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The Empty Nest Syndrome: Ways toEnhance Quality of LifeDianbing Chen a , Xinxiao Yang a & Steve Dale Aagard aa College of Education, University of Wyoming , Laramie , Wyoming ,USAPublished online: 29 May 2012.

To cite this article: Dianbing Chen , Xinxiao Yang & Steve Dale Aagard (2012) The Empty NestSyndrome: Ways to Enhance Quality of Life, Educational Gerontology, 38:8, 520-529, DOI:10.1080/03601277.2011.595285

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The Empty Nest Syndrome: Ways to EnhanceQuality of Life

Dianbing Chen, Xinxiao Yang, and Steve Dale Aagard

College of Education, University of Wyoming, Laramie, Wyoming, USA

Empty nest syndrome occurs as a result of urbanization and loosened relationships among family

members. It may threaten the life quality of older adults and stability of society as a whole. This

survey was designed to investigate the situation and factors that influence the life quality of a sample

of older adults in a western state. Thirty-five respondents completed surveys that included questions

relating to quality of life and living conditions of older adults living in the empty nest. This study

showed that although most of the people did not live with their family members, the relationship with

their family members appeared to greatly influence their life quality. It also showed the healthier they

were and the more activities they participated in, the higher their life qualities were.

With increasing life expectancy and declining fertility rates, the world is witnessing the process

of population aging. It is suggested by different researchers and surveys that the total number of

older adults (defined as 60 years of age and over) is expected to be over 1.2 billion by the year

2025—and to reach the 2 billion mark by around 2050 (Table 1). Rapid increases in the absolute

and relative numbers of older people in both developing and developed countries have been

observed. In 2000, for the first time, there were more people aged 60 and over than children

under 5 in a number of countries (Population Division of the Department of Economic and Social

Affairs of the United Nations Secretariat, 2003).

Among those older adults, there are a special group called empty nest old people who live

alone when one or all of their children leave home (some of them do not have children). The

empty nest phenomenon has become more prevalent in our modern society as the traditional

extended family is becoming less of a reality than that of the past; and today many old adults

are left living by themselves while the children are working far away from home seeking their

own future and dream. With too many adults having no family to care for them or about them

when they are in sickness, in trouble, and in poverty, they have to go it alone, and their very

aloneness makes their situation potentially more tragic (Silverstone & Hyman, 2008).

Empty nest syndrome occurs and threatens the life quality of older adults and the stability of

the society as a whole. On the one hand, it impedes older adults’ ability to increase their life

quality because it reflects the negative relationships among the family members and shows that

those older adults are living an unhappy life with depression. On the other hand, population

Address correspondence to Dianbing Chen, University of Wyoming, College of Education, Laramie, WY 82070.

E-mail: dchen4@uwyo.edu

Educational Gerontology, 38: 520–529, 2012

Copyright # Taylor & Francis Group, LLC

ISSN: 0360-1277 print / 1521-0472 online

DOI: 10.1080/03601277.2011.595285

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aging and empty nest syndrome together could be compared to a silent revolution that will

impact on all aspects of society such as relationship among family members, government

policies, and organizations that provide service to the older adults.

Empty nest syndromes result from urbanization and loosened relationship between family

members. Also, urbanization currently is regarded as a major global phenomenon that

contributes to the low quality of the empty nest older adults. While in 1960 only 30% of the

world’s population was living in urban areas, it is now nearly 50%. By 2030 it is likely that more

than 80% of the population of North America, Europe, Australia, and Latin America will be

living in urban areas (Quadagno, 2008).

Urbanization will inevitably affect the quality of life of the older adults because it will poten-

tially leave them isolated in rural areas as the younger generations are attracted by the opportu-

nities in urban settings. Because of isolation, the relationship between older adults and their

children will be reduced and the tradition of being supported by children will be challenged.

