Intergenerational educational mobility and smoking: a study of 20 European countries using diagonal reference models.

OBJECTIVES: Intergenerational educational mobility can be particularly relevant for smoking because it implies moving from individuals' family background to a new position in the social hierarchy. Existing research, however, does not provide an answer as to how the process of mobility, per se, is associated with the likelihood of smoking. STUDY DESIGN: We used cross-nationally comparable survey data for 20 countries collected within the health module of the European Social Survey in 2014. The analytical sample consisted of 22,336 respondents aged 25-64 years. METHODS: Smoking was operationalized by daily and occasional smoking, while the intergenerational educational mobility variable was derived from a comparison of respondents' and their parents' highest levels of educational attainment. We employed diagonal reference models to examine the association of intergenerational educational mobility and smoking. RESULTS: In the country- and age-adjusted analysis, intergenerational downward mobility was associated with odds ratios of 1.34 (CI95 1.07, 1.68) and 1.61 (CI95 1.34, 1.93) for smoking, respectively, among men and women. Intergenerational upward mobility, on the other hand, was negatively associated with smoking but only among women. CONCLUSION: Our findings provide new evidence that the process of intergenerational educational mobility is associated with individuals' likelihood of smoking and that this effect cannot be explained by conventional covariates of smoking.

Grandparents' Financial Contributions to Grandchildren in Rural China: The Role of Remittances, Household Structure, and Patrilineal Culture.

OBJECTIVES: This investigation examined predictors of monetary transfers made by grandparents for the benefit of their grandchildren in rural China. Predictors included family factors related to financial supply (remittances received from the parents of grandchildren), household demand (living in a skipped-generation household), and patrilineal culture (targeting sons and grandsons). METHOD: The 2015 wave of the Longitudinal Study of Older Adults in Anhui Province was used to study financial transfers made by 831 grandparents to grandchildren in the families of 1,633 parents. Two-part random-effects regression was used to predict whether a transfer was made and the value of transfers, given that one occurred. RESULTS: Grandparents provided higher value transfers to grandchildren whose parents provided greater remittances and with whom they coresided in skipped-generation households. The likelihood of making a transfer fully followed the male lineage, and was greatest to grandson-only families in which parents were first-born sons. DISCUSSION: Results show that economic, household, and cultural factors are independently associated with the largesse of grandparents. We conclude that grandparents' economic contributions to grandchildren in rural China are shaped by family demands in a highly mobile society, intergenerational interdependence, and a persistent patrilineal gender system that reaches to the level of grandchildren.

Measuring Perceived Receipt of Filial Piety among Chinese Middle-Aged and Older Adults.

Filial piety plays an important role in the parent-child relationship in Chinese culture. To date, the majority of studies have focused on filial piety attitudes and expectations from the perspectives of the adult child. With only a few studies examining filial piety from the parent's perspectives, there is a paucity of studies that examines the dimensionality of filial piety receipt. The objective of this study was to validate the Perceived Receipt of Filial Piety Scale (PRFPS), a 10-item questionnaire designed to measure how often Chinese parents perceive their child(ren) engage in filial pious behaviours. A total of 222 middle-aged and older adult Chinese parents (Mage = 67.91, SD = 13.20) completed the PRFPS, MultidimensionalScale of Perceived Social Support (MSPSS) and the Quality of Life Scale (QOLS). A single-factor structure emerged from the developed PRFPS, which demonstrated excellent internal consistency (α = .95). The scale was also significantly associated with the MSPSS (r = .50) and QOLS (r = .42), supporting convergent and criterion validity. In conclusion, the PRFPS is found to be a reliable and valid measure of perceived filial piety receipt among Chinese parents. Theoretical implications and suggestions for further scale development and research is discussed.

Rural Native and European American Custodial Grandparents: Stressors, Resources, and Resilience.

Native American grandparents by tradition are expected to play a role in rearing grandchildren. However, in many Native grandfamilies, grandparents are rearing grandchildren not by choice or tradition, but as the result of family crises that necessitated grandparent intervention. European American grandparents have likewise been called to rear their grandchildren when their adult children are unable or unwilling to perform parental duties. Less is known about these custodial grandparents' resilience pathways, particularly among rural grandfamilies. Guided by the Resiliency Model of Family Stress, Adjustment, and Adaptation, this study examined the relationships between stressors, resources, and resilience among rural Native and European American custodial grandparents. Correlates of resilience were economic stress and stress management. Significant interactions were found between economic stress and government assistance and economic stress and stress management, indicating complex resilience pathways. Implications of study findings for research and intervention are discussed.

Racial disparities in the transgenerational transmission of low birthweight risk.

