange diverse resources with their parents and that exchange patterns whether receiving more or giving more differed depending on the helping dimensions. 'Receiving' type was more prominent in the dimension of practical help, while, 'receiving and giving' type was more noticeable in the dimension of emotional help. Findings also suggest that intergenerational exchange and family values contribute to parent-child relationship quality. While being an active provider of practical help is positively associated with relationship quality, being a recipient of emotional help is related to a higher level of relationship quality compared to being indifferent. In addition, a stronger value of family responsibility was associated with a higher level of relationship quality. These findings indicate that the importance of the practical and emotional component in the relationships between unmarried adult children and their co-resident parents and reciprocal intergenerational exchange and strong family values may be contributory factors to better parent-child relationships.

• Journal of Industrial Convergence
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• v.18 no.6
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• pp.107-117
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• 2020

The purpose of this study is to verify the effect of burden of support for unmarried adult children on the depression of married women and the mediating effect of couple conflict in the process. To this end, 1,076 married women with baby boomer husbands and unmarried adult children were extracted based on the data from the 7th year of the Women and Family Panel (KLoWF) and analyzed by using a structural equation. Looking at the results of the analysis, first, the burden of supporting unmarried adult children had a positive(+) effect on the depression of married women, and also had a positive(+) effect on couple conflict. Second, it was found that couple conflict had a positive(+) effect on the depression of married women. Third, couple conflict was found to play a role as a partial mediator between the burden of supporting unmarried adult children and the feeling of depression. Based on the above findings, the study suggested the various programs to resolve couple conflicts and decrease the depression of married women.

• Journal of Convergence for Information Technology
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• v.8 no.6
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• pp.293-303
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• 2018

The purpose of this study is to explore the effect of burden of caring unmarried adult children on depression of employed women and to verify the mediating effects of couple communication and job satisfaction. For the purpose, the data from the fourth year Korean Longitudinal Survey of Women and Families on 586 employed women with baby boomer husbands and unmarried adult children were analyzed by using structure equation modeling. The found results are as follows. First, burden of caring unmarried adult children of employed women had a positive effect on their depression, while it had a negative effect on couple communication and job satisfaction. Second, couple communication of employed women influenced negatively on their depression and had a partial mediating effect on the relationship between burden of caring unmarried adult children and depression. Third, the effect of burden of caring unmarried adult children on depression of employed women was partly mediated by their job satisfaction. Further, the practical programs to enhance couple communication and job satisfaction, as well to reduce depression, were presented.

• Journal of Families and Better Life
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• v.32 no.5
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• pp.87-105
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• 2014

The purpose of this study was to investigate the factors associated with instrumental support (i.e., economic and practical support) from parents to their adult children. We examined both parents' attitudes toward instrumental support for adult children and parents' actual provision of instrumental support. From the data of the 2010 second National Survey of Korean Families, we selected 532 mothers and 524 fathers who were married and had at least one adult child aged over 25. Multiple regression analyses by the parents' gender showed that fathers were more likely to agree with instrumental support for adult children in general when they had unmarried children, had a lower household income level, had a lower evaluation of their socio-economic class, were satisfied with their own household economic situation, had positive attitudes toward caregiving for elderly parents, and were satisfied with their couple relationships. For mothers, they were more likely to agree with instrumental support for adult children in general when they had positive attitudes toward caregiving for elderly parents, were satisfied with their couple relationships, and perceived their child as someone to rely on in times of difficulties. Our analyses of the actual provision of support indicated that fathers tended to provide more support when they perceived that they were healthy, had unmarried children, were less satisfied with their household economic situation, had negative attitudes toward child-rearing, and reported a higher quality of parent-child relationship. For mothers, they were more likely to provide actual support when they were healthy, had unmarried children, had a higher level of household income, were financially preparing for later life, and less satisfied with their couple relationships. The findings of this study imply that it is imperative to distinguish the attitudes toward support from the actual provision of support and to also consider parents' gender in the literature on instrumental support for adult children.

• Journal of Korean Society of Rural Planning
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• v.15 no.4
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• pp.89-107
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• 2009

The main objective of the present study is to find out which factors affect coresidence between older Korean parents and their adult children and to examine the regional patterns of the phenomenon. The 1980, 1995 and 2005 Korea census data are used to investigate the determinants of two types of parent-child coresidence. The two types are coresidence with married adult children and one with unmarried adult children. The study takes advantage of the multilevel mltinomial logit model, allowing the model to capture regional differences. Findings from the study are: (1) Korean parents' coresidence with their married adult children and one with their unmarried adult children are distinctive in their determinants; (2) variables related to wealth or economic status are positively related with possibilities of both types of coresidence; and (3) considerable regional differences in the possibility of coresidence do exist among regions in Korea.

