Co-Residence with Children and the Subjective Well-Being of Older Widowed People in Europe

Emily Grundy, London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE)
Michael Murphy, London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE)

Large changes in the living arrangements of older people, particularly unmarried older people, in Europe, suggest that the association between living arrangements and the well-being of older people needs more attention, as recognised in the Madrid Plan of Action. We investigate associations between the living arrangements of older widowed Europeans, the marital status group who are most likely to have children potentially available with whom to co-reside, and their subjective well-being and examine how these associations vary by European region. Results show that living with children was positively associated with indicators of well-being in Southern and Western Europe, but not in the Nordic region or Eastern Europe.