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wu final.pdf (972.18 KB)
ETD Abstract Container
Abstract Header
Living apart together (LAT) in older adulthood
Author Info
Wu, Huijing
Permalink:
http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=bgsu1566408515111424
Abstract Details
Year and Degree
2019, Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.), Bowling Green State University, Sociology.
Abstract
Unmarried older adults have been increasing as a share of the population in recent decades due to changes in patterns of union formation and dissolution. Unmarried older adults may be in a non-residential relationship, which can be either a dating or living apart together (LAT) relationship. Yet, most social science surveys do not measure these relationships. Recent studies have called attention to LAT relationships among older adults. However, scant research examines LAT relationships in the United States using quantitative data. Researchers face challenges in studying LAT relationships, including how to define and measure LAT relationships. It is unclear whether LAT relationships are a new family form for older adults. Using data from the 2011 Wisconsin Longitudinal Study (WLS), this dissertation sheds light on conceptualizing LAT relationships in older adulthood. The WLS has a series of questions about dating behaviors that can be used to differentiate dating and LAT relationships. First, I examined what factors are associated with being in LAT relationships and whether LATs expect to cohabit or marry in the future. Second, I compared social and economic demographic characteristics of LAT relationships to other relationship types. Finally, I estimated how relationship type is linked the psychological well-being of older adults by comparing LATs and other relationship types, including single, dating, cohabitation, remarriage, and first marriage. The findings showed that LATs had different social and economic demographic characteristics than daters and cohabitors in later life. Older adults who were in LAT relationships were reluctant to expect to cohabit or marry in the future. LAT relationships were a long-term and committed relationship for older adults. About 86% of LATs had no expectations to either cohabit or marry. Previous marital experiences were associated with being in LAT relationships. Older adults who were divorced or widowed were more likely to be LATs and less likely to be daters or cohabitors. The psychological well-being of LATs was no worse than that of either cohabitors or married older adults. LAT relationships have unique meaning and benefits for psychological well-being in later life. The results confirmed that LAT relationships are distinct from cohabitation and marriage. This project provides new insights on LAT relationships in older adulthood.
Committee
Susan Brown, Dr. (Advisor)
Paul Morris, Dr. (Other)
Karen Guzzo, Dr. (Committee Member)
I-Fen Lin, Dr. (Committee Member)
Wendy Manning, Dr. (Committee Member)
Pages
148 p.
Subject Headings
Sociology
Keywords
older adults
;
LAT relationships
;
dating
;
expectation of cohabitation
;
expectation of marriage
;
depression
;
psychological well-being
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Refworks
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Citations
Wu, H. (2019).
Living apart together (LAT) in older adulthood
[Doctoral dissertation, Bowling Green State University]. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=bgsu1566408515111424
APA Style (7th edition)
Wu, Huijing.
Living apart together (LAT) in older adulthood.
2019. Bowling Green State University, Doctoral dissertation.
OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center
, http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=bgsu1566408515111424.
MLA Style (8th edition)
Wu, Huijing. "Living apart together (LAT) in older adulthood." Doctoral dissertation, Bowling Green State University, 2019. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=bgsu1566408515111424
Chicago Manual of Style (17th edition)
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Document number:
bgsu1566408515111424
Download Count:
2,089
Copyright Info
© 2019, some rights reserved.
Living apart together (LAT) in older adulthood by Huijing Wu is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License. Based on a work at etd.ohiolink.edu.
This open access ETD is published by Bowling Green State University and OhioLINK.