Does Gender Difference Exist in Typologies of Intergenerational Relations? Adult Son–Parent and Daughter–Parent Relations in Hong Kong

This study examines the typologies of adult son–parent and daughter–parent relations in Hong Kong, a place where East meets West. Data were drawn from a survey of 834 adult children (381 sons and 453 daughters) aged between 18 and 60 with at least one living parent. Latent class analysis identified four types of relations for both son-parent and daughter-parent relations: tight-knit, distant ascending ties, obligatory, and detached. Sons were more likely to engage in obligatory and tight-knit relations with parents, whereas daughters were more likely to engage in distant ascending ties relations. Multinomial logistic regression found that adult children who were young, single, or co-residing with their own child aged above 18 were more likely to have tight-knit relations with their elderly parents. Our findings suggest that although the male-dominated norm remains influential in Hong Kong, daughters are increasingly maintaining close interactions with their parents.

The Effects of Adult Offspring Migration on Nutrient Intake of Rural Elderly People in China

Sufficient and Reasonable nutrient intake is essential for guaranteeing elderly people’s health, especially in rural China where elderly people are the main labor inputs in agricultural sector. Using the 2011 wave data of China Health and Nutrition Survey, this study has empirical analyzed the impact of adult children’s migration on nutrient intake of their elderly parents in rural areas. The results show that dietary energy and protein intake of rural elderly parents are inadequate where it is less than the Chinese RNI value significantly. Adult offspring migration positively relates with rural elderly parents’ protein intake as well as the dietary energy intake. In the families that partly adult offspring have out-migrated or in the one-child families, elderly parents benefit more from children migration. And for male, younger and low education elders, their nutrient intake is more likely to be improved by offspring migration.

Transnational Caregiving for Older Adults and Caregivers’ Wellness in Japanese Americans during the Pandemic

Global migration has greatly affected intergenerational family support beyond national borders, in particular adult children’s transnational family caregiving for elderly parents. Specifically, the COVID-19 pandemic has largely influenced transnational caregiving due to the travel restrictions. Transnational caregiving for older adults includes adult children’s periodical returning to their home country and/or adult children’s caregiving for their parents in their settled country. The goal of this study was to identify trajectories between adult children’s transnational caregiving for their parents and caregivers’ wellness in Japanese Americans before and during the pandemic. We conducted semi-structured interviews with Japanese Americans 40 to 59 years of age (N=20) in California before the lockdown and during the increasing number of patients infected with the Delta variant. The qualitative data analysis showed some Japanese Americans periodically returned to Japan to provide caregiving for their parents before the pandemic, while others didn’t. However, the former group currently relied on their families in their home country more than before. The limitations led to not only distress over uncertainty but also release from a strong sense of reciprocity and filial responsibility, by changing from physical support to emotional and financial support via online. They also enhanced cultural identity as Japanese Americans, by thriving from discrimination against Asian Americans. Thus, our findings demonstrate important factors that impacted on transnational caregiving and caregivers' wellness, including cultural identity, family norms, beliefs and practices of intergenerational support, social and historical contexts, financial remittance, ICT use, and healthcare policies among the underrepresented populations across the Pacific.

Young Australians living with parents: free and pay board as popular housing tenure choices

Young adults staying with parents is definitely a growing housing tenure in Australia. This paper, for the first time, unearths individual-level housing tenure choices of young Australians from the household-level data of owning/renting from the 2017 Household Income and Labour Dynamics in Australia survey. In addition to owner-occupation and private rental, the paper explores the influence of personal characteristics on two types of multigenerational co-residence: young adults who live with parents rent-free and pay board. The results show that, in Australia, young women are more independent in their housing tenure choices (i.e., owning and renting) in comparison to young men. There is a growing trend towards mature and high-earning young people living with parents for free, which might be explained by the aim of saving money to buy a house or investment property and also care arrangements for their elderly parents. Marital status has also a significant effect on housing tenure choices. Never married young adults prefer to live with parents either for free or pay board; while those divorced/separated or widowed prefer to rent privately to maintain their residential independency, after life circumstances changed. This study informs policy makers to provide more support to young adults in a fully or partly independent housing tenure (renting and paying board) in assisting them to climb up the housing career ladder—becoming a homeowner.