• International Journal of Human Ecology
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• v.14 no.1
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• pp.103-113
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• 2013

Using data from the 2010 National Survey of Korean Families (NSKF), we investigated factors associated with marital conflict for baby boomers in South Korea. Korean baby boomers are those born during the post-Korean War period from 1955 to 1963. OLS regression examined the marital conflict of these couples. Baby boomer couples reported that they experienced occasional marital conflict; subsequently individual and family level variables explained 15% of baby boomers' marital conflict. The key findings were that satisfaction in spousal communication was negatively associated with conflict for baby boomer couples. However, the existence of unmarried adult children was positively associated with baby boomers' marital conflict. Work and family balance was also negatively associated with marital conflict. We found that the more satisfied with communication with the spouse, the fewer unmarried adult children, and the more work and family balance the couple maintained, the less marital conflict these baby boomers experienced.

• Human Ecology Research
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• v.59 no.3
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• pp.369-386
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• 2021

The purpose of this study was to examine which aspects of coresident intergenerational relationships were associated with the life satisfaction of unmarried children in established adulthood and of their parents. In this study, the coresident relationship characteristics included support exchange, emotion, interference-conflict, and perceptions of coresidence. Data were collected from (a) 250 never-married adults who were 35+ years old and lived in Seoul with at least one parent aged 75 years or younger and (b) 250 older adults who were 75 years old or younger and had at least one unmarried child aged 35+ years living in the same household. Our multiple regression analysis of unmarried children showed that the adult child's financial support, the adult child's psychological reliance on parents, the parent's psychological reliance on the child, and relationship quality were significantly related to higher levels of life satisfaction. In contrast, the parent's daily interference, daily conflicts, and anticipation of future care of parents were related to lower levels of life satisfaction. Second, the characteristics that were positively associated with the parent's life satisfaction were the parent's instrumental support, relationship quality, the coresident child's daily interference, positive perceptions of intergenerational coresidence, and expectation of future care of parents. In contrast, the parent's financial support, daily conflicts with the child, and taking intergenerational coresidence for granted were negatively related to the parent's life satisfaction. This study advances our understanding of coresidence between unmarried children in established adulthood and their older parents by focusing on the multiple aspects of intergenerational coresidence.

• Human Ecology Research
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• v.59 no.4
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• pp.525-542
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• 2021

The purpose of this study is to clarify the influence of parents' socio-economic resources on the class consciousness and life satisfaction of unmarried adult children living with their parents. Data from the 2^nd year (1999) and 22^nd year (2019) of the Korean Labor & Income Panel Study (KLIPS) were used. The study included individuals aged under 25-44 who were unmarried, lived with their parents, and had graduated out of final school. From the 2^nd year (1999), data for 491 people were extracted, and from the 22^nd year (2019), data for 978 people were extracted. The information on the fathers and mothers was obtained from the information on the households data, it was responded by the unmarried children. The main results are as follows. First, one of the characteristics of unmarried children living with their parents is that the average age was higher in 2019 than in 1999. Additionally, although they work and have their own income, they live in houses owned by their parents. Their levels of satisfaction with both the living environment and family relationships were high. It was found that the influence of parents' income increased in 2019 compared with 1999 in the class consciousness. As a factor that influences life satisfaction, the employment status of the father has a positive effect on the life satisfaction for men, whereas the employment status of the mother has a positive effect on the life satisfaction for women.

• Journal of Families and Better Life
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• v.32 no.4
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• pp.75-89
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• 2014

The purpose of this study is to explore whether the phenomenon of both married and unmarried adults' cohabiting with their parents in Korean society is "unilaterally parasitic" on the child's side, or is "interdependent", characterized by expectation and dependence from the parent's side. As a result of this study possessing the characteristics of theoretic research, the following propensities of parent-dependent adults have been discussed. First of all, it was discovered that the ratio of adult children dependent on and cohabiting with their parents is considerable. Second, parents cohabiting with their adult children have unfavorable sociological features, such as high age, low level of education and income, and lower standards of education and income, compared to parents in normal households. Third, it was found that parent-dependent adults in Korean society maintain a relatively high rate of financial activity and stable employment-based occupation status. Fourth, it was shown that the level of satisfaction on the relationship between parent-dependent adults and their parents was discovered to be high, which is contrastive to the prediction of negative results based on some previous researches. Single adult children's age, their level of education and financial activity status, and their parents' age and level of education were deducted as variables related to the level of satisfaction of the relationship between parents and their children. It seems that the issue of married and unmarried adults' cohabiting with their parents in Korean society should be approached from various perspectives such as political, economic, socio-cultural and developmental aspects. On the basis of this fundamental awareness and several of the materials, it is pertinent that approaches to both married and unmarried adults' cohabiting with parents in Korean society should be distinguished from approaches to those in Japanese or Western society because it reflects the uniqueness of Korean society. In the phenomenon of married and unmarried adults' cohabiting with their parents in Korean society, there are several factors besides the economic factor, especially the socio-cultural factor that have the characteristics of mutual dependence between parents and their children rather than those of unilateral parasitism, in contrast with the phenomenon in Japanese or Western society. This research was aimed to contribute by establishing basic data for policy making by providing necessary information to treat the issues of instability and anxiety related to families and reflection on the matters of generations and parent-child relationships in current Korean society.