Childlessness and Mental Health Among U.S. Older Adults: Do Associations Differ by Marital Status and Gender?

An estimated 17% of U.S. adults ages 55+ are childless, a fraction that has increased across recent cohorts. Most studies find no or negligible mental health consequences of childlessness for older adults, yet studies typically compare broad categories of childless persons and parents, neglecting potentially important sources of heterogeneity. We evaluate associations between parental status (childless, biological children, stepchildren only, no living children) and 3 dimensions of mental health (depressive symptoms, and social and emotional loneliness) and how these patterns differ by marital status and gender.

Data are from the pooled 2016 and 2018 waves of the Health and Retirement Study (N = 19,354). We estimated ordinary least squares regression models and tested 2- and 3-way interaction terms to evaluate the association between parental status and mental health, and the extent to which these associations are moderated by marital status and gender. Multivariable analyses are adjusted for sociodemographic, social integration, and health covariates.

Parental status is not a significant predictor of depressive symptoms in fully adjusted models, and patterns do not differ by marital status and gender. However, men with step-children or biological children report significantly less emotional loneliness relative to childless men, and relative to their female counterparts. Women who have lost all children to death have significantly more emotional loneliness than both their male counterparts and childless women.

Parental statuses have negligible effects on older adults' mental health; policies and practices to mitigate social isolation should enhance nonfamilial ties and community engagement.