Intergenerational support among widowed older adults in China

2017 ◽  
Vol 3 (1) ◽  
pp. 94 ◽  
Author(s):  
Zhenmei Zhang ◽  
I-Fen Lin
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Old Age ◽  
Emotional Support ◽  
Intergenerational Support ◽  
Old Age Support ◽  
Old Adults ◽  
Number Of Children ◽  
Healthy Longevity ◽  
Multiple Dimensions ◽  
Parents With Disabilities

With the rapid aging of the Chinese population, growing attention has been given to old-age support. Widowed older adults constitute a particularly vulnerable population because the loss of a spouse can lead to financial hardships and emotional distress. We used data from the 2002 Chinese Longitudinal Healthy Longevity Survey to examine multiple dimensions of old-age support among a nationwide sample of widowed old adults ages 65 and older (N = 10,511). The results show that Chinese widows and widowers rely heavily on their adult children, particularly sons and daughters-in-law, for financial, instrumental, and emotional support. Widowed older adults’ needs and the number of children are the most significant predictors of old-age support. Widowed older adults with multiple marriages have a lower likelihood of receiving financial assistance, sick care, and emotional support from their children compared to their counterparts who have married only once. There appears to be same-gender preference in adult children’s care for their widowed parents with disabilities.

scholarly journals A multi-dimensional perspective on the gender gap in health among older adults in India and China: application of a new ageing measure

2019 ◽  
pp. 1-21
Author(s):  
Arun Balachandran ◽  
K. S. James
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Life Expectancy ◽  
Gender Bias ◽  
Old Age ◽  
Gender Gap ◽  
General Health ◽  
One Dimension ◽  
Multiple Dimensions ◽  
Health Dimension ◽  
India And China

Abstract A continuous rise of female life expectancy above that of males among older adults in India and China may give the impression that the relative gender gap in health in these countries is decreasing. However, given the systemic gender bias against older females in these countries across multiple dimensions of health, a fuller understanding of the gender gap in health calls for a multi-dimensional perspective. We estimate a multi-dimensional old-age threshold (MOAT) that specifies different old-age thresholds for female and male populations which accommodates multiple dimensions related to physical, intellectual and general health. We use the MOAT to evaluate the multi-dimensional gender gap in India and China by differencing the MOAT for females with that of males. Females in both countries have a lower MOAT than their male counterparts, indicating an earlier advent of ‘old age’ for females. The multi-dimensional estimates of the gender gap are also higher than the estimates based on only one dimension of health. A considerable level of variation is also observed in the gender gap across provinces. The study illustrates the need to understand the gender gap in health in India and China from a multi-dimensional perspective and provides an innovative way to quantify such a gap. Province-specific as well as health dimension-specific interventions are vital in reducing the gender gap among older adults in these countries.

scholarly journals Whom Can I Rely on? The Impact of China's Public Pension Program Expansion on the Expectations for Old-Age Support

2021 ◽  
Vol 5 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. 356-356
Author(s):  
Qian Zhang
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Old Age ◽  
Adult Children ◽  
Rural Areas ◽  
Fixed Effects ◽  
Public Pension ◽  
Old Age Support ◽  
Pension Program ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Program Expansion

Abstract Aging is a global trend and China is no exception. Older people in China mostly rely on their adult children for old-age support. This traditional provision pattern of old-age support, however, is challenged by hundreds of millions of internal migrant workers. They relocate from rural to urban regions for better employment and are no longer able to provide old-age support to their older parents in rural areas. The aim of this study was to determine the impacts of China’s public pension program expansion in rural areas on older people’s expectations for old-age support. Utilizing the natural experiment of program expansion, this study identified an instrumental variable as the county adoption of the pension program. In addition, the study analyzed a nationally representative longitudinal dataset CHARLS with fixed effects model. Results from the statistical model showed that given the participation in the pension program, older adults reported more reliance on pension for old-age support financially and less reliance on children. Heterogeneous effects were found for older adults living together with children and older adults living independently. These important findings suggest that the government partially assumes the responsibility for the old-age support of adult children in the traditional sense. The potential benefits of this study provide a policy implication for developing countries to alleviate old-age support problems and enable internal migration for economic development.

