Parental Care Receipt from Adult Children: A Typology Based on the UK Household Longitudinal Study

Edward Pomeroy , University of St Andrews
Francesca Fiori, University of Strathclyde
Giorgio Di Gessa, University College London
Katherine Keenan, University of St Andrews

As populations age, understanding the nature of informal care received by older adults is increasingly important, particularly from adult children, who play a crucial role in supporting their ageing parents. However, existing research has largely overlooked the diversity in the care and support received by older adults, often using general measures that do not distinguish between different types of care receipt. To address this gap, we draw on data from Wave 7 (2015-2017) of the UK Household Longitudinal Study and employ latent class analysis to develop a typology of parental care receipt from adult children. Using eight indicators of care receipt, including types of domestic support and personal care, we identify five distinct typologies of care receipt among older adult parents: (1) Comprehensive receivers, who receive support across all care and support tasks; (2) Moderate receivers with care needs, who primarily receive support with domestic tasks and report limitations in daily functioning; (3) Moderate receivers without care needs, who receive the same patterns of support but without reported functional limitations; (4) Low receivers with care needs, who receive minimal support across care tasks but report limitations in daily functioning; (5) Low receivers without care needs, those who don’t report functional limitations and receive minimal support. Multinomial logistic regression showed that Comprehensive receivers were more likely to be older and live alone, while Low receivers without care needs were typically younger and partnered. This typology provides evidence to support policymakers in planning and evaluating care provision for an ageing population.

See extended abstract

 Presented in Session 104. Flash Session Caregiving Patterns, Determinants and Consequences