Elderly differential resources and patterns of intergenerational exchange.

The relationships between personal resources of elderly parents and intergenerational interactions were studied. On the basis of a fourfold typology of intergenerational exchange, it was hypothesized that the amount of parents' resources, including familial, economic, physical and cognitive resources, would be differentially related to three exchange types: instrumental aid, shared leisure, and affective relations. Data were collected from 145 Jewish elderly persons residing in the community, through structured personal interviews, and analyzed by a stepwise multiple regression procedure. The findings show the multidimensionality of intergenerational bonds, and support the hypothesis that the amount of personal resources is positively related to expressive interactions and inversely to instrumental aid.