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Jiang Z, Chen H, Lu T, Yin F, Ma Y. The Association Between Family Support and Changes in Self-Rated Health Among Chinese Older Adults: How Living Arrangements Moderate the Association? J Am Med Dir Assoc 2024; 25:810-816.e5. [PMID: 38182124 DOI: 10.1016/j.jamda.2023.11.020] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/31/2023] [Revised: 11/27/2023] [Accepted: 11/28/2023] [Indexed: 01/07/2024]
Abstract
OBJECTIVES The study intends to investigate the association between family support and older adult health as well as the interaction between family support and living arrangements on their health. DESIGN Cross-sectional study. SETTING AND PARTICIPANTS Samples included in the final analysis (N = 11,430) come from the 2018 Chinese Longitudinal Healthy Longevity Survey (CLHLS). METHODS Multiple logistic regression analysis was used to analyze the associations between family supports, multiplicative interaction of family supports and living arrangements, and self-rated health change. Subgroup analysis on disabled older adults was supplemented. RESULTS Older adult individuals who received functional support, provided financial support, and had frequent emotional communication with their children in the past year reported better self-rated health. Moreover, having frequent emotional communication with children could bring better self-rated health for the older adults living with spouses and children (ORbetter vs same = 2.765, P < .01) and empty nesters who lived without children (ORbetter vs same = 1.551, P < .05). CONCLUSIONS AND IMPLICATIONS Our findings imply that functional support and emotional support may play an increasingly important role in the health of Chinese older individuals. The interaction between emotional support and 2 living arrangements mentioned above is relevant to better health of older individuals. We advocate for culturally tailored Age-Friendly Communities augmenting the geriatric health care framework. While bolstering social support for seniors, prioritizing fundamental needs is paramount for those with disabilities.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zixuan Jiang
- West China School of Public Health and West China Fourth Hospital, Sichuan University, Chen Du, China
| | - Hongyu Chen
- West China School of Public Health and West China Fourth Hospital, Sichuan University, Chen Du, China
| | - Tianren Lu
- West China School of Public Health and West China Fourth Hospital, Sichuan University, Chen Du, China
| | - Fei Yin
- West China School of Public Health and West China Fourth Hospital, Sichuan University, Chen Du, China
| | - Yue Ma
- West China School of Public Health and West China Fourth Hospital, Sichuan University, Chen Du, China; Institute of Systems Epidemiology, West China School of Public Health and West China Fourth Hospital, Sichuan University, Chen Du, China.
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Vacca R, Bianchi F. Diversity, integration, and variability of intergenerational relationships in old age: New insights from personal network research. SOCIAL SCIENCE RESEARCH 2024; 119:102991. [PMID: 38609307 DOI: 10.1016/j.ssresearch.2024.102991] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/13/2023] [Revised: 01/30/2024] [Accepted: 02/02/2024] [Indexed: 04/14/2024]
Abstract
Relationships between family members from different generations have long been described as a source of solidarity and support in aging populations and, more recently, as a potential risk factor for COVID-19 contagion. Personal or egocentric network research offers a powerful kit of conceptual and methodological tools to study these relationships, but this has not yet been employed to its full potential in the literature. We investigate the heterogeneity, social integration, and individual correlates of intergenerational relationships in old age analyzing highly granular data on the personal networks of 230 older adults (2747 social ties) from a local survey in one of the areas of the world at the forefront of global aging trends (northern Italy). Using information on different layers in broad egocentric networks and on the structure of connectivity among the social contacts of aging people, we propose multiple conceptualizations and measures of intergenerational connectedness. Results show that intergenerational relationships are strongly integrated, but also highly diverse and variable, in older adults' social networks. Different types of intergenerational ties exist in different network layers, with various relational roles, degrees of tie strength, and patterns of association with individual and tie characteristics. We discuss how new and existing personal network data can be leveraged to consider novel questions and hypotheses about intergenerational relationships in contemporary aging families.
