This research involves a 10-year follow-up of three-generation families, and the launching of 18-month time-series assessments, to examine the impact of family support on health-related crises. The major research questions are: (1) How does family support (reflected in six aspects or """"""""solidarity"""""""") change over time? (2) To what extent are there changes in measures of mental health (seen in individual resources of incapacity that imply effective functioning) in the early, middle and later years of adulthood? (3) What is the relationship between family social support and mental health over time? Does the positive cross-sectional relationship between these two variables continue to be mainfest in longitudinal assessments; how does family solidarity at one point in time predict coping with and adaptation to health-related crises that occur subsequently? Data to be collected will come from respondents to a 1973 study involving 516 elderly parents (G1, average age 67), their 701 middle-aged children or children-in-law (G2, average age 42 in 1973), and their 846 grandchildren (average age 19). The 1973 (T-1) data were obtained from two lengthy (1-1/2 hour) questionnaires mailed to members of three-generation families, sampled from membership lists of a large (840,000) prepaid medical health plan. It is estimated that 1,782 individuals and 303 primary G1-G2-G3 triads will have survived since 1973; an estimated 622 additional G3 spouses will yield a total sample of 2,416. These will be the T-2 and T-3 survey recipients. Two types of data will be collected and analyzed. The quantitative data will be comprised of comparable questionnaire batteries to enable 10-year (T-1 vs. T-2) and 18-month (T-2 vs. T-3) contrasts. Qualitative data (clinical/in-depth interviews) from families experiencing health crises (n=45) and matched controls (n=25) will focus on the process of family adaptation to health crises. Both types of data will reflect these constructs of family solidarity: self-concept; life events; depression; locus of control; health-related crises; and perceived changes in family relations.
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