Filial piety and intergenerational ambivalence among mother–adult child dyads in rural China

2019 ◽  
Vol 40 (12) ◽  
pp. 2695-2710 ◽  
Author(s):  
Qiuju Guo ◽  
Xiang Gao ◽  
Fei Sun ◽  
Nan Feng
Keyword(s):  
Adult Children ◽  
Filial Piety ◽  
Rural China ◽  
Adult Child ◽  
Intergenerational Relationships ◽  
Elderly Parents ◽  
Intergenerational Ambivalence ◽  
Overall Evaluation ◽  
Positive Feelings ◽  
Negative Feelings

AbstractThis study examines the relationship between filial piety (adult children's filial behaviours and attitudes as well as elderly mothers’ overall evaluation of children's filial piety) and elderly mothers’ reports of intergenerational ambivalence (positive feelings, negative feelings and combined ambivalence) in rural China. We analysed the data from a survey in 2016 covering 2,203 adult children and 802 elderly mothers in Sichuan Province using a two-level mixed-effects modelling analysis. The results indicate that most components of filial piety are associated with mothers’ ambivalence, in that less ambivalence was reported by mothers when their adult children provided more emotional support to, had less conflict with and were evaluated as more filial by their mothers. Interestingly, mothers demonstrated greater positive feelings when their children were more filial in behaviour and attitude, but they also reported greater negative feelings and ambivalence when their children were more obedient, implying that absolute obedience to elderly parents might no longer be accepted by people. These findings may provide further understanding about the correlation between the culture of filial piety and intergenerational relationships in rural China.

Being an adult child of an elderly person living in a nursing home: a phenomenological approach to the Turkish case

2018 ◽  
Vol 19 (2) ◽  
pp. 117-125 ◽  
Author(s):  
Pelin Önder Erol ◽  
Elif Gün
Keyword(s):  
Nursing Home ◽  
Adult Children ◽  
Lived Experiences ◽  
Filial Piety ◽  
Elderly Person ◽  
Adult Child ◽  
Phenomenological Approach ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Elderly Parents ◽  
Wide Range

Purpose A long-established cultural norm of filial piety may cause ambivalent feelings for adult children who are considered the primary caregivers for their elderly parents in Turkish culture, and whose parents have been placed into nursing homes. The purpose of this paper is to provide an insight to the lived experiences of adult children of elderly people living in a nursing home in Turkey. Design/methodology/approach Drawing upon dramaturgical theory and phenomenological methodology, the authors conducted interviews with ten adult children whose elderly parents had been admitted to a nursing home in Izmir, Turkey. Multi-stage purposeful random sampling was used as the sampling scheme. Thematic analysis was performed to interpret the data. Findings Three themes emerged from the data: adult children’s coping strategies, the ways in which the adult children rationalize their decisions, and the ways in which the adult children manage the placement process. The interviews revealed that the adult children often feel like social outcasts and experience a wide range of difficulties, including social pressures, their own inner dilemmas, and negotiations with their elderly parents. Originality/value An exploration for the lived experiences of adult children relating to the nursing home placement of their elderly parents contributes an insight about the well-established cultural norms that produce feelings of ambivalence.

Adult child migration and elderly parental health in rural China

2016 ◽  
Vol 8 (4) ◽  
pp. 677-697 ◽  
Author(s):  
Fang Chang ◽  
Yaojiang Shi ◽  
Hongmei Yi ◽  
Natalie Johnson
Keyword(s):  
Adult Children ◽  
Positive Impact ◽  
Rural China ◽  
Adult Child ◽  
The Elderly ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Elderly Parents ◽  
Care For The Elderly ◽  
Child Migration ◽  
The Impact

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to evaluate the effect of adult children migration on the health status of elderly parents. Increased labor migration in developing countries that lack adequate social security systems and institutionalized care for the elderly is a phenomenon that is important to understand. When their adult children go away to work, it is not clear what effect there will be on “left-behind” elderly parents. Design/methodology/approach This study employs nearly nationally representative data from five provinces, 25 counties, 101 villages and 2,000 households, collected from two waves of data in 2007 and 2011. This sample comprises a subset of households which include both elderly individuals (above 60 years old) and their grown (working-aged) children in order to estimate the impact of adult child migration on the health of elderly parents in rural China. Findings This study finds that adult child migration has a significant positive impact on the health of elderly family members. Practical implications These findings are consistent with the explanation that migration raises family resources, which in turn may contribute to better health outcomes for elderly household members. Originality/value This is the first paper to attempt to identify the relationship between household migration and the health of elderly parents within the Chinese context.

scholarly journals Grandparenting and the Receipt of Filial Piety From Adult Children in Chinese American Families

2020 ◽  
Vol 4 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. 345-346
Author(s):  
Jeung Hyun Kim
Keyword(s):  
Social Exchange ◽  
Adult Children ◽  
Filial Piety ◽  
Social Exchange Theory ◽  
Role Theory ◽  
Intergenerational Relationships ◽  
Chinese American ◽  
Chinese American Families ◽  
Grandparent Caregiving ◽  
American Families

Abstract The current study explores the association between grandparent caregiving by Chinese American elders and their perceived receipt of filial support from their adult children, called filial piety (xiao). Many studies find a correlation between grandparent caregiving and filial behaviors from their adult children, which is notably higher among minority families, especially among Asians than among white families, stimulated by the norm of reciprocity, familism, and extended kinship. Drawing from the theory of intergenerational relationships, social exchange theory, and the role theory, this study questions whether a more active engagement in grandparenting renders higher levels of filial piety returns from adult children. It uses the PINE data, a survey on the wellbeing of Chinese American elders in Chicago. The results show that more hours of grandparent caregiving relate to higher returns of filial piety perceived by older parents. Correspondingly, though with a marginal significance, more pressures to take care of a grandchild from adult children reduce the elders’ perception of filial piety receipt. No interaction effect is found between the grandparenting hours and the pressure from adult children. Additionally, Chinese American elders possessing higher levels of education, mastery, and longer stays in the US perceive lower levels of filial piety receipt from adult children. Discussion will focus on how grandparent caregiving can be mutually beneficial and strengthen intergenerational relationships among Chinese American families.

scholarly journals Do Support and Strain With Adult Children Affect Mothers’ and Fathers’ Physical Activity?

2018 ◽  
Vol 41 (2) ◽  
pp. 164-185 ◽  
Author(s):  
Patricia A. Thomas ◽  
Amy C. Lodge ◽  
Corinne Reczek
Keyword(s):  
Physical Activity ◽  
Adult Children ◽  
Adult Child ◽  
Intergenerational Relationships ◽  
Coping With Stress ◽  
Mothers And Fathers ◽  
Logistic Regression Models ◽  
Nationally Representative ◽  
Nuanced Understanding ◽  
The Life Course

Physical activity is central to health. Parents tend to have lower levels of physical activity than the childless, however, little is known about how adult child–parent relationship quality matters for mothers’ and fathers’ physical activity trajectories. Nationally representative panel data from the Americans’ Changing Lives survey (1986–2012) are used to analyze multilevel-ordered logistic regression models. Greater social support from adult children is associated with more frequent active exercise, and higher strain with adult children is related to more frequent active exercise and walking. A significant gender interaction suggests that strain with adult children is related to greater exercise among men more so than women, but this interaction is attenuated after adjusting for cigarette smoking, another gendered way of coping with stress. This study contributes to a more nuanced understanding of how different dimensions of intergenerational relationships shape health behaviors across the life course.

scholarly journals What Happens to the Health of Elderly Parents When Adult Child Migration Splits Households? Evidence from Rural China

2020 ◽  
Vol 17 (5) ◽  
pp. 1609 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tianxiang Li ◽  
Beibei Wu ◽  
Fujin Yi ◽  
Bin Wang ◽  
Tomas Baležentis
Keyword(s):  
Negative Impact ◽  
Rural China ◽  
Adult Child ◽  
Parental Health ◽  
Elderly Parents ◽  
Farm Work ◽  
Left Behind ◽  
Variable Approach ◽  
Child Migration ◽  
The Impact

