Being under-benefited and perceived stress in the relationship between aging parents and adult children: The moderating role of empathy

Background and Objectives: Previous studies examining the relationship between being under-benefited and stress among aging parents and their adult children have yielded mixed findings. Few studies have examined whether this positive association can be alleviated by state-level or trait-level factors. Given the positive effects of empathy on interpersonal exchanges, we tested the moderating role of empathy on the relationship between being under-benefited and perceived stress among aging parents and adult children in this 14-day diary study. 

Research Design and Methods: A sample of 99 pairs of parents (M_age = 50.01 years, SD_age = 4.53 years; 79.8% female) and children (M_age = 22.38, SD_age = 3.49; 85.9% female) were recruited reported their level of being under-benefited in the exchange with their parent/child, perceived stress, and empathy as an affective state on a daily basis for 14 consecutive days, after completing a pretest which measured their trait empathy and demographic information. 

Results: For both parents and children, the positive under-benefited-stress association was only significant when they reported lower affective empathy on a daily basis. The association between the level of being under-benefited and stress was negative when children reported greater affective empathy on a daily basis. Children reported more perceived stress on the days their parents reported a greater level of being under-benefited. Such association was only significant in children with lower trait empathy. The negative association between children’s being under-benefited and parents’ perceived stress was only significant in parents with higher trait empathy. 

Discussion and Implications: These findings highlight the importance of empathy as a daily affect and a trait in the relationship between daily exchanges and mental health in the intergenerational contexts between aging parents and adult children. Copyright © 2024 The Author(s).