The meaning of losing a child in older adults: a qualitative study

Background After losing their child, elderly parents look for a meaning in this phenomenon. This meaning comes out from their experiences, and their responses to and actions in life are shaped based on this meaning. Therefore, this study was conducted with the aim of “understanding the meaning of losing a child in older adults.” Methods This qualitative study was conducted using conventional content analysis method. Using semi-structured face-to-face interviews, data were collected from 15 older adults who had experienced of losing their adult child. Data analysis was performed according to the steps proposed by Graneheim and Lundman, 2004. To prove the trustworthiness of the data, credibility, dependability, confirmability and transferability were used. Results The age range of participants was between 61 and 83 years and 73.3% of them were female. The two main categories of “tasting the bitter flavor of life” and “searching for a positive meaning in losing a child” together with the theme of “finding hope in the heart of darkness” were extracted from the participants’ experiences. Conclusions Despite the grief of losing a child, which had cast a dark shadow over the parents’ lives, the child’s liberation from worldly sufferings, his/her presence in a better world, and being hopeful about the grace of God had caused the elderly parents to find hope in the heart of darkness. After identifying the parents with a deceased child, they should be helped through psychological counseling and care of the healthcare team so that they can adapt to this situation by finding a positive meaning in losing their child.

Family Support for Psychological Health of the Elderly

With the increasing number of elderly people, of course, there will be more and more complex problems that must be faced by these elderly people. Elderly people are no longer independent or dependent on others, unable to carry out activities on their own, need caregivers, have cognitive and functional decline, have complex psychosocial problems, and have multiple diseases. This study aims to provide an overview of the form of support and its impact on the health of the elderly by providing an overview through literature review research. Research data was obtained through literature study and hermeneutics. Family support can provide great hope for elderly people to continue to instill many positive things and reduce the negative possibilities experienced by them. Ways to provide support to the elderly can be: taking family members for walks, hanging out with friends, being with them throughout the day, and respecting one another. The benefits of providing the above are that there is an increasingly close family relationship, trusted by elderly parents, to be asked for any help, not awkward in expressing any opinion. This has an impact on the emotional stability of the elderly in living their lives.

PROTECTION OF ELDERLY PARENTS IN BANGLADESH: AN EVALUATION OF RELEVANT GUIDELINES

This study aims to evaluate the provisions concerning the protection of elderly parents in the international and national legal framework and also in major religious scriptures in the context of Bangladesh. Based on the secondary sources of information, the study has observed that in spite of ample provisions, parents are not fully protected from abuse. Besides international conventions, the Parents’ Maintenance Act (PMA) 2013 and Islamic principles concerning parents are the key sources providing sufficient guidance for the protection of elderly parents in the Muslim majority Bangladesh. Although there are provisions of punishment for failing to provide parents’ maintenance in the existing law, very little improvement is observed concerning their maintenance. This study suggests the incorporation of the provision to enforce children to return the property of their parent, in the event they failed or declined to take care of their elderly parents. The study has emphasized the need to increase awareness pertaining to maintenance and related laws amongst citizens through mass campaigns. The further initiative should be undertaken to ignite the young generation with religious and moral values. Early implementation of the PMA’s draft rule is suggested for the assurance of parent’s maintenance in Bangladesh.

Komposisi jenis kelamin anak, program Keluarga Berencana dan fertilitas

The number and sex composition of children are important for some married couples in Indonesia. Having sons in the family is considered as a must since they are argued to be the successor of the family lineage. The presence of daughters is expected to help with household chores and care for their elderly parents. The sex preference for children by the married couples can affect their number of children. This study aims to assess the relationship between the number and sex composition of children, contraceptive use, and the desire to have more children among women in Indonesia. The study employed the data from the 2017 Indonesian Demography and Health Survey (IDHS), with the unit of analysis of currently married women aged 15-49 who have at least one living children. The results show that women with two or more children of the same sex had a higher tendency to have additional children and no use of contraceptives. The Family Planning program's campaign of similar values shared between son and daughter is still hardly accepted, hence, sex preference still exists. It is necessary to reformulate an effective concept for proper socialization of these values as an effort to control the fertility rate in Indonesia.