Empty nest older adults need to learn the way how to lead a life without assistance from their

children: to live independently and not with their children or in a nursing home. Moreover,

according to the theory of intergenerational solidarity, families adjust their living arrangements

over time to reflect the changing needs and resources of different generations (Spitze & Logan,

1990). Early in the life course, the economic needs of adult children determine their proximity to

their parents. Later in the life course, the parents’ economic and health needs more strongly

influence how close the children live to them (Silverstein & Litwak, 1993). However, urbaniza-

tion in modern society stops this adjustment and inevitably leads to looser relationships among

family members. When all the family members locate themselves with geographical distance,

providing shared consistent care to the older adult(s) is almost impossible.

LITERATURE REVIEW

Although previous research seldom focused on older adults in the empty nest, it goes without

saying that to enhance the life quality of the empty nest, both the family, government, and social

organizations are involved.

The relationships among the family members, especially children-parent and marriage

relationships, will greatly influence life quality because they live together for a long year. Posi-

tive parent-child relationships increase psychological and physical well-being. Older parents

who have close relationships with their adult children are less likely than those who do not to

TABLE 1

Number of Older Persons (60þ, in millions) by World Region Today and Projections

2000 2025 2050

More developed countries 232 344 394

Less developed countries 375 836 1514

World (million) 606 1180 1908

Source: Population Division of the Department of Economic an Social Affairs of the United

Nations Secretariat (2003).

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be depressed or lonely. They have higher morale and a higher life satisfaction (Dean, Kolodny,

& Wood, 1990). In addition, later in the life course, the parents’ economic and health needs are

more strongly influenced in terms of how close their children live to them (Silverstein & Litwak,

1993; Spitze & Logan, 1990). Furthermore, Taylor, Keith, and Tucker (1993) observed that mar-

ried people reported greater well-being than unmarried people, and they enjoyed better health

and lower mortality. Moreover, when it comes to long-term caregivers, adult children—who

served as 45% of primary caregivers—are most likely to provide care to their aging parents,

followed by a wife (23%) and a husband (13%) (Rein & Salzman, 1995).

However, as Johnson, Bengtson, Coleman, and Kirkwood (2005) reported, today, adults can

have more parents than children, which results from increased longevity and decreased fertility

and is further exacerbated by divorce and remarriage. This process alters the length of time spent

in specific family roles and leads to the emergence of adult children as the generational bridge

between grandchildren and grandparents. Obviously, to enhance the life quality of older adults, it

is impossible to rely fully and overwhelmingly on the family members because they have their

own lives to live and their own children to bring up. For the above reasons, in 2002, member

states of the United Nations (UN) began to act and collaborate at the level of countries. The

UN adopted the International Action Plan on Aging and called on governments to improve

elders’ quality of life. The elaborate network of programs provided by the government and their

impact on the lives of the older adults, their families, and larger society means a lot to the older

adults in the empty nest. Social Security provides the elderly with an independent income, so

their children do not have to support them. And long-term care services enable some of the frail

elderly to live independently in the community rather than with relatives or in a nursing home

(Quadagno, 2008).

Carroll Esters (1979) discussed a variation on the dependency theme with her exploration of

aging enterprise— the collection of professionals and business, supported by the state, and serv-

ing older people. Through criticizing the age-segregated policies that fueled the aging enterprise

as socially divisive solutions that single out, stigmatize, and isolate the aged from the rest of

society, she formed her idea of creating a way in which people seemed to be treated as commodi-

ties within the welfare system. Moreover, when it comes to social and government programs,

available findings suggest social class and economic position influence all aspects of care pro-

vision. This includes needs for care to be provided, for access to informal and formal resources

for securing such care, for the settings within which care is made available, and for the types and

levels of care provided, as well as the implications of care provision (Arber & Ginn, 1993;

Glaser & Grunndy, 2002).

Two additional related factors that determine the life quality for older adults in the empty nest

are their personality and level of social participation. Personality theorists who have studied aging

focus on two questions. First, how does an aging individual cope with life events typically

encountered in old age? Second, how can an aging individual develop and maintain a positive

self-image despite obstacles like illness that may accompany aging? (Ruth & Coleman, 1996).

