Consistency and Transformation of Filial Responsibility Attitudes in China: Evidence from Panel Study of Family Dynamics of 2004 and 2017

Objective: This study analyzes the trend of change and influencing factors of filial responsibility attitudes in China. Method: The study uses data of Panel Study of Family Dynamics (PSFD) conducted in three Southeast regions in China in the year 2004 and 2017. Results: This study has two major findings. First, there was no significant decline in filial responsibility attitudes over the decade in spite of aging tendency. Both Reciprocal Filial Piety (RFP) and Authoritative Filial Piety (AFP) have not declined, with similar trend to men and women. Second, factors affecting filial responsibility attitudes have changed over the 13 years, with the impact of educational attainment and employment declining, while the effect of marital status increasing. Gender heterogeneity in the process was obvious. Conclusion: This study adds to literature on filial piety in Confucian society and provides empirical evidence on the future of cross-cultural filial responsibility attitudes.

Patterns of Obligation of Care Among Urban and Rural Americans

In recent years, there is concern about the shortage of adult children who are active participants in the care of their older parents (those 65 years and above). Reviewed studies suggest that attitudes towards the provision of care for older parents differ and may depend on ecological affordances. Particularly, demographic changes due to urbanization shape constructions of obligation to provide eldercare. This study examined patterns of filial responsibility and felt obligation of adult children toward their older parents among rural and urban dwellers in the US. Participants (N= 187) responded to questionnaires assessing filial responsibility, felt obligation to parents, and additional social and demographic characteristics. Results show that rural Americans reported higher levels of filial responsibility and felt obligation to older parents. Also, filial responsibility is associated with the felt obligation for contact with parents, avoidance of conflict with parents, provision of assistance and care, self-sufficiency and independence from parents, and sharing of personal experiences with parents. Our findings indicate the existence of cultural ecological contexts that afford a sense of duty, care, and assistance to older parents. We discuss strategies that acknowledge the relevance of these factors in promoting participation in eldercare.

AGING IN RURAL ETHIOPIA: IMPACT ON FILIAL RESPONSIBILITY AND INTERGENERATIONAL SOLIDARITY

As migration and urbanization continue to progress in developing nations, the filial support and traditional support mechanisms that serve as buffers against the plight of older people are diminishing. Agrarian families find themselves in a rapidly changing world that severely limits their ability to assume caregiving roles for elders. With these trends in mind, a phenomenological approach was used to explore the lived experiences of 10 rural elders in Ethiopia. Prominent themes in the elders’ narratives was the nostalgia of filial responsibility and intergenerational solidarity in the “good old days” and a strong sense of devaluation. Elders expressed feeling devalued by their children, grandchildren, and youth in general. As one elder shared, “These days, there is no respect for an older person. We are treated like a broken utensil thrown away which is considered as useless anymore.” Compared to how they treated their own parents, elders believed that their children’s sense of moral obligation was weak and unreliable. Interactions with children and grandchildren were described as abusive, undermining, and embarrassing, triggering deep sorrow. Elders were pessimistic about the prospect of reliable caregivers, even expressing a wish to die before they become dependent on others for care. Despite the challenges they face in their daily lives, all participants viewed aging as a privilege that should be celebrated. As traditional family support structures in developing nations continue to deteriorate, new models of community-based care are needed to ensure that elders can expect adequate care throughout their lives.

Filial Responsibility

With the rapid rise of the aging population, how to provide support and care for older adults has become an increasingly important issue across the world. One way of such provision in many societies has been through adult children. An important concept, attitude, and practice in this regard is filial responsibility. This article first looks into the definition of filial responsibility and its ethical foundation or theoretical underpinning as manifested in various theories. Next, the article examines changes and continuity in filial responsibility in the face of modernization and other social and cultural changes. To better understand the many faces of filial responsibility, the article discusses parental expectations of filial responsibility and the attitudes and practices of adult children. The extent of offspring’s filial responsibility attitude as a predictor of actual support and care to parents is discussed. In addition, to comprehend the effects of filial responsibility on individual well-being, this article examines not only the effects of parental expectations of filial responsibility on their well-being but also the consequences of fulfilling filial responsibility on offspring’s well-being. Finally, the article examines the relationship between filial responsibility and policy and the implications of filial responsibility for the helping professions, including social work.

Filial Piety: From the Perspective of Indonesian Young Adults

Background: Filial piety refers to expectations for children to respect parents and fulfill care responsibility, including provide direct care and support them in their old age. However, socio-demographic changes might shape how young generation would see and practice the value of filial responsibility in parent’s old age.Purpose: This study aimed to explore the meaning of filial responsibility among young adults within the social context of Indonesia.Methods: Symbolic interactionism formed the framework for this study. The constructivist grounded theory method guided the analysis of the data obtained from in-depth interviews with eight university students. The participants were selected using a purposive and snowball sampling technique with the following criteria: 18 years old or over, currently enrolled as a student and had living parents. Results: The result showed that redefining the meaning of filial responsibility was obtained as the main theme which linked all four categories: ‘I am the one’, ‘not institutional care’, ‘the gendering of caregiving’, and ‘it is okay to do so’. The findings revealed that the value of filial responsibility was still upheld by Indonesian young people. However, their views had been changed somewhat from the traditional practices which were family oriented and highly gendered to a more contemporary form where caregiving was extended to non-family caregivers and supposed to be less gendered in the practice.Conclusion: This study offers an insight into the shifting patterns in elderly caregiving and support in Indonesia. The findings also indicate the need to further promote gender equality in elderly caregiving.

A Systematic Review on Psychosocial Determinants of Elderly Subjective Wellbeing

The persistent increase in longevity has impelled social scientists to concentrate on the factors that can improve later life health and wellbeing. Extant literature indicates that filial responsibility, self-esteem, emotional regulation, attachment, parent-adult child relationship quality and religiosity are among those contributing factors for elderly subjective wellbeing. A systematic review was conducted to synthesize available evidence regarding the psychosocial determinants of elderly subjective wellbeing. Google Scholar, Science Direct and PubMed were searched for potentially relevant articles published from 2011 to 2017. Eighteen out of 216 full-text papers met the inclusion criteria and were critically appraised. The internal validity and quality of selected studies were assessed using STROBE and SIGN checklists. The findings of the current review suggest that filial responsibility, emotional regulation, self-esteem, attachment, and parent-adult child relationship quality were consistent determinants of elderly wellbeing; whereas findings on religiosity were equivocal. Further, self-esteem and emotional regulation emerged as significant cognitive-emotional underlying factors for the association between family relations and elderly wellbeing. In conclusion, despite methodological limitations of selected studies, this review was able to identify a number of psychosocial determinants of elderly subjective wellbeing. A comprehensive knowledge of these determining factors can contribute to a better understanding of empirical connections and identification of gaps in literature as well as directions for future studies.