Does Having an Only Child Affect the Health and Well-Being of Older Adults? - Research Findings Summary

Sep 29, 2026

Uploaded by Stanford

Loneliness and depression substantially influence older adults’ health, well-being, and life satisfaction, yet the roles of gender and number of children are not well established. This study evaluates how loneliness and depression affect life satisfaction and self-reported health, treating gender (male vs. female) and children count (one vs. more than one) as moderators. Using Wave 14 (2018) Health and Retirement Study data (N=5,443), bivariate correlations and blocked regressions assess relationships, while moderation is tested with PROCESS Macro in SPSS.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryHealthcare

FormatPDF

Pages1

Reading Time3 min

AccessFree to download

Abstract

Research question and moderators

Data and analysis methods

Key findings and implications

FAQs

How do loneliness and depression relate to older adults’ outcomes in this study?

Higher loneliness and depression scores are associated with lower life satisfaction and poorer self-reported health.

Does having more than one child influence life satisfaction?

Yes. After controlling for key variables, having more than one child is positively associated with life satisfaction.

What moderation effects were observed for gender?

Gender moderates the relationship between loneliness and self-reported health, with a stronger effect for females than males.

Sep 29, 2026

Uploaded by Stanford