NEWS A new research project will investigate how parents’ health is influenced by their adult children’s position in the labor market—and how this relationship varies across European countries.
By placing parents’ information at the center of our analysis, we examine the connection between children’s labor market status and parents’ mental health
The European labor market is undergoing significant change, with one clear trend being the increasing diversification of working life. Continuous full-time employment is no longer as common or guaranteed. For individuals, labor market attachment can impact financial stability, independence, and health. But how are parents affected by their adult children’s connection to the labor market? That’s the central question of a new research initiative.
The project, titled Adult children’s labor market attachment and parental health in international comparative perspective, will compare different European countries to explore how various welfare systems influence the link between children’s employment and their parents’ health.
Jordi Gumà-Lao, Centre d'Estudis Demogràfics (CED) in Barcelona and guest researcher at Centre for Demographic and Ageing Research (CEDAR) in Umeå.
Image Xavier Ruíz“Labor market structures, welfare system designs, and the role of the family vary significantly across Europe. These factors may shape how parents experience their children’s unemployment,” says Jordi Gumà-Lao.
Previous studies have shown that children’s unemployment can negatively affect parents’ mental health. However, less is known about the extent to which welfare state protections for the unemployed may buffer this effect across different European welfare regimes.
“In principle, living in a country where the welfare state guarantees basic financial security and offers re-employment support could mitigate the negative impact. Conversely, unemployment in a context of low national unemployment may intensify feelings of stigma for both the unemployed individual and their family members,” says Anna Baranowska-Rataj.
Anna Baranowska-Rataj, Professor in Population Studies at the Centre for Demographic and Ageing Research (CEDAR).
Image Alekzandra Granath, simon ohman jonsson inhousebyranTo explore these relationships, the researchers are using data from the large-scale European study Survey of Health, Ageing and Retirement in Europe (SHARE). SHARE examines how health, social, economic, and environmental factors affect people over 50 throughout their lives. The dataset also includes information about respondents’ children, making it possible to study how individuals are affected by events in the lives of close family members.
“By placing parents’ information at the center of our analysis, we examine the connection between children’s labor market status and parents’ mental health,” says Jordi Gumà-Lao.
The second phase of the project focuses on Spain—a country where the family often plays a complementary role to the welfare state.
“Spain is particularly interesting in our research. The country has experienced high unemployment for a long time, and families play a major role in providing both financial and emotional support. By comparing Spain with other European countries, we can better understand how such structures influence the relationship between children’s working lives and their parents’ health.” says Jordi Gumà-Lao.
I am very happy that this collaboration is so fruitful, and continues to bring results in the form of great publications as well as new research projects
The project has been developed by Jordi Gumà-Lao together with Anna Baranowska-Rataj during his guest research stay at CEDAR. This joint work contributed to setting up a broader collaboration between two excellent research centres: CED ( Centre d'Estudis Demogràfics ) in Barcelona, where Jordi is currently based, and CEDAR (Centre for demography and ageing research) at Umea University. Researchers from both institutions organise regular visits and exchanges, with mutual benefits.
“I am very happy that this collaboration is so fruitful, and continues to bring results in the form of great publications as well as new research projects” says Anna Baranowska-Rataj.
