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Thursday, November 22, 2018

Parents Still Worrying About Their Adult Children

Filipinos are known for their strong family ties so much so that even when their children reached adulthood and raise their own family, they still want to live with their folks. Sometimes it doesn't have to be under one roof but at least they are living in the same village or compound still close to each other. Parents who are overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) also look after the needs of their kids even if they have their own family.
Parents are naturally worrisome when it comes to their small kids but would you believe that even their children are already grown-ups or had reached adulthood, parents never cease to have a poor quality of sleep due to excessive worrying about their beloved offsprings?

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But it does not only happen in the Philippines. The latest study in the U.S. which was published in the journal The Gerontologist revealed that many parents are also worried about their grown-up children.

The study, published in the also finds that the reasons parents sleep deprivation reasons may be different for men and women.

Lead study author Amber J. Seidel, Ph.D., of Penn State York in Pennsylvania, is a family gerontologist and said she got involved with the research because she believes family relationships are so important to society.

Filipinos are known for their strong family ties so much so that even when their children reached adulthood and raise their own family, they still want to live with their folks. Sometimes it doesn't have to be under one roof but at least they are living in the same village or compound still close to each other. Parents who are overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) also look after the needs of their kids even if they have their own family. Parents are naturally worrisome when it comes to their small kids but would you believe that even their children are already grown-ups or had reached adulthood, parents never cease to have a poor quality of sleep due to excessive worrying about their beloved offsprings? Ads Sponsored Links But it does not only happen in the Philippines. The latest study in the U.S. which was published in the journal The Gerontologist revealed that many parents are also worried about their grown-up children. The study, published in the also finds that the reasons parents sleep deprivation reasons may be different for men and women. Lead study author Amber J. Seidel, Ph.D., of Penn State York in Pennsylvania, is a family gerontologist and said she got involved with the research because she believes family relationships are so important to society. For the study, the researchers examined data on 186 married couples who had two to three adult children. Men with ages 58 years old and the women about 57 on average The researchers asked the parents to rate the different types of support they offer their adult children on a scale of 1 to 8, with 1 being daily and 8 being no more than once a year. Types of support included companionship, emotional support, practical help, discussing daily events, advice, and financial assistance. The parents also rated how stressful they find it to help their adult children, and how much they worry about their adult children, on a scale from 1 to 5, with 1 being “not at all” and 5 being “a great deal.” The participants also reported the amount of sleep they got every night. The husbands had six hours reported average sleeping hours a night, while the wives slept about a few minutes lesser. The results showed that for husbands, the support that they provided their grown children was associated with poorer sleep; conversely, the husbands slept more when their wives reported providing support for the kids. No such impact was seen on the women’s sleep. However, for the women, higher stress about supporting their children did appear to impair their sleep. Stress levels over this issue did not appear to affect how much the husbands slept. Overall, the study found that the giving of support itself affected the men, while stress over the support was what affected the women. The study also said that through the emergence of technology like smartphones and the internet, the parents are further informed about their children's situation and the more they learn about their children, the more they are likely to worry and affect their sleeping quality. It is reported that lack of sleep could cause serious illness and significantly affect human overall health. She also suggests that parents reflect on their level of involvement in their adult child’s life, how their child is receiving it, and whether they are enabling their child, seeking to control their child, or providing support. The author said that the study is limited in that it can’t prove whether support for adult kids or stress over that support directly affects sleep. It also may be that lack of sleep exacerbates stress, rather than the other way around. Still, Seidel says future research should continue to explore how the relationships between parents and their adult children can affect all areas of health and well-being. Filed under the category of adulthood, Filipinos, overseas Filipino workers, parents, strong family ties, poor quality of sleep

For the study, the researchers examined data on 186 married couples who had two to three adult children. Men with ages 58 years old and the women about 57 on average

The researchers asked the parents to rate the different types of support they offer their adult children on a scale of 1 to 8, with 1 being daily and 8 being no more than once a year. Types of support included companionship, emotional support, practical help, discussing daily events, advice, and financial assistance.

The parents also rated how stressful they find it to help their adult children, and how much they worry about their adult children, on a scale from 1 to 5, with 1 being “not at all” and 5 being “a great deal.”

The participants also reported the amount of sleep they got every night. The husbands had six hours reported average sleeping hours a night, while the wives slept about a few minutes lesser.

The results showed that for husbands, the support that they provided their grown children was associated with poorer sleep; conversely, the husbands slept more when their wives reported providing support for the kids. No such impact was seen on the women’s sleep.

However, for the women, higher stress about supporting their children did appear to impair their sleep. Stress levels over this issue did not appear to affect how much the husbands slept.

Overall, the study found that the giving of support itself affected the men, while stress over the support was what affected the women.

The study also said that through the emergence of technology like smartphones and the internet, the parents are further informed about their children's situation and the more they learn about their children, the more they are likely to worry and affect their sleeping quality.

It is reported that lack of sleep could cause serious illness and significantly affect human overall health.

She also suggests that parents reflect on their level of involvement in their adult child’s life, how their child is receiving it, and whether they are enabling their child, seeking to control their child, or providing support.

The author said that the study is limited in that it can’t prove whether support for adult kids or stress over that support directly affects sleep. It also may be that lack of sleep exacerbates stress, rather than the other way around.

Still, Seidel says future research should continue to explore how the relationships between parents and their adult children can affect all areas of health and well-being.
Filed under the category of adulthood, Filipinos, overseas Filipino workers, parents, strong family ties, poor quality of sleep

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