Future Texas Empty Nesters, UT Researchers Want to Hear from You

AUSTIN, Texas -- Across Texas this fall, thousands of teenagers leaving home have headed off to college, careers, the military and elsewhere, leaving parents behind to grapple with empty nest syndrome.

“It’s not something we hear talked about a lot in the general media, and it doesn’t get much attention. But this transition is a really big change for couples,” said Marci Gleason, an associate professor at the University of Texas at Austin’s Department of Human Development and Family Sciences.

Empty nest syndrome is often marked by a range of emotions, including loneliness and sadness, that can increase when a child leaves home. The shift can be jarring, even catastrophic, to marriages.

For some empty nesters, there’s an onset of depression. For others, though, it can be a time to recenter priorities on their own interests and to enjoy new experiences.

“We’ve looked at the literature on this, and there are large data sets. But what do we really know about these couples?” said Lisa Neff, a UT professor, also at the Department of Human Development and Family Sciences. “Turns out, not a lot.”

Neff and Gleason are leading an in-depth study funded by the National Science Foundation that’s just getting underway and will focus on couples’ experiences as they start the transition into an empty nest.

By gathering information from couples both before and after their children leave the home, they hope to gain insights into the benefits and challenges associated with this period of parents’ lives.

The research is entirely Texas-focused, centering on families in the Lone Star State. They’re reaching out now for participants, with the first wave of recruitment happening through the end of January 2025.

The team intends to recruit 300 married or cohabiting couples for the study. To participate, either:
(1) your youngest/only child should currently be in their senior year of high school or
(2) your oldest child should currently be in their senior year of high school.

Your child should be expected to move out of the family home – either to attend university or to start a new job or volunteer opportunity – within four months of their high school graduation. Both adult participants will be asked to be a part of the study. And the researchers say blended families are welcome.

The researchers will conduct online surveys and hold phone calls and on-screen interviews with potential participants. Those who are selected to participate will be offered gift cards as compensation.

If you think you might be eligible to participate, contact the researchers at emptynest@utexas.edu or 512-475-7527. Let them know a good time to contact you and a project manager will reach back to tell you more about the study.

Among various aspects of the study, Neff said they will be digging into loneliness and the nature of parent-child relationships.

Neff said many parents don’t plan for the changes that come with the exodus of a child from the home. Suddenly, couples who have dedicated nearly two decades to raising a child can find the child’s absence unnerving and isolating.

Around one-third of adults ages 50 to 80 report feeling lonely or socially isolated. During the coronavirus pandemic, that share shot up to more than half, according to a report from the National Poll on Healthy Aging, supported by AARP. And while it has since declined, the share of older adults who feel lonely in the U.S. has not returned to pre-pandemic levels.

For additional reading on the topic:

Why You Should Think of Your Empty Nest as an Open Door
AARP, Gretchen Rubin, Aug. 6, 2024

Who Are You Once the Kids Are Gone?
AARP, Ellen Ryan, Sept. 6, 2023

Does Being Lonely Make You Age Faster?
AARP, Rachel Nania, March 20, 2024

How to Cope With an Empty Nest
AARP, Sarah Elizabeth Adler, Aug. 22, 2018

Mark Hollis can be reached at mhollis@aarp.org or 512-574-3739.