According to Wan (1985), the life style developed in the preretirement stage has more influence

on social participation than major role losses and other deteriorative changes experienced in old

age. Moreover, David and Tomb (1984) mentioned that most elderly who remain active, inter-

ested, and happy find ways to work around whatever declines they experience. They do not

submit to old age but consider it a hurdle to be overcome. The elderly should schedule their time

carefully and conserve their energy, which will motivate important activities of interest.

522 D. CHEN ET AL.

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Although there is considerable research on quality life of older adults and how to improve

their life quality, few studies have examined the empty nest syndrome. Duvall (1962) suggested

an eight-stage model of the life cycle. He pointed out that the family circle begins at Stage 1

when a couple marries. Stages 2 through 6 reflect the phases of childbearing and childrearing,

starting from the birth of the first child and ending when the children begin leaving home. Stage

7 is the empty nest or postparental stage. Stage 8 is that of aging families, when one or both

spouses have retired. Except for Duvall, limited research has been conducted in this area and

further research is warranted.

PURPOSE OF THE STUDY

The overall objective of this survey was to explore, describe, and analyze the perceptions of a

sample of older adults in the empty nest situation in a western state. The study was then to identify

the factors that might enhance their living conditions and living satisfaction of the empty nesters.

The intent of this research is to better understand the main factors that influence the life

quality of the older adults with empty nest syndrome. Knowledge of these factors may be of

great value as we seek to provide geriatric and supportive services to older members of our

society.

RESEARCH QUESTIONS

The survey research report focused on the following research questions:

1. What are the factors that influence the living conditions of the older adults in the

sample?

2. What are the factors that affect the living satisfaction of the older adults in the empty

nest in the sample?

METHODS

Participants and Procedure

Based on the knowledge learned from the research class, we developed our own questionnaire to

collect information from two different settings in a western state. Also, assistance was provided

by Dr. Steve Aagard, who read, provided feedback, and then revised the survey (see Appendix).

The current questionnaire (see Table 2) is comprised of three sections: (a) living conditions of

older adults, (b) living satisfactions of older adults, and (c) demographic information. We also

adopted a six-point Likert type scale format (1¼ strongly disagree to 6¼ strongly agree).The population for this research included older adults from two settings. The first setting was

the local senior center, which is a government funded, nonprofit institution for older adults in the

state. The second setting was a university center where more than 10 older adults were working.

Most of the population were retired Americans, and some were soon to retire within the coming

year at an average age of 55 (the ages ranged from 50 to 93). Data were collected by

questionnaires completed by 35 older adults in both settings.

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We did not employ randomized sampling techniques in selecting the participants because that

approach would make it pretty difficult to obtain enough older adults to respond the

questionnaire. We used convenient sampling and contacted the older adults we were able to have

access to. We went to the local senior center during the lunch time and, eventually, we collected

28 valid copies of the survey from there. We also went to the university food and service center

to survey the older adults. Ultimately, we got 35 valid copies out of 50.

RESULTS

A total 35 valid surveys were returned for a 70% response rate. The respondents consisted of

older adults who were residents in this western state with an average age of 75.94

(SD¼ 11.93): the youngest age was 57 and the oldest was 93. Among the respondents,

42.1% were female and 57.9% were male. Concerning the education level, 36.8% graduated

from high school, 42.1% received college education, and 12.1% had a bachelor’s degree or

above. Only four (11.4%) of the respondents currently live with or near their children, and

30(85.7%) did not live with or near their children. One respondent (3%) had no children.

Concerning the relationship with their children, most (73.8%) believed that the relationships

with their children greatly influenced their lives and they were happy to see and visit with their

children. But only 36.9% hoped their children could provide care when they were old. Also,

among the participants, 52.7% did not want to live with their family members, and 57.9%did not want to reside in the resident center. They all preferred to live independently if possible.

Most of the respondents (94.7%) believed that they could take good care of themselves and that

there were many friends who lived near them (63.2%) to assist them if they needed help.

In terms of social activities and life expectancy, among the participants, 94.8% were happy to

know that the life expectancy was over 73. Most (73.7%) also were pleased that they had so

many friends close by and that there were many activities they could participate in, including many

social activities. Moreover, statistics showed that the more active they were, the happier they were

(84.2%).