There is little understanding about the effects of adult child migration on the health of elderly parents left behind in the light of economic contribution and time allocation (farm work and emotional cohesion). Using the pooled data from three latest issues of China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study (CHARLS) in the rural areas, this study assesses the impact of child migration on parents’ health by employing instrumental variable approach to deal with the endogeneity problem. Overall, the evidence suggests that adult child migration impairs parental health as indicated by lower self-reported health (SRH), body mass index (BMI), physical activity of daily living (PADL), and higher depression score. Moreover, parents who are female, poorly-educated, and living with one adult child at least are the most vulnerable groups in terms of poor health outcomes. The negative impact of farming burden on the health of parents left behind outweighs the positive impact of economic support and emotional cohesion. Thus, child migration exerts a significantly negative impact on parental health. Establishing medical and social security systems for the elderly is important to complement the traditional family support in rural China.

scholarly journals Filial Piety in a Modern Age

2020 ◽  
Vol 9 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Kayla Entwistle ◽  
Douglas Mabie ◽  
David Bond
Keyword(s):  
Caregiver Burden ◽  
Adult Children ◽  
Filial Piety ◽  
Chinese Culture ◽  
Adult Child ◽  
Theoretical Data ◽  
Level Of Involvement ◽  
Data Collection Process ◽  
Caregiver Burdens ◽  
Familial Caregivers

With an increasing number of Alzheimer’s disease patients in Singapore, complications related to the degenerative disease have become highly relevant. Standing out among these complications are inflated caregiver burden resulting from the cultural expectations associated with filial piety. Filial piety, a value ingrained in Chinese culture, requires adult-children to display love, obedience, and respect towards their parents as well as provide physical care when required (Bedford, 2019). Expectations associated with filial piety, however, have been associated with severe caregiver burdens that persist even after patient institutionalisation (Whitlatch, 2001). Expectations to provide care presents numerous challenges for adult-children of patients: economic instability, psychological exhaustion, and social isolation (Lai, 2009; Langda, 2011; Win, 2017). These implications associated with caregiving are heightened when the patient being cared for is diagnosed with Alzheimer’s, as the disease has a unique cognitive-degeneration component that inhibits an individual from conducting independent actions after a certain point (Pratt, 1985). This article aims to shed light on the relationship between the level of involvement and the severity of caregiver burden among familial caregivers of Alzheimer’s patients in an effort to identify how to better support familial caregivers of Alzheimer’s patients. Through the use of a quantitative correlational analysis, a relationship between the two data points of involvement level and burden level was established. This research serves to identify a potential problem, not propose methods of reconciliation. While the data collection process for this study was inhibited by the COVID-19 pandemic, theoretical data is provided in an effort to develop new understandings and draw hypothetical conclusions. Keywords: Alzheimer’s, Filial Piety, Familial Caregiver, Institutionalisation, Caregiving Burden, Correlation, Adult-Child Caregiver

“Little Quilted Vests to Warm Parents' Hearts”: Redefining the Gendered Practice of Filial Piety in Rural North-eastern China

2009 ◽  
Vol 198 ◽  
pp. 348-363 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lihong Shi
Keyword(s):  
Rural Community ◽  
Adult Children ◽  
Filial Piety ◽  
Eastern China ◽  
The Elderly ◽  
Elderly Parents ◽  
Ethnographic Fieldwork ◽  
Practical Support ◽  
North Eastern ◽  
Major Factors

AbstractThis article explores the transformation of the gendered practice of filial piety in China, which traditionally places sons at the centre and relegates daughters to a peripheral role within their natal families. Based on my ethnographic fieldwork in a rural community in north-eastern China, this article suggests a transformed opinion on filial piety, considering daughters as more filial, as is vividly expressed by the Chinese saying “A daughter is like a little quilted vest to warm her parents' hearts.” Meanwhile, elderly parents have modified traditional standards of filial practice to encompass a desire for an expression of intimate care, respect and practical support from adult children. Further examination suggests three major factors contributing to the transformation of the gendered practice of filial piety: reinterpreted intergenerational relations, women's increased filial practice to their natal parents, and an increased desire of the elderly for an emotional bond with their children.

scholarly journals The Effects of Social Support on the Psychological Well-Being of Older Parents: A Longitudinal Study

