Empty nests and parental well-being in an Asian-Pacific population: an exploratory test

Guided by theories of role loss and role stress, this study explores mental health outcomes for parents in Guam's Asian-Pacific community whose last offspring has left the family 'nest.' In contrast with findings reported in studies of U.S. mainland populations, the results of analyses of data from Guam's 1991 Behavioral Risk Factor Survey (N = 398) indicate that the launching of the last offspring from family homes results in role loss and significantly greater emotional trauma for Asian-Pacific women, thus suggesting that parenting may be less stressful for women in Guam. I present a discussion of the implications of the findings for theory and future research. Reprinted by permission of Institute for Polynesian Studies