Special Collection 11

Intergenerational family ties in Europe: Multiple linkages between individuals, families and social contexts

Published 11 October 2012

This Special Collection was edited by Pearl A. Dykstra. The papers in this special collection were prepared in the context of MULTILINKS (http://www.multilinks-project.eu/), a programme of research funded through the Seventh Framwork of the European Commission. The full title of the programme is: “How demographic changes shape intergenerational solidarity, well-being, and social integration: A multilinks framework”. The objective of MULTILINKS has been to investigate how changing social contexts, from macro-societal to micro-interpersonal, affect social integration, well-being and intergenerational solidarity across different European nations. Debates on ageing societies predominantly focus on the circumstances of the old. The MULTILINKS approach built from three key premises. First, ageing affects all age groups: the young, the middle-aged, and the old. Second, there are critical interdependencies between family generations and between men and women. Third, one must recognize and distinguish analytical levels: the individual, dyad (parent-child, partners), family, region, historical generation, and country.

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