A correlational study to assess the intergenerational ambivalence and psychological well-being among mothers of young adults in selected areas of Udupi district, Karnataka

Steffi J Quadras; Tessy Treesa Jose; Sangeetha Priyadarshini; Kallabi Borah

doi:10.2478/FON-2026-0011

Abstract

Objective

Intergenerational ambivalence is the conflicts or differences in opinion occurring between 2 or more generations. Advanced technology, busy lifestyles, working parents, etc., have widened the area of ambivalence between the mother and young adult. Therefore, the present study aimed to assess the intergenerational ambivalence and psychological well-being of mothers and young adults.

Methods

A descriptive correlational survey was done among 150 participants (75 mothers and 75 young adults) of the Shirva panchayat area of Udupi taluk, Karnataka, India. Participants were selected based on the study inclusion criteria. Data were obtained using the demographic pro forma, followed by the Intergenerational Ambivalence Scale and Ryff Psychological Wellbeing Scale.

Results

Based on the objectives and hypotheses of the study, the data analysis was done with SPSS version 20 (IBM Corporation, Armonk, New York, United States). The mean age of mothers was 46.20 years, and that of young adults was 21.49 years. Both mothers and young adults have moderate levels of intergenerational ambivalence with scores of 70.7% and 73.3%, respectively. The psychological well-being of 57.3% of mothers was at a moderate level. A significant relationship was found between intergenerational ambivalence and psychological well-being (ρ = −0.035, P = 0.0767).

Conclusions

The present study concluded that as the intergenerational ambivalence of mothers increases, their psychological wellbeing decreases.

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