[Responsibilities of elderly support: normative expectations with regard of ex-spouses and step-children].
This study compares the normative expectations of 1315 Québécois survey-takers about the responsibilities of spouses and ex-spouses, on the one hand, and adult children and stepchildren, on the other hand, regarding the support they are to offer an elderly family member with incapacities. The comments of survey-takers in relation to fictional yet concrete scenario descriptions provided a basis with which to identify respondents' expectations along with the social factors surrounding these expectations. The results of this survey suggest that the nature and scale of support-related expectations vary according to the family tie with elderly relative. Expectations toward spouses are high and unmitigated, whereas expectations toward ex-spouses and adult stepchildren appear to be limited. Expectations toward adult children are more pronounced than those exhibited toward stepchildren. Where offspring are specifically concerned, expectations are strongly influenced by the given context; for this category of survey-taker, the demands of support should not interfere with their family life and career.
Centre de recherche et d'expertise de gérontologie sociale, CSSS Cavendish/CAU, 5800 Boul. Cavendish, suite 600, Côte-St-Luc, Quebec H4W 2T5, Canada. nicolas.rousseau@umontreal.ca
Nicolas
N
Rousseau
Jean-Pierre
JP
Lavoie
Nancy
N
Guberman
Michel
M
Fournier
François
F
Béland
Lise
L
Grenier
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D032721:Adult Children; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000375:Aging; D017028:Caregivers; D016241:Child of Impaired Parents / Q000523:psychology*; D015331:Cohort Studies; D006233:Persons with Disabilities; D005260:Female; D015577:Geriatric Assessment; D006306:Health Surveys; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010287:Parent-Child Relations; D012944:Social Support; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D018454:Spouses; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires