Midlife Children's and Older Mothers' Depressive Symptoms: Empathic Mother-Child Relationships as a Key Moderator

Objective This study aimed to evaluate the link between midlife children's and older mothers' depressive symptoms, whether this link is exacerbated in highly empathic mother-child relationships (i.e., shared strong feelings of being loved, cared for, and understood in the mother-child tie), and whether these associations vary by children's gender. Background Empathic mother-child relationships in later life may intensify the link between midlife children's and older mothers' depressive symptoms. Yet little is known about the emotional implications of the mother-child tie for midlife daughters and sons. Method The sample included 234 midlife children (M = 49.75 years) and their mothers (M = 75.27 years) from Wave 1 of the Family Exchanges Study. Linear regressions were estimated to determine the link between midlife children's and older mothers' depressive symptoms and the potential moderating role of highly empathic mother-child relationships. Results Midlife children had greater depressive symptoms when their mothers had greater depressive symptoms in the context of highly empathic mother-child relationships. This association was not moderated by children's gender. Conclusion These findings underscore the enduring emotional salience of the mother-child tie and emphasize the importance of relationship characteristics that may heighten the link between midlife children's and their mothers' depressive symptoms. Implications Interventions to prevent or treat depressive symptoms among midlife adults may benefit from accounting for the role that their mothers' depressive symptoms might play in maintaining these symptoms, particularly when mother-child ties are highly empathic.