Adult Children's Education and Physiological Dysregulation Among Older Parents

Objectives: Despite growing awareness that children's education benefits the health of older parents, the underlying mechanisms of this relationship are not well-understood. We investigated (a) the associations between children's education and biological functioning of parents, (b) psychosocial and behavioral factors that explain the associations, and (c) gendered patterns in the associations. Methods: Using longitudinal data from a nationally representative sample of older Taiwanese, we performed mediation analysis of the association between adult children's education and physiological dysregulation of their parents. Results: Offspring's schooling is inversely associated with parental inflammation after controlling for parental socioeconomic status and baseline health. Parents who have well-educated children report higher social standing and life satisfaction, experience fewer stressful events, and are more likely to engage in healthy behaviors related to smoking and diet. These factors moderately attenuate the associations between children's education and parental inflammation. There is no conclusive evidence that mothers and fathers benefit differently from having well-educated children. Discussion: Parents who devote family and personal resources to their offspring's schooling may have better biological profiles in later life. Well-educated children may promote their parents' wellbeing by strengthening perceived social status, reducing exposure to stressors, and encouraging a healthy lifestyle.