Characteristics of Significant Bonds of Childless Older Adults in the Autonomous City of Buenos Aires

Abstract

This research is a continuation of a previous study on older adults with children. The current work focused on exploring and describing the most significant bonds of adults between 65 to 85 years old (regardless of their marital status), who in no case had children and were residents of the autonomous City of Buenos Aires (Argentina). The objective was to understand how these people make up their most significant ties, their emotional and effective support network in the absence of children, that is, of a nuclear and extended family. The interview was used as an instrument to evaluate significant links in older adults -modified, specially designed for the first investigation in 2014 and modified for this new study in 2017. The results obtained were processed according to each data set, both qualitative and quantitative. It was possible to determine that the most significant ties or support networks of childless older adults are more diversified than those with children, among friends, coworkers or social activities, partners, other relatives and neighbors