2021 ◽  
Vol 5 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. 795-796
Author(s):  
Erik Blanco
Keyword(s):  
Social Support ◽  
Older Adults ◽  
Longitudinal Study ◽  
Adult Children ◽  
Parental Support ◽  
Psychological Wellbeing ◽  
Older Parents ◽  
Positive Feelings ◽  
Negative Feelings ◽  
To Receive

Abstract This study examines whether parental support (the provision of social support by older parents to adult children) and filial support (older parents’ receipt of social support from adult children) influence two orthogonal dimensions of older adults’ psychological wellbeing: positive feelings and negative feelings. This study also highlights the importance of accounting for parental need as a mediator of social support. A longitudinal design is used to examine the effects of social support on the psychological wellbeing of older adults at Wave 6 (1998) and Wave 8 (2004) of the Longitudinal Study of Generations. Parental support significantly increases parents’ positive feelings, which suggests that, when it comes to positive feelings, it is better to give support than to receive it. Filial support findings indicate that older adults with greater level of disability demonstrate a decrease in negative feelings when they received filial support. However, this effect does not hold for older adults with lesser levels of disability, suggesting that, when it comes to older adults’ negative feelings, it is better to receive support (rather than to give it) when parents are in need. Although parental and filial support have the potential to buffer stressful life transitions in old age, most parents wish to remain independent, even in later life, making them reluctant to accept filial support. The parent-adult child relationship is crucial for psychological wellbeing, especially because of increased life expectancy.

scholarly journals The Effects of Co-Residence on the Subjective Well-Being of Older Chinese Parents

2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (7) ◽  
pp. 2090
Author(s):  
Shanwen Zhu ◽  
Man Li ◽  
Renyao Zhong ◽  
Peter C. Coyte
Keyword(s):  
Adult Children ◽  
Rural China ◽  
Well Being ◽  
The Elderly ◽  
Subjective Well Being ◽  
Causal Inferences ◽  
Elderly Parents ◽  
Chinese Parents ◽  
Longitudinal Study Design ◽  
Older Chinese

The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of co-residence on the parental subjective well-being among older Chinese parents. Our analysis included 2968 elderly parents. Parental subjective well-being was stratified into positive well-being (PWB) and negative well-being (NWB). Positive well-being was assessed through questions about life satisfaction, optimism, and happiness and NWB was measured by questions about fear, loneliness, and feelings of uselessness. We found co-residence with adult children resulted in a significant average increase in PWB by 0.17 points relative to those who did not cohabitate. In rural China, co-residence with adult children significantly increased PWB by 0.19 points, and co-residence with a son significantly increased parental PWB by 0.18 points. Negative well-being fell significantly by 0.63 points if co-residence was with an adult daughter. Our findings imply that support from adult children significantly improved parental PWB, especially for the elderly in rural China. Public policies that facilitate the strengthening of cohabitation may help improve the well-being for older Chinese residents. Our study makes two main contributions to the international literature: first, we strengthened the causal inferences regarding the effects of co-residence with adult children on parental well-being through the use of a longitudinal study design; and second, we introduced a difference-in-differences propensity score matching (PSM-DID) approach to address potential selection bias that has previously been ignored in the literature.

scholarly journals Intimacy and Intergenerational Relations in Rural China

Sociology ◽  
2016 ◽  
Vol 51 (5) ◽  
pp. 1034-1049 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jieyu Liu
Keyword(s):  
Adult Children ◽  
Rural China ◽  
Gender Norms ◽  
Qualitative Difference ◽  
Adult Child ◽  
Intergenerational Relations ◽  
Intimate Relationship ◽  
And Gender

This article applies the concept of intimacy to examine relationships between adult children and their parents in rural China – an area which has been predominantly located in an obligatory framework. I reveal a qualitative difference in support between relationships built on intimate ties and those bound by duty and obligation. A unilateral emphasis on obligation-based relationships can deprive both the parent and adult child generations of agency and autonomy, which can be disempowering for both. The complex relations between intimacy and obligation are the product of local socio-economic circumstances and gender norms. Although traditional patrilineal and patrilocal culture excludes married daughters from the filial discourse surrounding their own parents, they are often considered to have the most intimate relationship with their parents. Paradoxically, the practices of intimacy between aged parents and their married daughters strengthen the natal ties that facilitate modifications to patrilocal and patrilineal customs.

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