Intergenerational contacts and depressive symptoms among older parents in Eastern Europe

BackgroundSocial cohesion has a potential protective effect against depression, but evidence for Central and Eastern Europe is lacking. We investigated the prospective association between social cohesion and elevated depressive symptoms in the Czech Republic, Russia and Poland, and assessed whether alcohol drinking and smoking mediated this association.MethodsCohort data from 15 438 older urban participants from the Health, Alcohol and Psychosocial factors In Eastern Europe project were analysed. Baseline social cohesion was measured by five questions, and depressive symptoms were measured 3 years later by the 10-item Center for Epidemiological Depression (CES-D) Scale. Nested logistic regression models estimated ORs of elevated depressive symptoms (CES-D 10 score ≥4) by z-scores and tertiles of social cohesion.ResultsPer 1 SD decrease in social cohesion score, adjusted ORs of elevated depressive symptoms were 1.13 (95% CI 1.05 to 1.23) and 1.05 (95% CI 0.99 to 1.13) in men and women, respectively. Further adjustment for smoking and drinking did not attenuate these associations in either men (OR=1.13, 95% CI 1.05 to 1.22) or women (OR=1.05, 95% CI 0.99 to 1.13). Similarly, the fully adjusted ORs comparing the lowest versus highest social cohesion tertile were 1.33 (95% CI 1.10 to 1.62) in men and 1.18 (95% CI 1.01 to 1.39) in women.ConclusionsLower levels of social cohesion was associated with heightened depressive symptoms after a 3-year follow-up among older Czech, Russian and Polish adults. These effects appeared stronger in men, and alcohol and smoking played no appreciable role in this association.

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Adult children's achievements and ageing parents’ depressive symptoms in China

Ageing and Society ◽

10.1017/s0144686x20001270 ◽

2020 ◽

pp. 1-22

Author(s):

Haowei Wang ◽

Sae Hwang Han ◽

Kyungmin Kim ◽

Jeffrey A. Burr

Keyword(s):

Older Adults ◽

Depressive Symptoms ◽

Occupational Status ◽

Depression Scale ◽

Urban China ◽

Family Type ◽

Linear Regression Models ◽

Emotional Wellbeing ◽

Older Parents ◽

Ageing Parents

Abstract This study examined the association between adult children's achievements and ageing parents’ depressive symptoms in China. The research topic was examined within the contexts of one-child and multiple-children families in rural and urban China. Older adults (aged 60–113, N = 8,450; nested within 462 communities/villages) from the 2013 China Longitudinal Ageing Social Survey provided information about themselves and their adult children (N = 22,738). Adult children's achievements were assessed with educational attainment, financial status and occupational status; older parents’ depressive symptoms were assessed with nine items of the Chinese version of the Center for Epidemiological Studies Depression Scale. Multilevel linear regression models were estimated separately for older parents with one child only and multiple children. For older parents with multiple children, both having one or more children with any achievement and the total number of children's achievements were associated with fewer depressive symptoms. For parents with only one child, any achievement of the child and the total number of the child's achievements were associated with fewer depressive symptoms. Our results also indicated that the association between children's achievements and parents’ depressive symptoms varied by rural–urban residence and family type. Our findings contributed to the understanding of family dynamics underlying the emotional wellbeing of older adults in China.

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Depression in Later Life: The Role of Adult Children’s College Education for Older Parents’ Mental Health in the United States

The Journals of Gerontology Series B ◽

10.1093/geronb/gby135 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 75 (2) ◽

pp. 389-402 ◽

Cited By ~ 4

Author(s):

Jenjira J Yahirun ◽

Connor M Sheehan ◽

Krysia N Mossakowski

Keyword(s):

Mental Health ◽

Depressive Symptoms ◽

Family Background ◽

College Education ◽

Later Life ◽

The United States ◽

College Completion ◽

Older Parents ◽

College Attainment ◽

Socioeconomic Gradient

Abstract Objectives Research on the socioeconomic gradient in mental health links disadvantaged family background with subsequent symptoms of depression, demonstrating the “downstream” effect of parental resources on children’s mental health. This study takes a different approach by evaluating the “upstream” influence of adult children’s educational attainment on parents’ depressive symptoms. Methods Using longitudinal data from the U.S. Health and Retirement Study (N = 106,517 person-years), we examine whether children’s college attainment influences their parents’ mental health in later life and whether this association increases with parental age. We also assess whether the link between children’s college completion and parents’ depression differs by parents’ own education. Results Parents with children who completed college have significantly lower levels of depressive symptoms than parents without college-educated children, although the gap between parents narrows with age. In addition, at baseline, parents with less than a high school education were more positively affected by their children’s college completion than parents who themselves had a college education, a finding which lends support to theories of resource substitution. Discussion Offspring education is an overlooked resource that can contribute to mental health disparities among older adults in a country with unequal access to college educations.

