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Access Type
WSU Access
Date of Award
January 2025
Degree Type
Thesis
Degree Name
M.A.
Department
Psychology
First Advisor
Rodlescia S. Sneed
Abstract
While many studies have examined parenthood's health impacts on younger adults, less is known about these effects in adults over 50, particularly regarding different aspects of the parent-child relationship (e.g., number of children, geographic proximity, frequency/nature of contact) are differentially associated with health. This study evaluates longitudinal associations between parenthood and sleep among adults aged >50 using data from the 2016 and 2018 waves of the Health and Retirement Study. We used linear regression to examine associations between aspects of parenthood and sleep, controlling for demographics, health status, and baseline sleep. Negative interactions with children were associated with lower sleep scores (B = -0.03, 95% CI: -0.05, -0.01, p = <0.01) . While there was no association between frequency of email communication and sleep among married individuals, communicating with children via email less than once a month was associated with lower sleep scores among those who were unmarried (b = -0.07, SE = 0.04, p = 0.047) or living with a partner (B = -0.34, 95% CI: -0.71, -0.03, p = 0.04). While there was no association between proximity to children and sleep among those with some college education, those with less than a high school education who lived more than 10 miles from their children had lower sleep scores than those who either lived with their children (b = -0.35, SE = 0.18, p = 0.048) or lived within 10 miles of non-residential children (b = -0.37, SE = 0.17, p = 0.03). Given known associations between sleep and health, it is important to understand associations between aspects of parenthood and sleep among adults over 50. This study provides insights for healthcare professionals to promote healthy aging and improve this population's overall quality of life.
Recommended Citation
Duckett, Jacquelyn, "Parenthood And Sleep In A Population-Based Sample Of Older Adults" (2025). Wayne State University Theses. 989.
https://digitalcommons.wayne.edu/oa_theses/989