Providing instrumental support to older parents of multi-child families in China: are there different within-family patterns?

2021 ◽  
pp. 1-18
Author(s):  
Jia Chen ◽  
Xiaochen Zhou ◽  
Nan Lu

Abstract Older parents in China rely heavily on their adult children for instrumental assistance. In different multi-child families, multiple offspring may co-operate in providing instrumental support to older parents in distinct ways in terms of how much support they provide on average and how much differentiation exists between them when they provide such support within a family. We aimed to identify different within-family patterns in relation to multiple offspring's instrumental support to an older parent in Chinese multi-child families, and to investigate potential predictors for different within-family patterns. Using data from the China Family Panel Studies (2016), we had a working sample of 5,790 older adults aged 60+ (mean = 68.54, standard deviation = 6.60). We employed latent profile analysis (LPA) to classify within-family patterns and multinomial logistic regression to investigate predictors. Our findings identified three within-family patterns: dissociated (59.10%), highly differentiated (29.60%) and united-filial (11.30%). Older parents in the highly differentiated families tended to be older, mothers, divorced/widowed and to have poorer physical health compared to their counterparts in the dissociated families. In contrast, the composition characteristics of multiple adult children played more important roles in determining the united-filial within-family pattern. The united-filial families were more likely to have fewer adult children, at least one adult daughter and at least one co-residing adult child.

2020 ◽  
Vol 4 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. 512-513
Author(s):  
Jia Chen ◽  
Xiaochen Zhou

Abstract In different multi-child families, adult children may share their instrumental support to older parents in distinct ways regarding its family mean level and differentiation among multiple offspring within families. Based on the family systems theory and the collective ambivalence perspective, we aimed (1) to identify different within-family patterns in relation to multiple offspring’s sharing instrumental support to an older parent in Chinese multi-child families; (2) to investigate potential individual and family predictors for different within-family patterns. Applying data from the China Family Panel Studies (2016, N=5791 older adults aged 60+), we employed latent profile analysis for classifying patterns and multinomial logistic regression for investigating predictors. Results showed three within-family patterns identified: independent (59.78%), highly-ambivalent (30.41%) and filial-cohesive (9.81%). Compared with the independent families, older parents in highly-ambivalent families were more likely to be older (OR=1.03), divorced/widowed (OR=0.61), to have lower educational levels(OR=0.84, ), poorer physical health (OR=0.92), to live in rural areas (OR=0.84), to have at least one adult daughter (OR=1.95)and one coresiding adult child (OR=3.22). Older parents in filial-cohesive families tended to be mothers (OR=0.82), divorced/widowed (OR=0.62), to have fewer adult children (OR=0.78) ,to have at least one adult daughter (OR=1.67) and one coresiding adult child (OR=2.16). The youngest adult children in filial-cohesive families tended to be older (OR=1.04). This study highlighted the importance of capturing different within-family dynamics regarding instrumental support to older parents among multiple adult children at the family level. It also uncovered the commons and differences between multi-child aging families in contemporary China.


2016 ◽  
Vol 39 (3) ◽  
pp. 375-395 ◽  
Author(s):  
Karl Pillemer ◽  
J. Jill Suitor ◽  
Catherine Riffin ◽  
Megan Gilligan

This article explores whether understanding of the effects of children’s problems on older parents’ well-being can be advanced by exploring differences in parent–child relationships within families. Using data from a study in which mothers reported on all adult children, we addressed the question: Do patterns of maternal favoritism moderate the impact of children’s problems on psychological well-being? Based on the literature on the effects of children’s problems and on parental favoritism, we hypothesized that problems in the lives of favored adult children will have a more detrimental impact than when they affect unfavored offspring. Results revealed strong and detrimental effects of any offspring’s problems on mothers’ well-being; these effects occurred, however, regardless of parental preference for an adult child. The findings suggest that the well-documented effects of parental preference may be limited in domains such as problems and difficult transitions in adult children’s lives.


2021 ◽  
pp. 095679762097056
Author(s):  
Morgana Lizzio-Wilson ◽  
Emma F. Thomas ◽  
Winnifred R. Louis ◽  
Brittany Wilcockson ◽  
Catherine E. Amiot ◽  
...  

Extensive research has identified factors influencing collective-action participation. However, less is known about how collective-action outcomes (i.e., success and failure) shape engagement in social movements over time. Using data collected before and after the 2017 marriage-equality debate in Australia, we conducted a latent profile analysis that indicated that success unified supporters of change ( n = 420), whereas failure created subgroups among opponents ( n = 419), reflecting four divergent responses: disengagement (resigned acceptors), moderate disengagement and continued investment (moderates), and renewed commitment to the cause using similar strategies (stay-the-course opponents) or new strategies (innovators). Resigned acceptors were least inclined to act following failure, whereas innovators were generally more likely to engage in conventional action and justify using radical action relative to the other profiles. These divergent reactions were predicted by differing baseline levels of social identification, group efficacy, and anger. Collective-action outcomes dynamically shape participation in social movements; this is an important direction for future research.