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Educational attainment inequalities in depressive symptoms in more than 100,000 individuals in Europe

European Psychiatry ◽

10.1192/j.eurpsy.2020.100 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 63 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Adam Chlapecka ◽

Anna Kagstrom ◽

Pavla Cermakova

Keyword(s):

Depressive Symptoms ◽

Educational Attainment ◽

Eastern Europe ◽

Central And Eastern Europe ◽

Tertiary Education ◽

Older Individuals ◽

Related Factors ◽

Increased Risk ◽

Low Education ◽

Health Related

Abstract Background Increasing educational attainment (EA) could decrease the occurrence of depression. We investigated the relationship between EA and depressive symptoms in older individuals across four European regions. Methods We studied 108,315 Europeans (54% women, median age 63 years old) from the Survey on Health, Ageing and Retirement in Europe assessing EA (seven educational levels based on International Standard Classification of Education [ISCED] classification) and depressive symptoms (≥4 points on EURO-D scale). Logistic regression estimated the association between EA and depressive symptoms, adjusting for sociodemographic and health-related factors, testing for sex/age/region and education interactions. Results Higher EA was associated with lower odds of depressive symptoms, independent of sociodemographic and health-related factors. A threshold of the lowest odds of depressive symptoms was detected at the first stage of tertiary education (OR 0.60; 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.55–0.65; p < 0.001; relative to no education). Central and Eastern Europe showed the strongest association (OR for high vs. low education 0.37; 95% CI 0.33–0.40; p < 0.001) and Scandinavia the weakest (OR for high vs. low education 0.69; 95% CI 0.60–0.80; p < 0.001). The association was strongest among younger individuals. There was a sex and education interaction only within Central and Eastern Europe. Conclusions Level of EA is reflected in later-life depressive symptoms, suggesting that supporting individuals in achieving EA, and considering those with lower EA at increased risk for depression, could lead to decreased burden of depression across the life course. Further educational support in Central and Eastern Europe may decrease the higher burden of depressive symptoms in women.

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When Does Support to Adult Children Negatively Affect the Subjective Well-Being of Older Japanese?

Innovation in Aging ◽

10.1093/geroni/igab046.1626 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 5 (Supplement_1) ◽

pp. 421-422

Author(s):

Erika Kobayashi

Keyword(s):

Depressive Symptoms ◽

Adult Children ◽

Leisure Activities ◽

Well Being ◽

Perceived Usefulness ◽

Child Rearing ◽

Subjective Well Being ◽

Term Care ◽

Older Parents ◽

Japanese Adults

Abstract Providing time and money to adult children may enhance perceived usefulness and consequently the subjective well-being (SWB) of older parents. However, non-reciprocal relationships with children and conflicts with leisure activities could negatively affect parents’ SWB. It was hypothesized that a substantial amount of support to children would be associated with lower SWB when older parents (a) had a low expectation of receiving long-term care from the children, and (b) were engaged in hobbies/learning activities. Life satisfaction and depressive symptoms measured as SWB were predicted based on the Generalized Estimating Equations, using panel data (2012-2017) with a nationwide representative sample of Japanese adults aged 60 years and older (1,212 parents). Providing child-rearing support (i.e., grandchild care) of 30 hours or more per month was positively associated with SWB regardless of conditions (a) and (b). Hypothesis (b) was partially supported: providing financial support enhanced depressive symptoms among older adults with hobbies/learning.

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TRADITIONAL NETWORK ON MENTAL HEALTH: SUPPORT FROM CHILDREN AND DEPRESSIVE SYMPTOMS FOR OLDER ADULTS IN RURAL CHINA

Innovation in Aging ◽

10.1093/geroni/igz038.1889 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 3 (Supplement_1) ◽

pp. S511-S512

Author(s):

Lei Chen ◽

Fernando Torres-Gil

Keyword(s):

