The Impact of Illness and Death of Adult Children on the Elderly in South Africa

a MiCDA Pilot Project Description

Investigators: David Lam, Murray Leibbrandt, Cally Ardington

Funding: Michigan Center on the Demography of Aging

This project uses data from the Cape Area Panel Study (CAPS) to analyze the impact on the elderly of the illness or death of an adult child. CAPS is a longitudinal survey in Cape Town, South Africa being conducted collaboratively by the University of Michigan, University of Cape Town, and Princeton University. CAPS Wave 4, conducted in 2006, included an extensive module on intergenerational support systems. All members of CAPS households aged 50 and over were asked about all of their children, with information collected on current and recent illness of adult children, as well as detailed information about the death of children who died at age 15 or older. This includes information about whether the child died from an accident or an illness, whether the parent cared for the child before death, the impact of the illness and death on the parent, and whether the parent cares for the children of the deceased child. The survey includes information on about 2,300 respondents who were aged 50 and over in 2006.