EMPTYING THE NEST AND PARENTAL WELL-BEING: AN ANALYSIS OF NATIONAL PANEL DATA.

RUNAWAY children; PARENT-child relationships; FAMILY relations; MARITAL satisfaction; FAMILY stability

Panel data from a national random sample are used to investigate the effects of children leaving home on parental well-being. The "empty nest" is associated with significant improvements in marital happiness for all parents, regardless of parent's or children's characteristics. Overall life satisfaction improves significantly only under two conditions: when there is frequent contact with nonresident children or when there were young teens in the 1983 household. For both measures of parental well-being, the positive effects of the empty nest appear to be strongest immediately after the children leave. These findings, coupled with the high levels of post-launching contact, suggest that while parents experience a modest post-launch honeymoon, the parental role remains important to parental well-being. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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