| Sumario: | Objectives Close intergenerational relationships are associated with better mental health in later life, yet limited longitudinal research has examined how trajectories of relationship quality, especially differentiation across multiple children within the same family, relate to older parents' depressive symptoms. This study identifies distinct trajectories of parent–child relationship quality and examines their associations with depressive symptoms among older adults in China, while assessing whether these associations vary across socioeconomic groups. Methods Using nationally representative panel data from the China Longitudinal Aging Social Survey (2014–2020; N = 3,519), we applied group-based trajectory modeling to characterize six-year patterns of relationship quality, separately capturing the worst, best, and average ties within families. Linear regression models estimated associations between these trajectories and depressive symptoms at the final wave, adjusting for baseline characteristics and testing whether these associations differed by education, occupation, and hukou status. Results Parents in steadily or rapidly strengthening relationship trajectories reported significantly fewer depressive symptoms than those in persistently strained trajectories. When trajectories of the worst, best, and average ties were modeled simultaneously, only trajectories of the worst relationship remained significantly associated with depressive symptoms. These associations were concentrated among parents with lower socioeconomic status. Discussion Intergenerational relationship dynamics, particularly changes in the most strained tie, are linked to older adults' mental health in multi-child families. Findings highlight the psychological importance of relational repair and suggest that parents with fewer socioeconomic resources may be especially sensitive to relationship change.
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