Children ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 8 (11) ◽  
pp. 1023
Author(s):  
Ninoshka J. D’Souza ◽  
Miaobing Zheng ◽  
Gavin Abbott ◽  
Sandrine Lioret ◽  
Kylie D. Hesketh

Identifying correlates of behavioural patterns are important to target population sub-groups at increased health risk. The aim was to investigate correlates of behavioural patterns comprising four behavioural domains in children. Data were from the HAPPY study when children were 6–8 years (n = 335) and 9–11 years (n = 339). Parents reported correlate and behavioural data (dietary intake, physical activity, sedentary behaviour, and sleep). Behavioural data were additionally captured using accelerometers. Latent profile analysis was used to derive patterns. Patterns were identified as healthy, unhealthy, and mixed at both time points. Multinomial logistic regression tested for associations. Girls were more likely to display healthy patterns at 6–8 years and display unhealthy and mixed patterns at 9–11 years than boys, compared to other patterns at the corresponding ages. Increased risk of displaying the unhealthy pattern with higher age was observed at both timepoints. At 9–11 years, higher parental working hours were associated with lower risk of displaying mixed patterns compared to the healthy pattern. Associations observed revealed girls and older children to be at risk for unhealthy patterns, warranting customisation of health efforts to these groups. The number of behaviours included when deriving patterns and the individual behaviours that dominate each pattern appear to be drivers of the associations for child level, but not for family level, correlates.


2019 ◽  
Vol 40 (1) ◽  
pp. 56-82 ◽  
Author(s):  
Terese Glatz ◽  
Melissa Lippold ◽  
Todd M. Jensen ◽  
Gregory M. Fosco ◽  
Mark E. Feinberg

In line with family systems theory, we examined patterns of hostile interactions within families and their associations with externalizing problems among early-adolescent children. Using hostility scores based on observational data of six dyadic interactions during a triadic interaction ( n = 462; i.e., child-to-mother, mother-to-child, child-to-father, father-to-child, mother-to-father, father-to-mother)—latent profile analysis supported three distinct profiles of hostility. The low/ moderate hostile profile included families with the lowest levels of hostility across dyads; families in the mutual parent-child hostile profile scored higher on parent-child hostility, but lower on interparental hostility; the hostile parent profile showed higher levels of parent-to-child and interparental hostility, but lower child-to-parent hostility. Concerning links to youth outcomes, youth in the mutual parent-child hostile profile reported the highest level of externalizing problems, both concurrently and longitudinally. These results point to the importance of examining larger family patterns of hostility to fully understand the association between family hostility and youth adjustment.


2019 ◽  
Vol 3 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. S324-S324 ◽  
Author(s):  
Soohyoung r Lee

Abstract Even though the coresidence of older parents and their adult children is no longer a rare phenomenon in current society, a little is known about the benefit of living with adult children from older adults’ perspectives compared to the risk of this living situation. Previous research suggests that older adults’ psychological well-being is low when they live with their adult children, and this become more salient among single parents, such as widowed or divorced. The current paper utilizes the National Health Measurement Study with a sample of age 55 and over, and their SF-36 Mental Health Component score, and psychological well-being self-acceptance score was measured. Path analysis reveals while mental health and psychological well-being scores are lower among single older adults at the time of the survey (e.g., divorced, widowed) than non-single, coresidence of older adults and adult children completely mediates the negative relationship between being single and both mental health psychological well-being. A complete mediation effect of living with an adult child on older adults’ mental health and psychological well-being is consistent with both white and non-white minority older adults. This suggests that living with adult child benefits older adults’ mental health and psychological well-being. The current study seeks to stimulate ideas that might generate the next answer to community-based care in our current aging society.


