Comparative study of well-being of elderly women living in empty and full nest families

The study was aimed to examine the impact of empty nest transition on physical and psychological well-being of elderly women as a function of inter-generational exchange between adult children and elderly mothers on a sample of elderly women selected from the two settings i.e. living in empty nest families and those living with their married sons and their families. Results revealed that mothers in both the settings strongly felt that their children were significantly more emotionally and financially supportive and maintained contact and proximity with them, whereas, parents provided greater instrumental support to their children. Relationship between adult children and their parents was understood as ambivalent relationship in the two settings. Exchange was positively associated with physical and psychological problems in joint families, whereas in empty nests, most of the correlations were negative. These findings can have significant implications for social action and policy making.