Intergenerational Ties and COVID-19 Contagion: A Study on European Adults Aged 50 Years and Older Using SHARE Data

Intergenerational coresidence and interdependence among family members are salient forms of family support. However, they can also likely increase social and physical contact and thus potential coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) transmission, especially among older adults. This study makes an original contribution to the literature by investigating which individual and household characteristics are associated with the risk of COVID-19 contagion among community-dwelling adults aged 50 years or older living in 27 European countries. We accounted for multiple indicators of intergenerational relationships and conducted a gendered analysis.

The data came from the Survey of Health, Ageing and Retirement in Europe (SHARE), including 2 waves of the SHARE Corona Survey. Using linear probability models, the risk of experiencing COVID-19 outcomes was predicted by different family structures and intergenerational relationship indicators.

While intergenerational coresidence was not associated with the risk of COVID-19, a higher frequency of face-to-face contact with adult children was associated with a lower risk of COVID-19 among mothers. This result stresses the importance of social support from adult children during the COVID-19 pandemic. However, we also showed that grandparents who took care of grandchildren were at a higher risk of COVID-19. Additionally, childless individuals had a lower risk of COVID-19 during the second wave of the pandemic.

This study highlights the importance of intergenerational relationships in pandemic studies and underscores the need to examine how intergenerational ties might be a source of social support. Implications for policy interventions are discussed in the final section.