Latent Class Analysis of Childhood and Later-Life Relationships with Parents

Demographic and family changes have extended the years of shared lives across generations, especially between older parents and their adult children. However, there has been a lack of attention to life course factors that explain how early childhood experiences, such as childhood maltreatment, shape the pattern and quality of relationships with parents in late adulthood. The current study aims to close this research gap in two important ways. First, we sought to identify the latent classes of childhood and later-life relationship qualities with parents. Second, we examined whether membership in specific latent classes would be associated with psychological functioning of adult children.  

Using data from the 2004 Wisconsin Longitudinal Study, we employed the Bolck, Croon, and Hagenaars (BCH) approach of latent class analysis (LCA). We created two different study samples: 1) adult children with living mothers where we included latent class indicators of maternal childhood abuse and neglect and current relationship qualities with mothers (n = 1,408), 2) adult children with living fathers where we include latent class indicators of paternal childhood abuse and neglect and current relationship qualities with fathers (n = 375). In the relationship with mothers sample, five latent classes were identified. The Tight-knit class corresponded to 26% of adult children who reported high probabilities of emotional closeness, contact, and support exchange with mothers and very low probabilities of maternal abuse and neglect. The Obligatory class (26%) reported high probabilities of contact and support giving to mothers, low probabilities of emotional closeness, and very low probabilities of maternal abuse and neglect. The Intimate but Distant class (37%) reported moderate probabilities of contact and emotional closeness, low probabilities of support exchange, and very low probabilities of maternal abuse and neglect. The Abused and Resilient class (8%) reported moderate-high probabilities of maternal physical abuse and moderate-high probabilities of contact and support exchange. The Maltreated and Detached class (4%) showed high probabilities of childhood maltreatment and very low probabilities of current relationship qualities with mothers. Overall, adult children in the Maltreated and Detached class showed negative psychological functioning outcomes (i.e., depressive and somatic symptoms) than those in the Tight-knit class. In the relationships with fathers sample, six latent classes were identified (prevalence rates): Tight-Knit (34%), Obligatory (17%), Non-abused and Detached (13%), Intimate but Distant (21%), Abused and Resilient (8%), and Maltreated and Detached (8%). The Non-abused and Detached class showed low probabilities of childhood maltreatment and overall current relationship qualities with aging fathers. These latent classes did not predict psychological functioning outcomes of adult children.

Our findings suggest that past victimization may affect the later-life relationship with the perpetrating parent, which could have significant implications for adult children’s psychological functioning, especially in their relationship with aging mothers. The emphasis in practice should be on addressing adult children’s any unresolved issues with their abusive parent. Further research will be needed to develop concrete intervention strategies for these individuals by identifying individual and contextual characteristics associated with relational and psychological resilience.