Mental Health ◽

Older Adults ◽

Depressive Symptoms ◽

Transition Period ◽

Process Analysis ◽

Rural China ◽

National Level ◽

Policy Implications ◽

Older Parents ◽

Number Of Children

Abstract In rural China, support from children is the traditional network for older adults. Their mental health problem is poorly understood and remains unsolved. The study aims to explore the relationships between older adults’ depressive symptoms and characteristics of support from children under the current social-structural conditions in rural China. The study is informed by the intergenerational solidarity theory and the theoretical framework of social relationships and their influence on health. The quantitative study is based on the recent wave of Harmonized China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study (Harmonized CHARLS) in 2015, which is a high-quality national-level dataset. The study applies conditional process analysis to do the data analysis. The key findings include: the number of children has a negative association with older adults’ depressive symptoms (c= -.2390, p=.0002<0.05); the number of children influenced older adults’ depressive symptoms indirectly through financial support from children (If children do not live with older parents, ab=-.0141, CI= -.393 to -.0038; If children live with older parents, ab=-.0153, CI= -.369 to -.0056;). However, both theses direct and indirect relationships do not depend on the co-residence situation between older adults and their children. The controlling variables include age, gender, and self-rated health. Under China’s current transition period of population policy, this study provides policy implications regards to the characteristics of children support and their influence on older adults’ mental health, especially in rural China. This study also tests the two theories to some extent under the Chinese context, which were initially developed in Western countries.

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Socio-economic status over the life-course and depressive symptoms in men and women in Eastern Europe

Journal of Affective Disorders ◽

10.1016/j.jad.2007.04.026 ◽

2008 ◽

Vol 105 (1-3) ◽

pp. 125-136 ◽

Cited By ~ 34

Author(s):

Amanda Nicholson ◽

Hynek Pikhart ◽

Andrzej Pajak ◽

Sofia Malyutina ◽

Ruzena Kubinova ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Depressive Symptoms ◽

Life Course ◽

Eastern Europe ◽

Economic Status ◽

Men And Women ◽

Socio Economic Status ◽

The Life Course

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Intergenerational Relationships, Social Support, and Psychological Well-Being Among Korean Older Adults

Innovation in Aging ◽

10.1093/geroni/igab046.1172 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 5 (Supplement_1) ◽

pp. 302-302

Author(s):

Janet Wilmoth ◽

Yooumi Lee

Keyword(s):

Social Support ◽

Older Adults ◽

Depressive Symptoms ◽

Depression Scale ◽

Adult Child ◽

Intergenerational Relationships ◽

Well Being ◽

Epidemiologic Studies ◽

Psychological Well Being ◽

Older Parents

Abstract Using longitudinal data from the 2006 to 2018 Korean Longitudinal Study of Aging, this study explores depression trajectories among individuals who are 60 or older with at least one living adult child at baseline. We estimated linear growth curve models of depression trajectories separately for married, unmarried and widowed using the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale (CES-D). Results indicate that declining health and recent widowhood are positively related to depressive symptoms. Satisfactory intergenerational relationships and social support in the form of caregiving decrease depressive symptoms of older parents, especially among the widowed. Having at least one son and a first-born daughter positively impact psychological well-being of older parents. A son was particularly important for those who are widowed. We conclude that the psychological benefits of intergenerational relationships and social support are contingent upon the vulnerability of Korean older adults and discuss the implications for public policy.

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Depressive Symptoms Among Adult Children Aged 55 Years or Older: The Effects of Support Provided to Their Older Parents

The International Journal of Aging and Human Development ◽

10.1177/0091415018822064 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 89 (4) ◽

pp. 372-386 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Xiang Gao ◽

Qiuju Guo ◽

Fei Sun ◽

David R. Hodge

Keyword(s):

Depressive Symptoms ◽

Adult Children ◽

Depression Scale ◽

Secondary Data ◽

Epidemiological Studies ◽

Hierarchical Regression ◽

Chinese Society ◽

Older Children ◽

Older Parents ◽

Clinically Significant

Objectives This study examines the effects of frequency of visits, monetary, and in-kind support provided to older parents on the depressive symptoms of adult children. Method This study drew secondary data from the China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study Follow-up Questionnaire. A total of 629 older children aged 55 years and older ( M = 59.80, standard deviation = 3.90) met the inclusion criteria. The dependent variable—depressive symptoms—was measured with the Center for Epidemiological Studies Depression scale. Results Approximately 22% of participants reported clinically significant levels of depressive symptoms. Hierarchical regression analyses found that more frequent visits and monetary support to older parents were related to lower levels of depressive symptoms in older children. Conclusion Providing monetary support to parents may help mitigate a major concern of parents: health-care costs. Older children’s altruistic behaviors meet legal and cultural expectations in Chinese society, contributing to family intimacy and thereby their own mental health outcomes.

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