Abstract

Empty nest syndrome (ENS) refers to the feelings of loss, loneliness and identity change that parents may experience when their children leave home. Drawing on role theory and family systems theory, the present study assessed the level of ENS among Indian parents in the empty nest phase and examined whether mothers and fathers differed in self-reported parenting styles and in ENS. A cross-sectional design was used. Parents aged 45 to 60 years, at least one of whose children had moved out of the parental home within the previous two to five years, were purposively sampled from nine Indian states. Of 201 parents screened with the General Health Questionnaire-28, 18 scoring above 24 were excluded; the remaining 183 (85 mothers, 98 fathers) completed the Parenting Styles and Dimensions Questionnaire–Short Version and the Empty Nest Syndrome Scale–Indian Form. Data were analysed using descriptive statistics and independent-samples t-tests. The mean ENS score (M = 130.96, SD = 30.73) fell within the average range of the scale norms, indicating a moderate level of empty nest-related distress. Mothers scored significantly higher than fathers on the authoritarian style (M = 28.72 vs. 24.64), t(181) = 3.26, p = .001, and on the permissive style (M = 12.46 vs. 10.86), Welch’s t(146.32) = 2.88, p = .005, whereas the two groups did not differ on the authoritative style, t(181) = 0.49, p = .627. Mothers (M = 126.72, SD = 30.21) and fathers (M = 134.64, SD = 30.86) did not differ significantly in ENS, t(181) = 1.75, p = .082. The findings suggest that Indian mothers and fathers experience the empty nest transition at comparable, moderate levels, although their self-reported parenting styles differ on the authoritarian and permissive dimensions. Support for midlife parents during this transition should therefore address fathers as well as mothers.