The majority of the people in their 40s and 50s belong to the sandwich generation. These young adults struggle with raising their families and caring for their elderly parents (Noor & Isa, 2020). What happens is that these individuals experience much stress due to overwhelming responsibilities and the involved financial needs. The stresses of the sandwich generation influence physical, cognitive, and emotional well-being in middle adulthood since it undermines career and finance, contributes to interfamily conflicts, and puts pressure on meeting the needs of dependents.
The most dominant stressor among the sandwich generation is finding the balance between career and caregiving. In most cases, young adults are forced to make hard decisions of reducing the number of working hours to create time to fulfill commitments with their children and parents (Noor & Isa, 2020). As a result, the individuals have little time for themselves, exercise, fun, and interaction with friends. Hence, it affects their physical and psychological well-being.
Additionally, people in middle adulthood experience challenges of meeting the needs of their children and parents simultaneously. Undoubtedly, funds are essential for providing to the family, yet most of the involved individuals experience financial challenges due to the reduced working hours. It becomes difficult for the sandwich generation to save enough for their retirement. The competition for attention between the children and aging parents could also lead to interfamily conflicts causing more distress to the young adults being depended upon by both families (Noor & Isa, 2020). Therefore, there is a high likelihood for the individuals to suffer emotionally.
Generally, the sandwich generation experiences numerous stresses from the many responsibilities. These young adults caring for their children and aging parents are expected to provide for the needs concurrently. Hence, the individuals face challenges balancing work with family responsibilities and providing financial support simultaneously to all the dependents. Thus, the stress from the responsibilities, challenges, and lack of personal time adversely affects individuals’ physical, cognitive, and emotional state in middle adulthood.
Reference
Noor, S., & Isa, F. M. (2020). Malaysian sandwich generation issues and challenges in elderly parents care. International and Multidisciplinary Journal of Social Sciences, 9(3), 289-312. Web.