The Theme

Abstract

Intergenerational Family Solidarity across Europe is the theme of this issue of the journal Društvena istraživanja. Intergenerational family solidarity is a construct that includes relationships among family members and their mutual exchange: relations of grandparents and their grandchildren, social support, quality of marital satisfaction,
intergenerational differences, the importance of the quality of relations of the elderly and their adult children. The quality of life of older family members is linked to reciprocity in relationships, the more involved the older members are in the family, the more satisfied with life they are; this is then reflected in different ways in the younger generations and vice versa. The texts in this issue combine a contemporary view of family relationships, described in the model of intergenerational solidarity by US scientist Vern L. Bengtson. The dimensions of this model are frequent contacts, emotional proximity, similarity in thought, geographical proximity, receiving help / helping,
contacts, proximity, i.e. different factors associated with the quality of life at different periods of an individual's life cycle.