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The long-term consequences of partnership dissolution for support in later life in the United Kingdom

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  03 November 2008

KAREN GLASER ,
RACHEL STUCHBURY ,
CECILIA TOMASSINI  and
JANET ASKHAM
KAREN GLASER*
Affiliation:
Institute of Gerontology, School of Social Science and Public Policy, King's College London, UK.
RACHEL STUCHBURY
Affiliation:
Institute of Gerontology, School of Social Science and Public Policy, King's College London, UK.
CECILIA TOMASSINI
Affiliation:
Department of Economic and Social Sciences, University of Molise, Campobasso, Italy.
JANET ASKHAM
Affiliation:
School of Social Science and Public Policy, King's College London, UK.
*
Address for correspondence: Karen Glaser, Institute of Gerontology, King's College London, Melbourne House, Strand, London WC2R 2LS. E-mail: karen.glaser@kcl.ac.uk
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Abstract

There has long been an interest in the United Kingdom about whether and how changes in family life affect support for older people, but nevertheless the consequences of partnership dissolution for late-life support have been little researched. Using data from the British Household Panel Study (1991–2003), this study investigated the longitudinal association between partnership dissolution and two types of support for 1,966 people aged 70 or more years: (i) informal support from children in the form of contacts and help (e.g. household assistance including care), and (ii) formal support from community care services (i.e. health visitor or district nurse, home-help and meals-on-wheels). The paper also examines the level of reported support among: (i) all parents aged 70 or more years and (ii) 1,453 unpartnered parents in the same age group (i.e. those lacking the most important source of support in later life: a spouse). We found diversity in the experience of partnership dissolution in the past lives of people aged 70 or more years. Patterns of support varied by the respondent's age, whether partnered, the timing and type of partnership dissolution, and by gender, having a daughter and health status. Overall, however, partnership dissolution did not show the expected detrimental relationship with later-life support. Health needs and increasing age were strongly associated with increases in contact and informal and formal help, regardless of family history.

Keywords

partnership dissolutionolder peopledivorcesupportcommunity care services
Type
Research Article
Information
Ageing & Society , Volume 28 , Issue 3 , April 2008 , pp. 329 - 351
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2008

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