Intergenerational solidarity with digital communication and psychological well‐being among older parents during the COVID‐19 pandemic

Abstract

We aimed to identify intergenerational solidarity (emotional closeness, in‐person contact, phone contact, geographic proximity, consensus, and conflict) with digital communication (texting, video call, and social media interaction) with adult children among older parents during the COVID‐19 pandemic. In addition, we aimed to investigate whether intergenerational solidarity with digital communication latent classes were associated with older parents' psychological well‐being. We used the 2022 survey of the Longitudinal Study of Generations (LSOG). The sample consisted of 519 older parents who reported about 1245 adult children. Two‐level latent class analysis identified six classes at the child level (Level 1: distant but digitally connected, tight‐knit and digitally connected, tight‐knit traditional, detached, intimate but distant, and sociable). In addition, the analysis identified three classes at the parent level (Level 2: digitally connected, mixed, and intimate but distant). Results of multivariate regression showed that older parents in the digitally connected latent class had better psychological well‐being than those in the mixed latent class. Consequently, our finding indicates that digital solidarity with adult children can be beneficial for older parents' psychological well‐being during the COVID‐19 pandemic.