Regional Variation in Family Support for the Elderly in China: A Geodevelopmental Perspective

10.1068/a3523 ◽  
2002 ◽  
Vol 34 (9) ◽  
pp. 1617-1633 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ge Lin
Keyword(s):  
Economic Development ◽  
Family Support ◽  
Old Age ◽  
Support System ◽  
Urban Areas ◽  
The Elderly ◽  
Urban China ◽  
Intergenerational Support ◽  
The West ◽  
Old Age Support

The author examines the impact of rapid social change and economic development on family support for older parents in contemporary urban China. Based on the 1992 Survey on China's Support Systems for the Elderly, the author uses three levels of economic development as proxies for developmental stages in a study carried out from a geodevelopmental perspective. It is found that intergenerational support in urban China is persistent as far as instrumental support is concerned, and that the level of support follows a U-shaped pattern along the axis of economic development. It is in the mid-developed urban areas that intergenerational support seems the weakest. If the pattern from the less-developed to the developed urban areas reflects a time path, then the suggested trajectory will not lead to a convergence with the old-age support system found in the West. The author concludes that, although some aspects of economic support for the elderly will likely be consistent with modernization theory, the old-age support system in China is, on the whole, likely to diverge from the path seen in the West.

scholarly journals Intergenerational support and subjective wellbeing among oldest-old in China: the moderating role of economic status

2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Fanghong Huang ◽  
Peipei Fu
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Life Satisfaction ◽  
Psychological Health ◽  
Emotional Support ◽  
Financial Support ◽  
Subjective Wellbeing ◽  
Economic Status ◽  
Oldest Old ◽  
Instrumental Support ◽  
Intergenerational Support

Abstract Backgrounds The oldest-old population is increasing sharply in China, and intergenerational support has been their primary source of caregiving. Although intergenerational support has been found to be associated with wellbeing of older people in previous study, most analysis were from the perspective of children’s characteristics and exchange patterns. This study aims to investigate the impact of different types of intergenerational support on subjective wellbeing among Chinese oldest-old and the variation across groups of different economic status, based on their five-tier of needs (physiological needs, safety needs, love/belonging needs, esteem needs, and self-actualization needs). Methods We included older adults aged ≥ 80 years from the 2018 Chinese longitudinal Healthy Longevity Survey (CLHLS). We assessed older people’s subjective wellbeing by their life satisfaction and psychological health. We evaluated four types of intergenerational support: parents provide financial support, receive financial, instrumental and emotional support. We applied binary logistic regression analysis to analyze the association between different intergenerational support and older people’s subjective wellbeing and the moderating effect of self-rated economic status on this relationship. Results A total of 8.794 participants were included, with a mean age of 91,46 years (standard deviation:7.60). Older adults who provide financial support (OR: 1.37, 95% CI: 1.01, 1.85) and receive emotional support (OR: 1.99, 95% CI: 1.40, 2.83) report better subjective wellbeing. However, receiving instrumental support depressed psychological health (OR: 0.67, 95% CI: 0.56, 0.79) while improved life satisfaction (OR: 1.42, 95% CI: 1.04, 1.55). Receiving emotional support promoted parents’ psychological health among all combinations of support, and receiving all the three types together raised their subjective wellbeing most. Conclusions Our study recognizes that higher level of subjective wellbeing for oldest-old is related to providing financial support, receiving emotional and certain instrumental support. In addition, higher economic status can moderate these associations.

scholarly journals Geographic variation in gender gap among older adults in India and China: Application of a new ageing measure

2021 ◽  
Vol 5 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. 870-871
Author(s):  
Arun Balachandran ◽  
Feinian Chen
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Life Expectancy ◽  
Old Age ◽  
Gender Gap ◽  
Functional Health ◽  
Remaining Life ◽  
Multiple Dimensions ◽  
Remaining Life Expectancy ◽  
Almost All ◽  
India And China

Abstract A continuous rise in the life expectancy of females above that of the males among older adults in India and China may give an impression that the gender gap in health is decreasing. However, given the systemic bias against females in these countries across multiple facets, and the diversity across provinces, a fuller understanding of gender gap calls for (a) understanding the gender gap in multiple dimensions of health, and (b) understanding the variations across provinces. We estimate a multi-dimensional old-age threshold (MOAT) across provinces in India and China, that specifies different old-age thresholds for female and male populations after simultaneously accommodating for multiple dimensions related to their health. These aspects of health include remaining life expectancy, intellectual and functional health. We estimate the gender gap across provinces in these countries by differencing the MOAT of males against that of females. In addition, we also illustrate the gender gap across individual dimensions of health. Our results show that females in almost all the provinces of India and China have a lower MOAT than their male counterparts, showing an earlier advent of ‘old-age’ among females compared to males. The estimates based on remaining life expectancy shows gender gap in favor of females, but the estimates of multi-dimensional gender gap are higher and biased against females. A huge variation is seen across provinces, with Karnataka and Hubei showing lower levels of gender gap and Rajasthan and Yunnan showing higher gender gaps in India in China respectively.

