Families in the Middle and Later Years: A Review and Critique of Research in the 1990s

Key Words: aging, decade review, family gerontology, middle years, older adults. Research on families in the middle and later years came into its own during the 1990s, documenting the complexity, malleability, and variety of older family connections. We examined 908 articles on family gerontology topics, observing 4 trends: Conceptually, an appreciation for pluralism and resilience as individuals and families age is apparent. Theoretically, life course, feminist, socioemotional selectivity, and family solidarity theories are increasingly applied to intergenerational family relations. Methodologically, new interest in qualitative methods for studying diverse groups has improved the depth with which aging studies can account for variability in old age; new quantitative methodologies have allowed greater sophistication in dealing with longitudinal data. Substantively, there is greater understanding of family caregiving, social support, parent-child relationships, marital transitions, and grandparenting relationships. The field is poised to take even greater risks in fulfilling the promise of studying linked lives over time. Research on families in the middle and later years came into its own during the 1990s. Earlier decade reviews of the 1960s (Troll, 1971), 1970s (Streib & Beck, 1980), and 1980s (Brubaker, 1990) chronicled the emergence of family gerontology as an area of inquiry, charting the structures, functions, roles, and interactions associated with aging individuals in families. In the 1990s, a shift occurred in describing the complexity, malleability, and variety of family connections in the second half of life, generating a more complex view of older families. Our aim in this review of a decade of research is to illuminate innovations and themes in a broad subject matter and to interpret directions in which the field is going. OUR APPROACH We examined the titles and abstracts of articles with a relevant family-level focus from 13 social science journals in which family gerontologists routinely publish. Reflecting the multidisciplinary nature of the field, these included journals in family studies (Journal of Marriage and the Family, Family Relations, and Journal of Family Issues), gerontology (The Gerontologist, International Journal of Aging and Human Development, Journal of Aging Studies, Journal of Gerontology: Psychological Sciences, Journal of Gerontology: Social Sciences, Journal of Women and Aging, Psychology and Aging, and Research on Aging) and personal relationships (Journal of Social and Personal Relationships and Personal Relationships). We compiled a list of 908 articles from these publications and identified 30 books on family gerontology topics published over the past 10 years. We also asked six experts on families and aging to nominate works they considered most influential in the 1990s. We coded the predominant theme of each publication (see Table 1). Almost half of the journal articles covered aspects of caregiving or social support, and more than fourfifths of the articles were in the top five categories. There is some overlap in subject matter, but our purpose was to highlight the major substantive focus of the articles to demonstrate the scope of family gerontology research in the 1990s. Several advances characterize the research on midlife and older families in the 1990s. Conceptually, the study of later life families is no longer depicted in monolithic ways. An appreciation for pluralism and resilience as individuals and families age is apparent. The emphasis on difference has expanded from unitary traits to social relations and process, and formerly ignored and stigmatized topics have appeared in the literature. The study of middle aged and older families has been strengthened by the incorporation of life-course and feminist approaches. Theoretical advances created for the specific study of older individuals and families, such as socioemotional selectivity theory and family solidarity theory, have brought greater focus to intergenerational relations over the life span. …