Empty Nest Syndrome (Causes)

As noted earlier, when a woman is at the stage in life when her kids are leaving, she may also be going through other major changes, like dealing with menopause or coping with increasingly dependent elderly parents.

Recent research suggests that the quality of the parent-child relationship may have important consequences for both at this time. Parents gain the greatest psychological benefit from the transition to an empty nest when they have developed and maintain good relations with their children. Extreme hostility, conflict, or detachment in parent-child relations may reduce intergenerational support when it is most needed by youth during early adulthood and by parents facing the disabilities of old age.

At one time, it was commonly thought that women were particularly vulnerable to depression when their children left home, experiencing a profound loss of purpose and identity. However, studies show no increase in depressive illness among women at this stage of life.