The Spatial Separation of Parents and Their Adult Children

Abstract In this paper, we examine the distribution of distances between adult children and their parents in the U.S. We make use of the 1987 National Survey of Families and Households to first describe the distance distribution. We then suggest that the spatial separation between parents and their adult children varies with location and with demographic and socioeconomic characteristics. The results of multiple regression analyses indicate that adult children that (1) are single, (2) have high levels of education, (3) have residential locations in the western U.S., and (4) have an active mobility history are associated with greater degrees of spatial separation from their parents. Age is also a significant factor, with older adult children residing at greater distances from their parents. Life-cycle events are thus seen to play an important role in understanding separation distances. In the paper, we discuss the implications for intergenerational caregiving and support, particularly in light of the aging and the migration of the baby-boom generation.