Generational Attitudes
Larry Ganong
Consider this scenario: Grandma has broken her hip. She faces a long rehabilitation. She may need help. Should Grandma’s younger family members come to her aid? The answer depends on whom you ask.
In a three-year study of more than 3,500 adults spanning an array of geographic, religious, demographic and cultural backgrounds, nursing Professor Larry Ganong discovered some surprising results. While younger generations feel obliged to assist older kin, people age 65 and older don’t necessarily share that expectation.
“Older Americans are a pretty independent group,” Ganong says. “They’ve survived a lot—the Great Depression, World War II. And we know from some previous research that older adults think differently about relationships than younger people do.”
Ganong recalls his own mother and her desire to maintain her independence even at the risk of her own safety.
“Trying to convince her to give up driving meant she would be giving up a degree of autonomy, and that was very hard for her to accept,” he says.
Having spent a large portion of his career studying divorce, remarriage and stepfamily relationships, Ganong notes the differences in attitudes between the generations are consistent regardless of the genetic bond between family members. There were no statistically significant differences based on other cultural or demographic factors.
The study used six different experimental designs in order to ensure accuracy and employed telephone surveyors from the MU School of Journalism to question randomly chosen subjects across the country.
While Ganong is preparing his results for publication, he does not plan to add to his book credits based on this study. Instead, he and his wife, Marilyn Coleman, an MU professor of human development and family studies, are writing a book chronicling the history of American families in the 20th century.
“We’re reviewing a lot of early 20th century books and magazines. I can say that views have definitely changed a lot,” he adds with a chuckle.
As he completes his current publications, Ganong already is focusing on his next project. A smaller national study of 1,000 individuals will explore the concept of blame in relation to the need for assistance and associated beliefs about providing such assistance in a family context.
“There are a lot of data out there about blame in terms of helping strangers or acquaintances, primarily based on college student populations,” Ganong explains. “We’re going to look at blame attribution in the family context.”
If the findings of Ganong’s recent study about obligations to older kin provide any indication, he may be in for a few more surprises before he’s done—surprises that will help in understanding what makes families tick and how they function in the 21st century and beyond.