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Affiliation(s)
- Raffaele Vacca
- Department of Social and Political Sciences, University of Milan, Italy; Bureau of Economic and Business Research, University of Florida, United States.
| | - Federico Bianchi
- Department of Social and Political Sciences, University of Milan, Italy
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Zhou A, Song Y, Li X, Hu B, Chen Y, Cui P, Li J. Functional limitation and happiness among older adults: the multiple mediating role of intergenerational support and intergenerational relationship. Front Public Health 2023; 11:1249216. [PMID: 37905237 PMCID: PMC10613474 DOI: 10.3389/fpubh.2023.1249216] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/29/2023] [Accepted: 09/25/2023] [Indexed: 11/02/2023] Open
Abstract
Objectives This study aimed to investigate the relationship between the functional limitation and happiness among Chinese older people and examined the multiple mediating effects of intergenerational support (instrumental support and financial support) and intergenerational relationship. Method Data was drawn from the Chinese Family Panel Survey (CFPS) 2018 and 2020. Structural equation modeling was adopted to analyze the association among functional limitations, intergenerational support, intergenerational relationship, and the older adults happiness. Results There was a significant association between the functional limitations and the lower happiness levels among the older adults. The instrumental support from adult children positively mediated the relationship between the functional limitation and the happiness. However, intergenerational relationships were reduced due to the dysfunction of the older adults, and played a negatively mediated role between the functional limitation and the happiness. In addition, instrumental and financial support play chain-mediating roles between functional limitation and happiness in older adults through intergenerational relationships. Conclusion Intergenerational relationships and instrumental support enhance the happiness of older adults with functional impairments, but their role is limited by the changing structure of modern families. Long-term care programs combined with the intergenerational support from families for people with functional impairments in old age would be more effective to reduce the burden on adult children and maintain the quality of life of the older adults.
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Affiliation(s)
- Angdi Zhou
- School of Public Health, Jilin University, Changchun, Jilin Province, China
- Fifth School of Clinical Medicine of Zhejiang Chinese Medical University (Huzhou Central Hospital), Huzhou, China
| | - Yiwen Song
- School of Public Health, Jilin University, Changchun, Jilin Province, China
| | - Xinru Li
- School of Public Health, Jilin University, Changchun, Jilin Province, China
| | - Bingqin Hu
- School of Public Health, Jilin University, Changchun, Jilin Province, China
| | - Yitong Chen
- School of Public Health, Jilin University, Changchun, Jilin Province, China
| | - Peiyao Cui
- School of Public Health, Jilin University, Changchun, Jilin Province, China
| | - Jinghua Li
- School of Public Health, Jilin University, Changchun, Jilin Province, China
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Mellencamp KA. Gender Differences in Depressive Symptoms Following Child Death in Later Life. J Gerontol B Psychol Sci Soc Sci 2023; 78:1591-1603. [PMID: 36462213 PMCID: PMC10461527 DOI: 10.1093/geronb/gbac189] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/09/2022] [Indexed: 08/29/2023] Open
Abstract
OBJECTIVES This study examined short- and long-term psychological adjustment to parental bereavement in later life for mothers and fathers. METHODS Using 9 waves of data from the United States (1998-2014 Health and Retirement Study), I estimated trajectories of mothers' and fathers' depressive symptoms surrounding child death in later life, highlighting gender differences in adjustment. Moderation analyses were performed to uncover heterogeneous trajectories across parental characteristics. RESULTS Mothers were more likely to experience child death and reported higher depressive symptoms prior to parental bereavement than fathers. Mothers and fathers who lost a child reported an increase in depressive symptoms that diminished over time. The short-term elevation in depressive symptoms was marginally greater for mothers than fathers, but depressive symptoms declined at a faster rate for mothers than fathers in the years following the death. These counterbalancing changes resulted in mothers and fathers returning to their respective prebereavement levels of depressive symptoms between 2 and 4 years postbereavement. Parental age moderated trajectories distinctly by gender, and the presence of surviving children buffered the impact of child death on depressive symptoms for mothers but not fathers. DISCUSSION Mothers more often experience child death in later life and their adjustment process differs from that of fathers, underscoring the salience of gender in shaping how older parents respond to the death of a child. Older parents and mothers without surviving children are vulnerable to prolonged elevations in depressive symptoms following the death of a child in later life.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kagan A Mellencamp
