Being a mother’s favorite child does not guarantee better mental health, new research from Purdue University finds.
Contrary to common assumptions, adult children who believe they are the most emotionally close to their mothers report higher levels of depressive symptoms. Jill Suitor, a professor of sociology, explains that perceiving oneself as the closest child can bring emotional costs: “There is a cost for those who perceive they are the closest emotionally to their mothers, and these children report higher depressive symptoms, as do those who experience the greatest conflict with their mothers or who believe they are the children in whom their mothers are the most disappointed.”
The study, published in the Journal of Gerontology: Social Sciences, draws on the first two waves of the Within-Family Differences Study. Researchers collected data seven years apart from 725 adult children across 309 families. At the study’s outset in 2001, participating mothers were between 65 and 75 years old. The analysis focused on four central dimensions of maternal differentiation: emotional closeness, conflict, maternal pride, and maternal disappointment.
Megan Gilligan, an assistant professor in human development and family studies at Iowa State University and a former Purdue graduate student, highlights two likely mechanisms behind this pattern. Favored children who are closest emotionally to their mothers often face heightened sibling tension and stronger obligations to provide emotional care for aging mothers. Either factor can raise stress and contribute to depressive symptoms.
The research team explored racial differences as well. Prior studies have documented stronger family closeness in later life among Black families, so the researchers examined whether maternal favoritism and its psychological effects varied by race. Approximately one-quarter of the families in this sample were Black. “Our findings indicate that Black adult children were particularly distressed when they perceived themselves, rather than their siblings, to be the children in whom their mothers were most disappointed,” Suitor said.
This project was funded by the National Institute on Aging. The research is co-authored by Karl Pillemer, professor of human development at Cornell University, along with graduate student collaborators Siyun Peng and Jong Hyun Jung from Purdue’s Department of Sociology.
Source: Amy Patterson Neubert – Purdue University
Image Source: Public domain image
Original Research: Abstract for “Role of Perceived Maternal Favoritism and Disfavoritism in Adult Children’s Psychological Well-Being” by J. Jill Suitor, Megan Gilligan, Siyun Peng, Jong Hyun Jung, and Karl Pillemer in Journal of Gerontology: Social Sciences. Published online October 6, 2015.
Abstract
Role of Perceived Maternal Favoritism and Disfavoritism in Adult Children’s Psychological Well-Being
Objectives: Prior research has documented harmful effects of parents’ differential treatment during childhood, but less is known about whether similar dynamics matter in midlife. Drawing on theories of equity and social comparison, the study tested whether adult children’s psychological well-being is influenced by their perceptions that mothers treat some offspring differently within the family and by their belief that they personally are favored or disfavored. The research also examined whether these patterns vary by race.
Method: The analysis used multilevel regression models applied to data from 725 adult children nested within 309 later-life families, collected as part of the Within-Family Differences Study II. Data were gathered in two waves spaced seven years apart, with mothers aged 65–75 at the study’s start.
Results: Higher depressive symptoms were associated with adult children’s perceptions of being the most emotionally close to their mothers and with perceptions of experiencing the greatest conflict with mothers. Depressive symptoms were also elevated among respondents who identified themselves as the children in whom their mothers were most disappointed.
Discussion: These findings illuminate how intergenerational relationships influence psychological well-being in midlife by using adult children’s own reports of perceived maternal favoritism and disfavoritism. The results indicate that the negative association between maternal differential treatment and well-being is stronger in Black families than in White families. Overall, the patterns are consistent with social comparison processes: adult children’s perceptions of being favored or disfavored within the family are linked to their mental health outcomes in midlife.
“Role of Perceived Maternal Favoritism and Disfavoritism in Adult Children’s Psychological Well-Being” by J. Jill Suitor, Megan Gilligan, Siyun Peng, Jong Hyun Jung, and Karl Pillemer in Journal of Gerontology: Social Sciences. Published online October 6, 2015.