TABLE 2

Factor Structure of Older Adult Survey

Items Factor 1 Factor 2 Factor 3 Factor 4

Move near children’s home .844

Happy because successfully raised children .822

Service in residence center is good .752

Family members provide care .702

Live with family .695

Many friends are near me .504

Willing to receive support from health care system .473

Children can take care of me .451

Live in residence center .422

Move to other places if possible .698

I can take care of myself .670

Life attitude is important .376

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Regarding social programs, 89.5% of participants believed they could afford Medicare, and

most realized the importance of health in later life. Almost all respondents (94%) appreciated

receiving support from the healthcare system.

Reliability

The first two parts of the questionnaire consisted of 29 items: (a) living condition and (b) living

satisfaction. The Cronbach’s alpha calculated for the 29 items was .90, which suggested a high

reliability. The 29 items were split into two halves: the spilt-half reliability for the first half and

second half was .798 and .892, respectively.

Factor Analysis

A maximum likelihood factor analysis was conducted. Eight factors’ eigenvalues are greater than

one, but the factors are not interpretable. According to the scree plot, another maximum likelihood

factor analysis with four factors was attempted. Factor one (eigenvalue¼ 9.27), Factor two

(eigenvalue¼ 4.61), Factor three (eigenvalue¼ 3.29), and Factor four (eigenvalue¼ 2.53) totally

accounted for 68.01% of the variance.

We performed a maximum likelihood factor analysis with Varimax rotation. Table 1 shows

the factor structure and the top three items for the four factors.

Factor one consisted of items about children. It accounted for 31.97% of the variance. Factor

two consisted of items about family and friends. It accounted for 15.90% of the variance. Factor

three consisted of items about various help that old adults can get. It accounted for 11.37% of the

variance. Factor four consisted of items about how old adults think of themselves. It accounted

for 8.75% of the variance.

DISCUSSION

Relationship Between Older Adults in the Empty Nest and Their Children

The findings provided evidence that major social changes are transforming the traditional family

structure when compared to past decades. The relationships between older adults in the empty

nest and their children have changed a great deal, and it seems that older adults understand their

children’s situation in the competitive world—especially in the current economic situation. As

parents, they hope that their adult children take care of them when they are old; however, they

are aware that their kids have their own family, and they need to take care of them first. Also, the

survey suggested that although—for whatever reason—many older adults will no longer live

together with their family members, they do need the support from their family members through

close contact and frequent visits. Whether they live with them or not, older adults in the sample

indicated they value and—will continue to need—emotional support from their children and

relatives.

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Effect of Social Participation on Older Adults in the Empty Nest

The findings indicated that social activities play key role in maintaining a happy and satisfactory

life for older people in the empty nest. Besides timely visits and calls from family members, the

older adults in the empty nest need social activities to avoid loneliness. As Bock and Webber

(1972) suggested, elderly spouses who depended solely on their marriage appeared to be more

likely to commit suicide than did the widowed who were engaged in a network of kin and other

types of community interactions. It is critical that communities or local governments make

investments to assist older adults in the empty nest to maintain normal lives both in quality

and quantity of contact with social environments.

Importance of Social Based Programs in Improving Life Qualityof Empty Nest People

The survey showed that older adults in the empty nest prefer to receive help from social pro-

grams such as Medicare and Healthcare. Also, older adults in the empty nest are reluctant to lose

family homestead and are unwilling to turn to their children as they do not wish to become a

burdens to their children. Moreover, in 1989, Fortune magazine and John Hancock Financial

Services conducted a survey of 1,000 senior executives to determine how caregiving affected

workers at their firms. 60% of the executives mentioned specific problems stemming from

employees’ caregiving responsibilities. Among the problems noted most often were employee

stress (45%), unscheduled days off (38%), late arrivals and early departures (37%),

above-average telephone use (32%), and absenteeism (30%) (Goldsmith & Goldsmith, 1995).

