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Innov Aging
Innov Aging
innovateage
Innovation in Aging
2399-5300 Oxford University Press US 

10.1093/geroni/igaa057.1152
igaa057.1152
Abstracts
Session 2945 (Poster)
Caregiving II (BSS)
AcademicSubjects/SOC02600
Patterns of Obligation of Care Among Urban and Rural Americans
Sosa Johanna 1 Esiaka Darlingtina 2 Nwakasi Candidus 3 1 
Union College, Schenectady, New York, United States
2 
Union College, Union College, New York, United States
3 
University of Southern Indiana, Evansville, Indiana, United States
2020 
16 12 2020 
16 12 2020 
4 Suppl 1 Program Abstracts from The GSA 2020 Annual Scientific Meeting “Turning 75: Why Age Matters”358 358
© The Author(s) 2020. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of The Gerontological Society of America.2020This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted reuse, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.Abstract
In recent years, there is concern about the shortage of adult children who are active participants in the care of their older parents (those 65 years and above). Reviewed studies suggest that attitudes towards the provision of care for older parents differ and may depend on ecological affordances. Particularly, demographic changes due to urbanization shape constructions of obligation to provide eldercare. This study examined patterns of filial responsibility and felt obligation of adult children toward their older parents among rural and urban dwellers in the US. Participants (N= 187) responded to questionnaires assessing filial responsibility, felt obligation to parents, and additional social and demographic characteristics. Results show that rural Americans reported higher levels of filial responsibility and felt obligation to older parents. Also, filial responsibility is associated with the felt obligation for contact with parents, avoidance of conflict with parents, provision of assistance and care, self-sufficiency and independence from parents, and sharing of personal experiences with parents. Our findings indicate the existence of cultural ecological contexts that afford a sense of duty, care, and assistance to older parents. We discuss strategies that acknowledge the relevance of these factors in promoting participation in eldercare.