Logo image
Typology of Family Relationship and Elder Mistreatment in a US Chinese Population
Journal article   Open access

Typology of Family Relationship and Elder Mistreatment in a US Chinese Population

Mengting Li, Man Guo, Meredith Stensland, Merril Silverstein and XinQi Dong
Journal of the American Geriatrics Society (JAGS), Vol.67(S3), pp.S493-S498
08/01/2019
DOI: 10.1111/jgs.15892
PMCID: PMC8626164
PMID: 31403200
url
https://doi.org/10.1111/jgs.15892View
Published (Version of record) Open Access

Abstract

OBJECTIVES To examine the associations between typology of family relationship and risk of elder mistreatment (EM). DESIGN Population-based epidemiological cross-sectional study. SETTING Community-dwelling older adults in the greater Chicago area. PARTICIPANTS A total of 3157 US older Chinese immigrants. MEASUREMENTS EM was measured by a brief screening tool. Latent class analysis was used to construct typologies of family relationship from eight indicators, evaluating the structural, associational, functional, affectual, and normative aspects of family relationship. Logistic regression models were used to test the associations between typology of family relationship and EM. RESULTS Unobligated ambivalent type (44.77%) was the most common family type among US older Chinese immigrants. The prevalence of EM was around 15%, with 475 participants reporting experience of EM. Unobligated ambivalent (odds ratio [OR] = 1.90; 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.54-2.34) and detached (OR = 1.78; 95% CI = 1.32-2.42) family types were associated with greater risk of EM; tight-knit (OR = .34; 95% CI = .27-.44) family type was associated with lower risk of EM. The relationship between commanding conflicted family type and EM was not significant. CONCLUSION Unobligated ambivalent family type, featured by high emotional closeness and high family conflict, was prevalent among US Chinese families and associated with EM consequences. Culturally customized social services are suggested to reduce intergenerational ambivalence and promote family harmony for immigrant families. J Am Geriatr Soc 67:S493-S498, 2019.
Geriatrics & Gerontology Gerontology Life Sciences & Biomedicine Science & Technology

Details

Metrics

Logo image