- Department of Sociology, Bowling Green State University, Bowling Green, Ohio, USA
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5
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Migrating to a new country in late life: A review of the literature on international retirement migration. DEMOGRAPHIC RESEARCH 2023. [DOI: 10.4054/demres.2023.48.9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/25/2023] Open
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Patterson SE. Cohabiting Adult Children's Transfers to Parents in the United States. JOURNAL OF MARRIAGE AND THE FAMILY 2023; 85:321-336. [PMID: 36816473 PMCID: PMC9937010 DOI: 10.1111/jomf.12879] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/09/2021] [Revised: 07/07/2022] [Accepted: 07/18/2022] [Indexed: 06/18/2023]
Abstract
Objective This brief report presents national estimates of transfers of time and money from cohabiting adult children (ages 18 to 65) to their parents (own and in-laws) to test whether cohabiting adults give differently from their counterparts. Background Previous U.S. studies use data collected in the late 1980s and mid-1990s, when cohabitation was an emerging family form; they find mixed results. Rising rates of cohabitation and an aging population of parents who may rely on transfers from adult children necessitate updated estimates that can help develop the theory of institutionalization of cohabitation. Method This study used the 2013 Panel Study of Income Dynamics (PSID) Rosters and Transfers Module, a sample of U.S. households (N=6,340), and logistic and negative binomial models to estimate the likelihood of giving any time or any money to parents by the respondent's union status, the amounts given, and parent type (own, in-laws). Results Cohabitors were less likely to give time to their own parents than their never married counterparts, and gave fewer hours, but were more likely to give time and gave more hours than married adults. For financial transfers to own parents, cohabitors and married respondents gave similarly, but both were less likely to give any money than are single respondents. Cohabitators gave more hours to their in-laws than married respondents. Conclusion Cohabitors behave somewhere in-between marital "greedy institution" norms and broader norms of solidarity with parents. More work should be done to understand how union status affects transfers to parents.
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Childlessness, personal social networks and wellbeing at advanced ages: a cross-sectional study in a Southern European familistic welfare state. AGEING & SOCIETY 2022. [DOI: 10.1017/s0144686x22000320] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/05/2022]
Abstract
Abstract
During the past decades, childless old age has attracted a considerable amount of scholarly interest. However, few studies address this phenomenon in Southern European familistic welfare states, where there is a pervading expectation that family members, especially spouses and children, care for their older relatives. The present cross-sectional study aims to analyse the relationship between childlessness, social networks and wellbeing in a sample of 612 Portuguese individuals aged 65 and over, comprising two sub-samples: parents (N = 540) and childless (N = 72). Data were collected through a research protocol that included a sociodemographic questionnaire, a personal social network assessment inventory, and several validated psychometric measures of psychological wellbeing focusing on mental health, loneliness, depression and satisfaction with life. Childless older adults' social networks are smaller but more diverse, including a more significant proportion of friends and neighbours. No differences were found in perceived support from significant others, but network reciprocity was lower among non-parents. The childless subsample also reported more feelings of loneliness and less life satisfaction, but regression analysis showed that parenthood status, per se, is not significantly related to any outcome measures. Besides the central role of sociodemographic characteristics and personal functioning measures in explaining psychological wellbeing variance, several network factors were also identified as influential predictors. Implications for micro-level network intervention and macro-level social policy making are discussed.