Living arrangements and intergenerational support among older Chinese: Does the gender of the co-resident adult children make a difference?

2021 ◽  
pp. 002087282110014
Author(s):  
Shuyan Yang ◽  
Lili Xie ◽  
Ting Li
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Family Support ◽  
Emotional Support ◽  
Living Arrangements ◽  
Logit Model ◽  
Intergenerational Support ◽  
Representative Survey ◽  
Gerontological Social Work ◽  
Nationally Representative ◽  
Older Chinese

This study examines the effect of living arrangements on intergenerational support for older Chinese, using a nationally representative survey data of 9713 respondents (mean age = 70.18 years). The results of a generalised ordered logit and logit model showed that older adults living with a daughter received better instrumental and emotional support than those living with a son. The associations between residing with a daughter and the provision of intergenerational support varied between urban- and rural-dwelling older adults. The findings suggest that attention should be given to the gender perspective in gerontological social work practices and family support policies.

scholarly journals Older workers imagining retirement: the collapse of agency, or freedom at last?

2021 ◽  
pp. 1-19
Author(s):  
Anne Skevik Grødem ◽  
Ragni Hege Kitterød
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Old Age ◽  
Older Workers ◽  
Qualitative Interviews ◽  
Social Meaning ◽  
Active Engagement ◽  
Work Patterns ◽  
Ideal Types ◽  
Retirement Decisions ◽  
The Ideal

Abstract Images of what retirement is and ought to be are changing. Older workers are being encouraged to work for longer, at the same time, older adults increasingly voice expectations of a ‘third age’ of active engagement and new life prospects. In this article, we draw on the literature on older workers’ work patterns and retirement transitions (noting push/pull/stay/stuck/jump factors), and on scholarship on the changing social meaning of old age, most importantly the notions of a ‘third’ and ‘fourth’ age. The analysis is based on qualitative interviews with 28 employees in the private sector in Norway, aged between 55 and 66 years. Based on the interviews, we propose three ideal-typical approaches to the work–retirement transition: ‘the logic of deadline’, ‘the logic of negotiation’ and ‘the logic of averting retirement’. The ideal-types are defined by the degree to which informants assume agency in the workplace, their orientation towards work versus retirement and the degree to which they expect to exercise agency in retirement. We emphasise how retirement decisions are informed by notions of the meaning of ageing, while also embedded in relationships with employers and partners.

scholarly journals Self-reported morbidities, nutritional characteristics, and associated factors in institutionalized and non-institutionalized older adults

2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Abdelhafid Benksim ◽  
Rachid Ait Addi ◽  
Elhassania Khalloufi ◽  
Aziz Habibi ◽  
Mohamed Cherkaoui
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Health Insurance ◽  
Nutritional Status ◽  
Statistical Significance ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Public Institution ◽  
Subjective Well Being ◽  
Number Of Children ◽  
Significant Difference ◽  
Nutritional Characteristics

Abstract Background As the world’s population ages and people live longer, it seems important to ensure that older people have a good quality of life and positive subjective well-being. The objective of this study is to determine socio-economic, health and nutritional characteristics of institutionalized and non-institutionalized elders in the province of Marrakech. Methods This study was conducted among 368 older adults in the province of Marrakech between March 2017 and June 2019. Of all participants, 180 older adults reside in a public institution and 188 of them live in their own homes. Data on health conditions, nutritional status, functional and socio-economic characteristics were collected. Data was analyzed using SPSS Statistics for Windows, Version 16.0. Statistical significance was set at p < 0.05. Results Institutionalized elders were illiterate (80.0%), had low incomes (95.5%), and unmarried (73.3%), they reported also no children (56.1%) and no health insurance (98.9%). Institutional residents suffered from malnutrition (22.2%), hearing impairments (35.6%) and severe edentulism (43.3%). There was no significant difference between both groups on daily activities and depression. A multivariate analysis identified a model with three significant variables associated with non-institutionalized elders: health insurance (P = 0.001; OR = 107.49), number of children (P = 0.001; OR = 1.74) and nutritional status (p = 0.001; OR = 3.853). Conclusions This study shows that the institutionalization of older adults is considerably induced by various factors such as nutritional problems, lack of health insurance and family structure. To mitigate the effects of this phenomenon, home care strategies and preventive actions should be implemented to delay the institutionalization of older adults and therefore keep them socially active in their own homes.

