BECAUSE THEYRE MY PARENTS - AN INTERGENERATIONAL STUDY OF FELT OBLIGATION AND PARENTAL CAREGIVING

Using an intergenerational sample of 460 young adults and their middle -aged parents, the study examined adults' views of parental obligation and caregiving. Both generations of women generally reported higher l evels of felt obligation to their parents than did both generations of men. Regardless of gender, adults with one living parent generally re ported feeling more obligation to provide assistance than did adults w ith two living parents. Overall, young adult children expressed higher levels of felt obligation to their parents than did middle-aged paren ts to their parents. Felt obligation accounted for a significant amoun t of additional variance in young and middle-aged adults' reports of p arental caregiving beyond that of gender, self-reports of parental aff ection, and filial responsibility.