Journal article
Parental status and late-life well-being in rural China: the benefits of having multiple children
Aging & mental health, Vol.18(1), pp.19-29
01/02/2014
DOI: 10.1080/13607863.2013.799117
PMCID: PMC3841233
PMID: 23711296
Abstract
Objectives: This study examined potential differences among childless elders, elders with one child, and elders with multiple children in rural China in their levels of depression and life satisfaction, and investigated the mechanism behind the potential differences.Methods: The sample consisted of 1224 older adults in rural Anhui province, China. ANOVA tests were carried out to compare the three groups in depression and life satisfaction, respectively. Multiple regressions were carried out to predict depression and life satisfaction, with (1) parental status, (2) individual attributes (i.e., sociodemographic variables and functional health), and (3) variables representing family relations (i.e., living arrangement, intergenerational contact, and family support) entered sequentially in each regression.Results: Overall, childless elders in rural China had significantly higher level of depression and lower level of life satisfaction than did older parents. The primary reason for such group differences was lack of monetary support from adult children, the effect of which was conditioned upon the income level of older adults. With a high level of income, the benefit of monetary support from children was negligible. However, the mere presence of multiple children was associated with a higher life satisfaction, independent of personal attributes and potential monetary support from children.Conclusion: This study contributed to the 'missing link' in the explanation by identifying the pathways through which parental status affect individual well-being. The findings indicate that local contexts such as affluence, social norms, and available formal support all play a role in shaping the consequences of childlessness in later life.
Details
- Title: Subtitle
- Parental status and late-life well-being in rural China: the benefits of having multiple children
- Creators
- Man Guo - University of Iowa
- Resource Type
- Journal article
- Publication Details
- Aging & mental health, Vol.18(1), pp.19-29
- DOI
- 10.1080/13607863.2013.799117
- PMID
- 23711296
- PMCID
- PMC3841233
- NLM abbreviation
- Aging Ment Health
- ISSN
- 1360-7863
- eISSN
- 1364-6915
- Publisher
- Routledge
- Grant note
- This work was supported by grants from the Fogarty International Center of the National Institutes of Health (R03TW01060-01) and the US–China Institute and School of Social Work at University of Southern California.
- Comment
- Test development: Family Relations Measure
- Language
- English
- Date published
- 01/02/2014
- Academic Unit
- School of Social Work
- Record Identifier
- 9984307258602771
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