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Bui CN, Kim K, Fingerman KL. Support Now to Care Later: Intergenerational Support Exchanges and Older Parents' Care Receipt and Expectations. J Gerontol B Psychol Sci Soc Sci 2022; 77:1315-1324. [PMID: 35385577 PMCID: PMC9256031 DOI: 10.1093/geronb/gbac059] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/21/2021] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
OBJECTIVES Older parents' previous support exchanges with adult children could influence which child currently provides care, or which child they expect to provide care in the future. Distinguishing between support and care, we investigated how different types of past support exchanges with children were associated with care receipt and expectations from the parent's perspective. METHODS Older parents (N = 190; Mage = 79.98) reported on exchanges of tangible and non-tangible support, and provision of childcare support with each of their adult children (N = 709; Mage = 52.69) in two waves of the Family Exchanges Study (2008 and 2013). Multilevel, within-family, logistic regression models were estimated to examine how past patterns of support exchanges were associated with which child the older parent receives or expects to receive care from. RESULTS Parents with functional limitations at Wave 2 were more likely to receive care from children whom they received more tangible support from at the prior wave. Parents without current limitations more likely named children whom they previously provided childcare support to and received more tangible support from as their expected future caregiver. DISCUSSION This study distinguished different types of support to examine unique pathways to received and expected care within families. Taking the older parent's perspective, these findings endorse previous studies that emphasize continuity in the transition from receiving tangible support to receiving and expecting care from adult children. The findings also suggest the importance of older parents' childcare support given to adult children, highlighting reciprocity in intergenerational care exchanges.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cindy N Bui
- Department of Gerontology, University of Massachusetts Boston
| | - Kyungmin Kim
- Department of Child Development and Family Studies, Seoul National University
| | - Karen L Fingerman
- Department of Human Development and Family Sciences, The University of Texas at Austin
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Hünteler B. A new perspective on the generational structures of families - Generational placements over the life course. ADVANCES IN LIFE COURSE RESEARCH 2022; 51:100450. [PMID: 36652313 DOI: 10.1016/j.alcr.2021.100450] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/28/2021] [Revised: 09/20/2021] [Accepted: 10/18/2021] [Indexed: 06/17/2023]
Abstract
With data from the German Ageing Survey (https://www.dza.de/en/research/deas), for men and women of the birth cohorts 1939-43, 1944-48, and 1949-53 (n = 2607), the occurrence, timing, and ordering of generational placements defined through the (simultaneous) presence of biological parents, children, and grandchildren up to the age of 60 is examined using sequence and cluster analyses. Cohort, gender, and regional differences are examined with multinomial logistic regressions. Six different typical patterns of individual trajectories were identified, ranging from clusters with multiple transitions early in life to more stable clusters with fewer transitions later on. The most common were three-generation families, while patterns without children were the most uncommon. Across cohorts, generational structures of families changed towards "more stable" trajectories. Clusters characterised by early (grand)parenthood were more likely experienced by women and individuals growing up in former East Germany. The presented patterns of individual trajectories reveal novel detailed insights into how the opportunity structures for intergenerational family support differ between individuals and develop across individual age and socio-historical context.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bettina Hünteler
- University of Cologne (Institute of Sociology and Social Psychology), Albertus-Magnus-Platz, 50923 Cologne, Germany.
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10
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Pessin L, Rutigliano R, Potter MH. Time, money, and entry into parenthood: The role of (grand)parental support. JOURNAL OF MARRIAGE AND THE FAMILY 2022; 84:101-120. [PMID: 35874103 PMCID: PMC9290986 DOI: 10.1111/jomf.12782] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/29/2020] [Revised: 05/27/2021] [Accepted: 06/02/2021] [Indexed: 05/12/2023]
Abstract
Objective The study's objective is to understand how parental propensities to provide support, as predicted by parental characteristics, shape adult daughters' and sons' entry into parenthood in the United States. Background Much research explores the influence of parental support on adult children's fertility, but the evidence is mixed and primarily focuses on European contexts. Theoretical approaches suggest that to best understand how parental support shapes adult children's outcomes, it is important to account for different forms of parental support, that is, time and money, and variation in parental characteristics. Method This study combined different data from the Panel Study of Income Dynamics: the 2013 Roster and Family Transfers module, main interview data file, and the Childbirth and Adoption History File. We implemented a two-step analysis strategy. In the first, we built two different measures of propensities to receive parental support (PPS) in the form of time and money. In the second, we used discrete-time logistic regression models to analyze the effects of these propensities to receive parental support on adult daughters' and sons' fertility. Results We find a positive and consistent effect of all types of PPS measures on adult daughters', but not adult sons', likelihood of entry into parenthood. The fertility decisions of adult daughters are highly responsive to the prospect of receiving parental support in the form of time or money. Conclusions Our results reflect the importance of informal support for women's entry into parenthood and highlight gender differences in the perceived and actual costs of becoming parents.
