What you give you get, or not? The effects of intergenerational family solidarity on subjective well-being

Much attention has been focused on intergenerational relations and family cultures as these developments are, amongst others, related to important socio-demographic changes creating a new reality for families in Europe. Thus, solidarity and mutual support between adult children and their older parents are of particular interest as the exchange and “amount” of mutual support between both generations might gain importance for the well-being of each family member. Additionally, the specific context of migration can arouse special needs in terms of intergenerational support. The current study presents a cross-cultural comparison between
Luxembourgish native and Portuguese migrant families, all living in Luxembourg. Quantitative data (n = 118 family triads) gathered by means of standardised questionnaires as well as qualitative data (n = 20 family dyads) collected with face-to-face interviews underlie the discussed results. Regardless of the culture, quantitative results show a higher provided social support from parents to children than the received one. However, PT children reported receiving as much as providing social support to their parents, while LU children reported receiving more support than the one they give. Further analyses will be carried out in order to differentiate between different kinds of support (financial, instrumental and emotional) making use of quantitative as well as qualitative data. Implications regarding family solidarity will be discussed in order to highlight similarities and differences between and within cultures and family generations.