Family relationships of older, rural women: Stability and change

The purpose of the study was to examine stability and change in family interaction patterns (availability, interaction, and assistance) of older, rural women as they moved from young-old to late old age. Women (N = 96) were interviewed at two times, twelve years apart. Although there were family network losses, most notably loss of spouse and siblings, family availability and contact showed more stability than change. By late old age, the women were receiving significantly more help from adult children relative to what they gave. Proximity of the adult child was most salient as a predictor of help received from children at both Times 1 and 2. Quality of the adult child relationship was higher for women who received more types of help from adult children at Time 2. The findings suggest that with loss of family members, proximate kin may take up the slack in providing support to rural women of advanced age.