Empty nest syndrome

Empty nest syndrome

Empty nest syndrome is a general feeling of loneliness that parents/other guardian relatives may feel when one or more of their children leave home. While more common in women, it can happen to both sexes. The marriage of a child can lead to similar feelings, with the role and influence of the parents often becoming less important compared to the new spouse.

A strong maternal or paternal bond between the parent and child can make the condition worse. The role of the parent while the child is still living with them is more hands-on and immediate than is possible when they have moved out, particularly if the distance means that visits are difficult.

ocial and cultural factors

Empty nest syndrome has become more prevalent in modern times, as the extended family is becoming less common than in past generations, and the elderly are left living by themselves.

In many cultures, such as those in Africa, India, the Middle East, and East Asia, one's elderly parents were held in very high esteem and it was considered almost a duty to care for and respect them. In contrast to most Western societies, extended families were common in those places. However, nowadays, even in these countries, as cities become more Westernized and industrialized, values are gradually changing. It is sometimes rather inconvenient or impractical to live with or care extensively for one's parents in a modern setting. This is also true if these relatives were abusive or otherwise repressive. Empty Nest Syndrome is starting to surface in some of those nations as well, where traditional values come in conflict with Westernization. This has been especially the case for Hong Kong. [http://www.hkcfp.org.hk/article/2004/05/page228_231ua.html] .

References

*Webber, Christine and Delvin, David – [http://www.netdoctor.co.uk/womenshealth/features/ens.htm "Empty-nest syndrome"] , referenced 22 February 2005

External links

* [http://cms.psychologytoday.com/conditions/emptynest.html Article at Psychology Today]
* [http://www.flownthenest.com/intro.html FlownTheNest.com deals with the issue]
* [http://parentingteens.about.com/cs/azindex/l/aa050599.htm Tips to Help] at ParentingTeens.about.com


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Look at other dictionaries:

  • empty-nest syndrome — ☆ empty nest syndrome [emp′tē nest′ ] n. a form of mental depression said to be caused in women by the loss felt when their children grow up and leave home * * * …   Universalium

  • empty-nest syndrome — ☆ empty nest syndrome [emp′tē nest′ ] n. a form of mental depression said to be caused in women by the loss felt when their children grow up and leave home …   English World dictionary

  • empty-nest syndrome — Traditionally in Chinese families, adult children live with their elderly parents under the same roof. Chinese people start to experience empty nest syndrome as a result of social change. Empty nest syndrome is very peculiar in China in several… …   Encyclopedia of Contemporary Chinese Culture

  • empty-nest syndrome — /ɛmpti ˈnɛst sɪndroʊm/ (say emptee nest sindrohm) noun Colloquial depression which affects some parents whose children have all grown up and left home: *Like mothers everywhere, she suffered from empty nest syndrome when he left home in the early …  

  • empty nest syndrome — the sad feelings which parents have when their children grow up and leave home. The last of her children had recently moved out and she was suffering from empty nest syndrome …   New idioms dictionary

  • empty nest syndrome — a depressed state felt by some parents after their children have left home. [1970 75] * * * empty nest syndrome, a form of depression supposedly common among women whose children have grown up and left home …   Useful english dictionary

  • empty-nest syndrome — emp·ty nest syndrome em(p) tē nest n the emotional letdown often experienced by a parent whose children have grown up and moved away from home …   Medical dictionary

  • empty-nest syndrome — noun Date: 1972 an emotional letdown often experienced by an empty nester …   New Collegiate Dictionary

  • empty nest syndrome — noun a feeling of loneliness or depression experienced by some parents when their children have matured and left home See Also: empty nester …   Wiktionary

  • empty nest syndrome — emp′ty nest′ syn drome n. psl a depressed state felt by some parents after their children have grown up and left home • Etymology: 1970–75 …   From formal English to slang

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