Therefore, based on the above information, there should be a good balance between the care-

givers and the social programs while the government makes policies to make sure the older

adults enjoy their lives. For instance, some firms have adopted information and referral services,

lunchtime seminars, special insurance programs that cover elder care costs, and counselors who

lead weekly support groups (Azarnoff & Scharlach, 1988).

LIMITATION AND FUTURE RESEARCH

This survey had two limitations. The first limitation was that while the sample was based on the best

available sample of the population that could be surveyed, it was a convenient sample rather than a

random one. Future research should work on a random assignment. The second limitation is the

response rate. Only 35 complete surveys were collected, future research should have larger samples.

Despite these limitations, the study leads to a greater understanding of how to enhance the

quality of life for older adults in the empty nest from the perspectives of living condition and

living satisfaction. This study provides evidence that under the current situation, we need to

focus on the emotional needs and social participation of the older adults to provide them a happy

and satisfactory life. Because research on the people who live in the empty nest is limited, this

study will help people, society, and policy makers better understand the true situations of the

older adults in the empty nest to enhance their life quality in their later years.

This study can lead to future research. First, the researchers can collect samples from different

countries and different cultures to compare how urbanization and culture-communication among

different countries change the traditional values and beliefs in terms of caregiving and the

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relationship among family members. That is, in many countries, traditional practices used to care

for and support older adults are facing challenges, and researchers may want to investigate

cross-cultural comparisons. Also, there is a hot debate on whether eligibility for social programs

and services should be based on age or needs. More research is needed on this issue because

older adults base their estimations of their quality of life on social programs and services

rendered. Moreover, future research may want to investigate differences between genders, rural

and urban populations, and professional and uneducated individuals.

CONCLUSION

This study investigated the factors that influence the life quality and living conditions of older

adults in the empty nest. The findings suggested that the relationship between the family mem-

bers, the services and their quality that social programs provided, and the ability to participate in

social activities have great effects on the living conditions and life quality of older adults. With

this information, we can better plan the lives of people belonging to the empty nest group to help

them have a happy and satisfactory life.

REFERENCES

Arber, S., & Ginn, J. (1993). Class, caring, and the life course. In S. Arber & M. Evandrou (Eds.), Aging, independence,and the life course (pp. 527–537). London, UK: Jessica Kingsley.

Azarnoff, R., & Scharlach, A. (1988). Can employees carry the eldercare burden? Personnel Journal, 67, 60–69.

Bock, E. W., & Webber, I. L. (1972). Suicide among the elderly: Isolation, widowhood, and mitigating alternatives.

Journal of Marriage and the Family, 34, 24–31.

David, A., & Tomb,M. D. (1984).Growing old: A handbook for you and your aging parents. NewYork, NY: Viking Penguin.

Dean, A., Kolodny, B., & Wood, P. (1990). Effects of social support from various sources on depression in elderly

persons. Journal of Health and Social Behavior, 31, 148–161.Duvall, E. M. (1962). Family development. New York, NY: Lippincott.

Esters, C. (1979). The aging enterprise. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.

Glaser, K., & Grunndy, E. (2002). Class, caring and disability: Evidence from British retirement survey. Aging and

Society, 22, 325–342.Goldsmith, E. B., & Goldsmith, E. R. (1995). Full-time employees as caregivers to the elderly. Journal of Social

Behavior and Personality, 10, 719–730.

Johnson, M. L., Bengtson, V. L., Coleman, P. G., & Kirkwood, T. B. L. (2005). The Cambridge handbook of age and

aging. New York, NY: Cambridge University Press.

Population Division of the Department of Economic and Social Affairs of the United Nations Secretariat. (2003). World

population prospects: The 2002 revision. Highlights. New York, NY: United Nations.

Quadagno, J. (2008).Aging and the life course: An introduction to social gerontology (4th ed.). NewYork, NY:McGraw-Hill.

Rein, M., & Salzman, H. (1995). Social integration, participation and exchange in five industrial countries. In S. Bass

(Ed.), Older and active (pp. 238–263). New Haven, CT: Yale University Press.

