Do safety nets work? The role of anticipated help in times of need

A sample of parents (aged 50+) drawn from the 1988 and 1992 waves of the Na tional Survey of Families and Households was used to examine two questions: How responsive is support from adult children in times of need? Is support from children greater for those who expected their children to provide hel p? Parents who experience one or more transitions in the time between surve y waves are likely to receive help from their adult children over and above previous exchange patterns. Responsiveness on the part of children does no r appear to be linked with parental expectations, however Neither general v alue orientations about what children should do to support parents, nor exp ectations of help from one's own children in hypothetical situations are re lated to children's responsiveness to parental needs. Results are consisten t with a contingent exchange perspective on intergenerational relationships .