# MIGRATION AND THE PROXIMITY OF ELDERLY TO THEIR CHILDREN

> **NIH NIH R01** · SYRACUSE UNIVERSITY AT SYRACUSE · 1992 · $97,046

## Abstract

The focus of this project is on the spatial distribution of kin both as a
determinant of and as a consequence of migration behavior.  Research on the
family life of the elderly notes the importance of the proximity of their
children.  Nearby children have more frequent contact with their parents.
Moreover, a nearby child is a more likely source of personal care and
assistance with household tasks, both routine and extraordinary, than is a
distant child.  Some research suggests that social support activities by
children on behalf of their parents improves the health and even the
longevity of the elderly.  There is also evidence that social support such
as that provided by adult children delays or reduces the probability of
institutionalization among the elderly.

The spatial distribution of family members is also an important factor in
migration decisions.  Theoretical discussions, including numerous attempts
to classify moves by the elderly into a few generic types, note the
importance of moves whose intent is to bring the elderly closer to their
children, or to join their household.

This study will investigate the proximity of kin in two ways.  First, we
will estimate models of cross-sectional indicators of the proximity of
older parents and their children.  Cross-sectional patterns of proximity
are important intervening variables between kin availability and several
dimensions of intergenerational relations such as coresidence, personal
care and assistance, and social contact and support.  These models will use
data from the National Survey of Families and Households and the National
Long Term Care Survey, and will include models of the joint proximity of
elderly parent(s) and all their children.  Second, we will model the
reciprocal relationships between parent-child spatial proximity and
migration, taking into account the migration behavior of both parents and
their children.  This model will use longitudinal data from the PSID,
merged with geographic detail from the U.S. Bureau of the Census.  Key life
cycle events--departure from the parental home, marital status transitions,
childbearing, retirement, the death of a spouse, and so on--will be
interwoven with the mobility/proximity dynamics.  Throughout the analysis
we will distinguish between coresident parent-child pairs, and
non-coresident but proximate parent-child pairs.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 3122211
- **Project number:** 7R01AG010255-02
- **Recipient organization:** SYRACUSE UNIVERSITY AT SYRACUSE
- **Principal Investigator:** DOUGLAS A WOLF
- **Activity code:** R01 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 1992
- **Award amount:** $97,046
- **Award type:** 7
- **Project period:** 1992-02-15 → 1994-12-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/3122211

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 3122211, MIGRATION AND THE PROXIMITY OF ELDERLY TO THEIR CHILDREN (7R01AG010255-02). Retrieved via MORVS 2026-10-25 from https://api.morvs.ai/grant/nih/3122211. Licensed CC0.

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