Parents Play Different Roles In Our Health As Adults: Mothers Support Us, While Fathers Are Often "Cautionary Tales"
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Whether we like it or not, our parents play a big part in who we become as adults. From our taste in music to our social values, their imprint often stays with us, good or bad, well past childhood.
Now new research
suggests that we still rely on them well into mid-life - at least when it comes to our health, that is. Alexandra Kissling and Corinne Reczek, a team from the Ohio State University, found that while we look to our mothers in much the same way we do when we're children - asking them for advice and hoping they'll be there to help us through periods of bad health, for instance - fathers act more like "cautionary tales", examples of what not to do.
To explore this phenomenon, the team conducted 90 qualitative interviews with midlife adult children: 45 gay, lesbian and straight couples aged between 40 and 60 years old. As they interviewed the couples, the researchers examined the influence of both the participants' parents and their in-laws.
Each participant, interviewed separately from their spouse, was asked open-ended questions about their their health and their relationship with their family, such as "tell me about your relationship with your parents and your spouse's parents". More specific and targeted questions were also introduced, including "how do your parents support you during hard times" and "do your in-laws talk to you about their health?".
Unsurprisingly, many participants explained that family provided support throughout illness or injury - helping out after surgery, for example, or providing material support through the diagnosis and treatment of cancer. This provided a boost to well-being for both children and their partners, with the extra support often allowing partners to continue going to work and managing the household alongside caring for their spouse.