2019 ◽  
Vol 10 (3) ◽  
pp. 233-254 ◽  
Author(s):  
Cristian Morosan ◽  
Agnes DeFranco

Purpose Cyber-attacks on hotel information systems could threaten the privacy of consumers and the integrity of the data they exchange upon connecting their mobile devices to hotel networks. As the perceived cyber-security risk may be reflected heterogeneously within the US consumer population traveling internationally, the purpose of this study is to examine such heterogeneity to uncover classes of US consumers based on their perceptions of risk of using tablets for various tasks when staying in hotels abroad. Design/methodology/approach Using data collected from 1,016 US consumers who stayed in hotels abroad, this study used latent profile analysis (LPA) to classify the consumers based on their perceptions of risk associated with several tablet use behaviors in hotels. Findings The analysis uncovered four latent classes and produced a characterization of these classes according to several common behavioral (frequency of travel, the continent of the destination, duration of stay and purpose of travel) and demographic (gender, age, income and education) consumer characteristics. Originality/value Being the first study that classifies consumers based on the risk of using tablets in hotels while traveling internationally, this study brings the following contributions: offers a methodology of classifying (segmenting) consumer markets based on their cyber-security risk perceptions, uses LPA, which provides opportunities for an accurate and generalizable characterization of multivariate data that comprehensively illustrate consumer behavior and broadens the perspective offered by the current literature by focusing on consumers who travel from their US residence location to international destinations.


Author(s):  
Meng Huo ◽  
Laura Napolitano ◽  
Frank F Furstenberg ◽  
Karen L Fingerman

Abstract Objectives Older parents continue to help children after these children have been adults for decades. We utilize a typology approach to assess who initiates the help. We ask whether profiles of help initiation are associated with how often older parents help and how they evaluate their helping behaviors. Methods Older parents (N = 241; Mage = 80.12) indicated the extent to which they volunteered to help children and helped per child’s request. Parents reported their resources and obligation to help, child problems, frequency, and evaluation (rewards/stresses) of helping. Results Latent profile analysis reveals four profiles representing parents who are initiators (n = 65), responders (n = 56), initiators/responders (n = 50), and uninvolved (n = 69). Resources, needs, and individual beliefs differentiate profiles. Parents offer the same amount of help regardless of who initiates such help. Parents who are initiators/responders view helping as more rewarding than parents who are initiators and more stressful than uninvolved parents. Discussion This study reveals variation in the initiation of older parents’ help and refines our understanding of family help in late life. Findings may suggest a parental expectation for children to be competent in adulthood regardless of their resources and willingness to help.


2019 ◽  
Vol 3 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. S636-S636
Author(s):  
Matthew Pichiello ◽  
Meghan McDarby ◽  
Elissa K Kozlov ◽  
Brian Carpenter

Abstract Adult children often help older parents make medical decisions when their health is compromised. To do so in a way that respects parent values requires children to know how their parent views health states and consequent quality of life. The current study compared older parent and adult child valuations of quality of life in different health contexts. Families consisted of older parents (n = 37) and their adult children (n = 66). Parents rated perceived quality of life in 14 compromised health states on a scale from 1 (difficult but acceptable) to 5 (not worth living). Children estimated how their parent responded to each health state, yielding an index of their knowledge of parent perceptions. Overall, parents described all compromised health states as less acceptable than adult children thought they would, t(99) = 2.19, p < .05. Notably, parents believed situations that caused financial or emotional burden to their family were much less acceptable than their children estimated. Children were more knowledgeable about parent valuations for more extreme circumstances, such as living with a feeding tube. Within families, children demonstrated only slight knowledge about parent quality of life valuations (kappa = .081). Across the entire sample of families, there was a broad range of knowledge (kappas = -.181 – .351), but at best, knowledge was still only fair. Results from this study suggest that adult children may underestimate the impact of compromised health states on parent estimations of quality of life, which could affect collaborations on healthcare decisions.


Author(s):  
Kasper Salin ◽  
Anna Kankaanpää ◽  
Mirja Hirvensalo ◽  
Irinja Lounassalo ◽  
Xiaolin Yang ◽  
...  

Introduction: Despite substantial interest in the development of health behaviors, there is limited research that has examined the longitudinal relationship between physical activity (PA) and smoking trajectories from youth to adulthood in a Finnish population. This study aimed to identify trajectories of smoking and PA for males and females, and study the relationship between these trajectories from youth to adulthood. Methods: Latent profile analysis (LPA) was used to identify trajectories of smoking and PA separately for males and females among 3355 Finnish adults (52.1% females). Participants’ smoking and PA were assessed five to eight times over a 31-year period (3–18 years old at the baseline, 34–49 years at last follow-up). Multinomial logistic regression analysis was used to study the relationship between the trajectories of smoking and PA. Results: Five smoking trajectories and four to five PA trajectories were identified for males and females. Of the PA trajectory groups, the persistently active group were least likely to follow the trajectories of regular smoking and the inactive and low active groups were least likely to follow non-smoking trajectory group. Likewise, inactive (women only) and low active groups were less likely to belong to the non-smokers group. Conclusions: The study suggests that those who are persistently active or increasingly active have substantially reduced probabilities of being in the highest-risk smoking categories.


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