How shared lifetimes of grandparents, parents, and children shape family resources
Generational Overlap: Changing Demography, Shared Lifetimes, and Family Resources
This project looks at how the length of time grandparents, parents, and children live at the same time affects family support, resources, and child wellbeing in the U.S. and Denmark.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | University of Wisconsin-Madison NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Madison, United States) |
| Project ID | NIH-11193228 on NIH RePORTER |
What this research studies
This project uses long-running U.S. and Danish surveys and population records to map when grandparents, parents, and children lived at the same time. It compares people born in different decades and different education or income groups to see how generational overlap has changed. The researchers link those overlap patterns to measures of family support, childcare, and child wellbeing. The work combines harmonized data from sources like the PSID, Add Health, Danish population registers, and SHARE to make cross-country and historical comparisons.
Who could benefit from this research
Good fit: This work is most relevant to parents, grandparents, and children interested in how family timing and longevity affect caregiving and resources across generations.
Not a fit: People whose concerns are unrelated to family structure or intergenerational support may see little direct benefit from these findings.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, the findings could help policymakers and families identify which children are likely to have multigenerational support and guide programs that strengthen family resources and child wellbeing.
How similar studies have performed: Past demographic and family-structure studies have linked family composition to child outcomes, but a harmonized cross-national analysis focused specifically on generational overlap is relatively novel.
Where this research is happening
Madison, United States
- University of Wisconsin-Madison — Madison, United States (Active)
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Carlson, Marcia Jeanne — University of Wisconsin-Madison
- Study coordinator: Carlson, Marcia Jeanne
About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page below.