Impact of late parent-child relationship changes on parental depression: a longitudinal aging panel study

The global population of older adults is increasing, and late-life depression is becoming a significant issue. A strong relationship with one's children is a potential factor in alleviating the risk of late-life depression. This study explored the importance of parent-child relationships, including contact, meetings, and financial support, and examined their association with depressive symptoms in older parents.

Data were collected from 4,476 participants who completed the Center for Epidemiological Studies Depression Scale- 10 items (CES-D 10) questionnaire from the Korean Longitudinal Study of Aging (2006-2020). Mixed-effects logistic regression analysis was conducted to evaluate the impact of parent-child relationships over time on depressive symptoms, while accounting for individual differences.

An active change in the parent-child relationship status (no → yes) was associated with lower depressive symptoms (men: odds ratio [OR] = 0.63, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 0.47-0.83; women: OR = 0.67, 95% CI = 0.51-0.88) than no change in relationship (no → no). Maintaining monthly contact (men: OR = 0.61, 95% CI = 0.47-0.78; women: OR = 0.64, 95% CI = 0.50-0.81), meeting 2-6 times per year (men: OR = 0.73, 95% CI = 0.56-0.95; women: OR = 0.76, 95% CI = 0.60-0.97), and financial support (men: OR = 0.70, 95% CI = 0.54-0.92; women: OR = 0.73, 95% CI = 0.57-0.93) were each associated with reduced parental depression.

Among older parents, a transition toward a more active parent-child relationship was associated with reduced depressive symptoms. Therefore, promoting parent-child relationships must be considered an important component of mental health interventions.