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Affiliation(s)
- Léa Pessin
- Department of Sociology and CriminologyThe Pennsylvania State UniversityUniversity ParkPennsylvaniaUSA
| | - Roberta Rutigliano
- Population Research Centre, Faculty of Spatial SciencesUniversity of GroningenGroningenThe Netherlands
| | - Marina Haddock Potter
- Department of Sociology and CriminologyThe Pennsylvania State UniversityUniversity ParkPennsylvaniaUSA
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Lin IF, Brown SL, Mellencamp KA. The Roles of Gray Divorce and Subsequent Repartnering for Parent-Adult Child Relationships. J Gerontol B Psychol Sci Soc Sci 2022; 77:212-223. [PMID: 34309664 PMCID: PMC8755893 DOI: 10.1093/geronb/gbab139] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/18/2020] [Indexed: 11/14/2022] Open
Abstract
OBJECTIVES Divorce is now widespread in later life, yet little is known about how older adults and their adult children respond in the aftermath of gray divorce. Guided by the life course perspective, this study examines the consequences of gray divorce and subsequent repartnering for parent-adult child relationships from the parent's perspective. METHODS Using longitudinal data from the 1998-2014 Health and Retirement Study in the United States, we estimated growth curve models to compare fathers' and mothers' frequent contact with and financial support to their adult children prior to, during, and following gray divorce. RESULTS Gray divorce and repartnering had disparate effects on father- versus mother-adult child relationships. Following a divorce, fathers' frequent contact with their adult children decreased but financial support to their adult children increased. Fathers' repartnering had an enduring negative effect on frequent contact with their children. Gray divorce did not alter mothers' financial support to adult children and it actually increased interaction between mothers and adult children as the odds of frequent contact doubled upon divorce. Repartnering had no appreciable effects on mothers' relationships with their adult children. DISCUSSION The results of our study are consistent with prior research showing that divorce creates a matrifocal tilt in our kinship system. The shifting dynamics of parent-adult child relationships in response to gray divorce and repartnering raise questions about whether gray-divorced parents will be able to rely on their adult children for care as they age.
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Affiliation(s)
- I-Fen Lin
- Department of Sociology, Bowling Green State University, Ohio, USA
| | - Susan L Brown
- Department of Sociology, Bowling Green State University, Ohio, USA
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Vaccaro JA, Gaillard TR, Marsilli RL. Review and Implications of Intergenerational Communication and Social Support in Chronic Disease Care and Participation in Health Research of Low-Income, Minority Older Adults in the United States. Front Public Health 2021; 9:769731. [PMID: 35004581 PMCID: PMC8728749 DOI: 10.3389/fpubh.2021.769731] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/02/2021] [Accepted: 11/15/2021] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Background: Health disparities disproportionally affect Black and Hispanic older US adults. Health research is needed to understand and eliminate these disparities; however, older adults, and particularly Black and Hispanic/Latino older adults are underrepresented in health research. Adult children have influenced health behavior and health outcomes of their older parents in several demographics in the US. Analysis of these studies can lead to a model for the development of interventions aimed at improving health and healthcare participation of older Black and Hispanic US adults. Objectives: To review the role of intergenerational communication and social support in health behavior, health research, and health outcomes for older adults and to apply these findings toward a model for health interventions for Black and Hispanic US older adults. Methods: An analytical narrative review and application toward an intervention model. Results: Key topic areas were reviewed and analyzed by examining studies that applied forms of intergenerational communication and/or intergenerational social support with the goal of either improving health, disease management and/or participation in health research in populations world-wide. Next, a model for providing health interventions in older Black and Hispanic US adults was developed using strategies gleaned from the findings. Conclusion: A model for health intervention for Black and Hispanic/Latino US older adults was presented based on an analytical review and intergenerational communication and/or social support. Qualitative data are necessary to understand the enablers and barriers of intergenerational communication and social support to improve health outcomes in these populations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joan A. Vaccaro
- Department of Dietetics and Nutrition, Robert Stempel College of Public Health and Social Work, Florida International University, Miami, FL, United States
| | - Trudy R. Gaillard
- Nichole Wertheim College of Nursing and Health Sciences, Florida International University, Miami, FL, United States,*Correspondence: Trudy R. Gaillard
| | - Ramces L. Marsilli
- Information and Research Service, Library Operations, Florida International University, Miami, FL, United States
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Stepniak C, Suitor JJ, Gilligan M. Mothers' Functional Limitations and Relationship Quality With Adult Children: Exploring the Moderating Roles of Race and Gender. Res Aging 2021; 44:414-425. [PMID: 34541937 DOI: 10.1177/01640275211044834] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