Ruth, J. E., & Coleman, P. (1996). Personality and aging: Coping and management of the self in later life. In J. Birren &

K. W. Schaie (Eds.), Handbook of the psychology of aging (pp. 308–322). San Diego, CA: Academic Press.

Silverstone, B., & Hyman, H. K. (2008). You & your aging parents: A family guide to emotional, social, health, and

financial problems (4th ed.). New York, NY: Oxford University Press.

Silverstein,M. (1995). Stability and change in temporal distance between the elderly and their children.Demography,32, 29–45.

Silverstein, M., & Litwak, E. (1993). A task-specific typology of international family structure in later life. Gerontologist,33, 258–264.

Spitze, G., & Logan, J. (1990). More evidence on women (and men) in the middle. Research on Aging, 12, 182–198.

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Taylor, R. J., Keith, V., & Tucker, M. B. (1993). Gender, marital, familial and friendship roles. In J. Jackson,

L. Chatters, & R. J. Taylor (Eds.). Black families in America (pp. 49–68). Newbury Park, CA: Sage.

Wan, T. T. H. (1985). Well-being for the elderly: Primary preventive strategies. Lexington, MA: Lexington Books.

APPENDIX

Living Condition and Life Satisfaction of Elderly People Survey

A. Living condition:

Please circle your selection based on the following scale:

(1) Strongly Disagree (2) Disagree (3) Slightly Disagree (4) Partially Agree (5) Agree (6)

Strongly Agree

1. Older adults like to live with their family.

1 2 3 4 5 6

2. Older adults prefer to live in a resident center.

1 2 3 4 5 6

3. I would like to move into a different community if it is possible.

1 2 3 4 5 6

4. I hope my family members can provide care for me.

1 2 3 4 5 6

5. I would like to move near to my children’s home.

1 2 3 4 5 6

6. There are many friends who live near me.

1 2 3 4 5 6

7. The services provided by the resident center are great.

1 2 3 4 5 6

8. I believe I can take care of myself.

1 2 3 4 5 6

9. There are many activities I can join.

1 2 3 4 5 6

10. I can afford Medicare.

1 2 3 4 5 6

11. I am happy to know that my life expectancy is over 73.

1 2 3 4 5 6

12. The more social activities I do, the happier I am.

1 2 3 4 5 6

13. The relationships between me and my children greatly influence my life.

1 2 3 4 5 6

14. The social programs help greatly in releasing the pressures for caregivers.

1 2 3 4 5 6

15. I hope my adult children can take care of us when I am old.

1 2 3 4 5 6

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16. Maintaining a physically healthy body is the most important thing in old life.

1 2 3 4 5 6

17. I am willing to receive support from the healthcare system.

1 2 3 4 5 6

B. Living satisfaction:

Please circle your selection based on the following scale:

(1) Strongly Disagree (2) Disagree (3) Slightly Disagree (4) Partially Agree (5) Agree (6)

Strongly Agree

1. Life attitude is very important in maintaining a positive life.

1 2 3 4 5 6

2. I am happy because I successfully raised my children.

1 2 3 4 5 6

3. Talking with my children and grandchildren is the happiest thing for me.

1 2 3 4 5 6

4. I am satisfied with my current retirement because my career provided good retirement.

1 2 3 4 5 6

5. Participating in various activities helps me maintain a happy and exciting life.

1 2 3 4 5 6

6. Maintaining and developing relationships can bring great joy to my life.

1 2 3 4 5 6

7. The more education I have, the happier I am.

1 2 3 4 5 6

8. It is never too old to learn.

1 2 3 4 5 6

9. Reading makes me happy.

1 2 3 4 5 6

10. I find great joy in learning new things.

1 2 3 4 5 6

11. The more often my children visit, the happier I am.

1 2 3 4 5 6

12. I often receive calls from my children.

1 2 3 4 5 6

C. Demographic information:

1. Gender: & Male & Female

2. What was your age on your last birthday? Years

3. Where were you born?

4. Do you currently live with or near your children?

& Yes & No & I do not have kids

5. Education level

& High School & College & Bachelor & Master’s & Ph.D.

EXAMINING THE EMPTY NEST SYNDROME 529

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