Family Activities Predict Life Satisfaction Among Parents with Adult Children

Life satisfaction represents a universal social goal. Research suggests familiar interactions of diverse types may shape life satisfaction, but questions remain about the valence and importance of variables shaping life satisfaction. We examined the relationships between frequency of shared parent–child activities in early life stages and self-reported parental life-satisfaction after children leave home using a case study of university students’ parents (n = 92). Frequency of shared housework with young children was the most important (p = .004, ηp2 = .10), and positive, predictor of life satisfaction among parents after children left home, and shared religious activities (p = .043, ηp2 = .05) were also a positive predictor. Conversely, the frequency of playing sports with young children was a negative predictor of later life satisfaction among parents (p = .042, ηp2 = .04). We did not detect a relationship for shared visits to parks. Current activity level (p = .001, ηp2 = .13) and income (p = .011, ηp2 = .08) positively predicted life satisfaction. This research highlights novel ways shared family activities may affect later life satisfaction among older parents but requires additional research to assess if and how findings apply in other contexts.