Theory and research on intergenerational relations emphasize the salient role that mothers and their adult children play in one another's lives. However, little is known about how mothers' health may shape mother-child relationship quality in later-life. We utilized data from the Within Family Differences Study to explore how mothers' functional limitations affect multiple dimensions of mother-child relationship quality, as reported by mothers and their offspring, with particular emphasis on whether race, child's gender, or generational position moderated these associations. Although mothers' reports of relationship quality were not predicted by their functional limitations, adult children reported higher ambivalence when they perceived their mothers had limitations. Further, adult children in White families reported higher ambivalence when mothers had limitations than did those in Black families. This study highlights the importance of considering the roles of structural factors in shaping the conditions under which health limitations affect mother-child ties.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - J Jill Suitor
- Department of Sociology and Anthropology, Center of Aging and the Life Course at Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN, USA
| | - Megan Gilligan
- Human Development and Family Studies and a Faculty Associate of the Gerontology Program at Iowa State University, Ames, IA, USA
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Hämäläinen H, Tanskanen AO, Danielsbacka M, Arpino B. Short-term reciprocity between adult children and parents: A within-person investigation of longitudinal data. ADVANCES IN LIFE COURSE RESEARCH 2020; 44:100337. [PMID: 36726248 DOI: 10.1016/j.alcr.2020.100337] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/05/2019] [Revised: 02/11/2020] [Accepted: 02/27/2020] [Indexed: 06/18/2023]
Abstract
Although reciprocity of intergenerational support has been widely considered in family studies, empirical investigations utilizing panel data are still rather scarce. This study used data from four waves of the German Family Panel (pairfam), which were collected in two-year intervals between 2009 and 2016. We examined whether the frequency of received support from parents previously is associated with the frequency of provided support to parents later. Multiple forms of support were considered that may be used as currencies of intergenerational exchange (i.e., one could be exchanged for another): emotional support, practical help, financial aid and personal care. Our analyses used multilevel regression models and investigated both between- and within-person effects. Between-person effects indicated mainly positive associations between different forms of received and provided support. However, these associations were confirmed by only a few of the within-person effects, which examined individuals' variations over time. According to within-person effects, an increase in the frequency of emotional support that a son received from a parent was positively associated with subsequent provision of financial support for that parent. Additionally, an increase in the frequency of practical help that daughters received from their fathers was positively associated with subsequent provision of financial aid to their fathers. The magnitude of these positive within-person effects was smaller compared to the between-person effects. Within-person effects did not provide further evidence for causal intergenerational reciprocity within the investigated time period.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hans Hämäläinen
- University of Turku, Turku, Finland; Population Research Institute, Helsinki, Finland.
| | - Antti O Tanskanen
- University of Turku, Turku, Finland; Population Research Institute, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Mirkka Danielsbacka
- University of Turku, Turku, Finland; Population Research Institute, Helsinki, Finland
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The Effect of Social Communication on Life Satisfaction among the Rural Elderly: A Moderated Mediation Model. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH AND PUBLIC HEALTH 2019; 16:ijerph16203791. [PMID: 31600931 PMCID: PMC6843451 DOI: 10.3390/ijerph16203791] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/25/2019] [Revised: 10/03/2019] [Accepted: 10/04/2019] [Indexed: 01/07/2023]
Abstract
Life satisfaction of the rural elderly has increasingly become an important issue for society. Based on the social support theory and Cha Xu Ge Ju (pattern of difference sequence), this study investigates the underlying mechanisms and boundary conditions that explain the relationship between social communication and life satisfaction among the rural elderly. Specifically, it explores the mediating role of psychological well-being in the relationship between social communication and life satisfaction. In addition, it examines whether emotional support moderates the effect of social communication on psychological well-being. Data from 658 rural elderly in China were analyzed using structural equation modeling. Results show that psychological well-being mediates the relationship between social communication and life satisfaction. Additionally, the relationship between social communication on psychological well-being was negatively moderated by emotional support. Finally, implications for management theory and practice are discussed.
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