The study of 633 parents and their 1,251 adult children was part of a program on social relationships and well-being presented here on the opening day of the American Psychological Association's annual meeting, where about 12,600 psychological professionals gathered.
"If you think your kid is a problem, it's going to make you unhappy," says co-author Kira Birditt, a research assistant professor at the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor.
The new study of middle-aged parents -- with an average age of 50 for the parents and 25 for the kids -- found that having even one child with physical, emotional, lifestyle or behavioral problems negatively affected parents' mental health. That held true even if the other kids were successful; just having a successful child wasn't associated with better well-being, the researchers found.
In the study, parents rated their kids' achievements in relationships, family life, education and career and they compared their child to their peers. Parents responded to questions about their own psychological well-being, their relationship with their kids and whether each of the children had problems, such as drinking or drugs, illegal activities, divorce or serious relationship issues.
The study found that 68% of parents had at least one grown child with at least one such problem in the last two years. At the same time, almost half (49%) said at least one of their children was highly successful; 60% said they had a mix of successful and not as successful children; 17% said they had no children with problems; 15% had no children with higher than average life achievements.
Source: Sharon Jayson, USA TODAY
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