scholarly journals Self-compassion as predictor of daily physical symptoms and chronic illness across older adulthood

2021 ◽  
pp. 135910532110023
Author(s):  
Heather Herriot ◽  
Carsten Wrosch
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Longitudinal Study ◽  
Chronic Illness ◽  
End Of Life ◽  
Old Age ◽  
Physical Symptoms ◽  
Older Adulthood ◽  
Self Compassion ◽  
Early Old Age

This study examined whether self-compassion could benefit daily physical symptoms and chronic illness in early and advanced old age. The hypotheses were evaluated in a 4-year longitudinal study of 264 older adults. Results showed that self-compassion predicted lower levels of daily physical symptoms across the study period in advanced, but not early, old age ( T-ratio = −1.93, p = 0.05). In addition, self-compassion was associated with fewer increases in chronic illness in advanced, but not early, old age ( T-ratio = − 2.45, p < 0.02). The results of this study suggest that self-compassion may be particularly adaptive towards the end of life.

scholarly journals Role of social integration in the protection against depression in the Chilean elderly population

2020 ◽  
Vol 30 (Supplement_5) ◽  
Author(s):  
L de Albuquerque Araújo ◽  
N Bello Escamilla ◽  
V Sabando Franulic
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Older Adults ◽  
Social Integration ◽  
Old Age ◽  
Protective Factor ◽  
Depression Scale ◽  
Mental Illnesses ◽  
National Study ◽  
Close Relatives ◽  
Negative Gradient

Abstract Chile has improved survival however this process occurs under a framework of socioeconomic and gender inequalities, which results in an impact of mental health, especially in vulnerable groups. The objective was to determine the association between depression and social integration in Chilean older adults. Cross-sectional study from the National Study of Dependence in Old Person 2010. The risk of depression was amount with Geriatric Depression Scale (&gt;5). The social integration were quantity as frequency of meeting with close relatives (child, partner, daughter/ son-in-law, grandchildren); with other relatives (brother, brothers-in-law, nephews or other relatives) and with friends and neighbors in the last 12 months in 5 categories (never visit; less frequently; 1-2 times a month; 1-2 times a week; every day or almost). Logistic regression models considered the sampling design of the survey to identify association with odd ratio (OR) (never as reference category), adjustment for sex, age, ethnicity, household income, education, housing arrangement and chronic diseases (p ≤ 0,5). Total of 4179 older adults 25,3% reported risk of depression, the significative association with close relatives was in daily or almost frequency OR:0.42 (95%CI 0.27-0.67), 1-2 times a week OR: 0,57 (95%CI 0,33-0,99), 1-2 times/month OR: 0,56 (95%CI 0,99); other relatives were lower frequency OR: 0.54 (95%CI 0.38-0.78); 1-2 times/month OR; 0.50 (95%CI 0.31-0.81); 1-2 times/week OR:0.35 (95%CI 0.22-0.55); daily or almost OR:0.27 (95%CI 0.18-0.42). And meeting with friends and neighbors in the same frequency order were OR: 0.66 (95%CI 0.44-0.99); OR:0.43 (95%CI 0.26-0.73); OR:0.4 (95%CI 0.25-0.62); OR: 0.32 (95%CI 0.21-0.47). There is a negative gradient between depression and the frequency of meeting with friends, neighbors and family, independent of sociodemographic and health characteristics. Social integration must be promoted as a protective factor of mental health in elderly. Key messages Depression is one of the most common mental illnesses in old age and we found a negative gradient between the frequency of meeting friends, neighbors and family and the possibility of depression. It seems essential for public health to have strategies that address social life in old age to strengthen quality of live and mental health.

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