Objective: To examine the association of maternal low birthweight (LBW) with infant LBW and infant LBW subgroups (i.e. moderate and very LBW), overall and among non-Hispanic (NH) white and NH black mothers. Design: We conducted a population-based cohort study in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, using linked birth record data of NH white and NH black mother-infant pairs (N = 6,633) born in 1979-1998 and 2009-2011, respectively. The exposure of interest was maternal LBW (birthweight <2500 grams) while the outcomes were infant LBW and LBW subgroups - moderate LBW (1,500-2,499 grams) or very LBW (<1,500 grams). Logistic regression (binomial and multinomial) models were used to estimate adjusted Odds Ratios (ORs), Relative Risk Ratios (RRRs), and related 95% confidence intervals (CI). Stratified analyses were conducted to assess effect modification by mothers' race. Results: Maternal LBW was associated with 1.53 (95%CI: 1.15-2.02) and 1.75 (95%CI: 1.29-2.37) -fold increases in risk of infant LBW and MLBW, respectively, but not VLBW (RRR = 0.86; 95%CI: 0.44-1.70). In race-stratified models, maternal LBW-infant LBW associations were observed among NH blacks (OR = 1.88; 95%CI: 1.32-2.66) and not among NH whites (OR = 1.03; 95%CI: 0.62-1.73) (P for interaction = 0.07). Among NH blacks, maternal LBW was associated with a 2.18 (95%CI: 1.49, 3.20) -fold increase in risk of infant MLBW, but not VLBW (RRR = 1.12; 95%CI: 0.54, 2.35). Among NH whites, LBW subgroup analyses could not be performed due to small numbers of VLBW infants among LBW mothers. Conclusion: Mothers who were LBW at their own birth were more likely to have MLBW infants. Maternal race modified associations of maternal LBW with infant LBW, particularly infant MLBW. Further research is needed in this area to understand the potential mechanisms involved in the transgenerational transmission of LBW risk and race-specific differences in the transmission.

Breastfeeding initiation and duration in France: The importance of intergenerational and previous maternal breastfeeding experiences - results from the nationwide ELFE study.

OBJECTIVE: To assess the role of the mother's mother and mothers' previous personal experiences with breastfeeding and childcare in breastfeeding practices. DESIGN AND SETTING: The analysis included 13,774 mother-infant dyads from the French national birth cohort ELFE. Feeding practices were assessed by face-to-face interview in maternity wards in 2011, by phone interviews at months 2 and 12 post-partum and by Internet/paper questionnaires monthly from months 3-10. Sociodemographic, maternal and newborn-related factors were collected in the maternity unit and by postnatal phone interview at month 2. Multivariable logistic and linear regression was used to assess the association of mother's mother and mothers' previous personal experiences with breastfeeding initiation and duration. FINDINGS: Previous breastfeeding experience (i.e., whether mothers had breastfed their previous children) was positively associated with both breastfeeding initiation and duration. Mothers who had been breastfed themselves as infants were more likely to initiate and continue breastfeeding than non-breastfed mothers. Conversely, non-breastfed mothers who had received care advice from their own mother were less likely to start and maintain breastfeeding. The effect of having been breastfed in infancy was especially important for primiparous mothers and to a lesser extent, multiparous mothers with no previous breastfeeding experience. Also, formal experience in childcare, in a professional context, was associated with breastfeeding initiation but not duration. KEY CONCLUSIONS AND IMPLICATIONS FOR PRACTICE: Mother's mother and mother's previous breastfeeding experience have a strong influence on breastfeeding practices. Breastfeeding interventions should be tailored to the mother's level of experience and should provide extra support for multiparous mothers with no previous breastfeeding experience.

Males' Later-Life Mortality Consequences of Coresidence With Paternal Grandparents: Evidence From Northeast China, 1789-1909.

In this study, we investigate the effect of early-life coresidence with paternal grandparents on male mortality risks in adulthood and older age in northeast China from 1789 to 1909. Despite growing interest in the influence of grandparents on child outcomes, few studies have examined the effect of coresidence with grandparents in early life on mortality in later life. We find that coresidence with paternal grandmothers in childhood is associated with higher mortality risks for males in adulthood. This may reflect the long-term effects of conflicts between mothers and their mothers-in-law. These results suggest that in extended families, patterns of coresidence in childhood may have long-term consequences for mortality, above and beyond the effects of common environmental and genetic factors, even when effects on childhood mortality are not readily apparent.

Intergenerational Transmission of Educational Aspirations in Chinese Families: Identifying Mediators and Moderators.

Parents' educational aspirations for youth play an important role in shaping youth's own educational aspirations; however, little is known about how and in what context parents may transmit their aspirations to youth effectively. This is of particular interest and import to be examined in Chinese families, given Chinese cultural emphasis on educational achievement and Chinese youth's outstanding academic performance internationally. By integrating several key theories of motivation and parental socialization (i.e., the expectancy-value model of academic achievement, the two-step model of value transmission, the contextual model of parenting, and the self-determination theory), the current study investigated simultaneously the mediating roles of parental involvement in youth's learning and youth's perceptions of parental aspirations, as well as the moderating role of parental warmth in the intergenerational transmission process of educational aspirations in Chinese families. A two-wave longitudinal study spanning about half a year was conducted among 323 Chinese seventh graders (54% female; Mage = 13.25 years) and one of their parents (median educational attainment = completion of high school, median monthly income = USD 766-1226). It was found that parental educational aspirations for youth were related positively both indirectly through parental involvement and directly to youth's perceptions of parental aspirations, which in turn were associated positively with youth's own educational aspirations about half a year later. It was also found that parental educational aspirations for youth and youth's own educational aspirations were associated positively with each other only when youth reported experiencing high levels of parental warmth, but unrelated when youth reported experiencing low levels of parental warmth, whereas such moderating effects of parental warmth were absent on the links from parental aspirations to youth's perceptions of parental aspirations and parental involvement. These findings highlight the importance of integrating multiple theories to understand parent-to-youth transmission of educational aspirations in non-western cultures, which helps not only reveal generalizability, as well as boundary conditions for Western-originated theories, but also inform practical endeavors at promoting youth's educational achievement worldwide to draw on strengths of different cultures.

Issues of Aging: An Exploration of Asian American Families in the Southern Region of the United States from the Perspective of Community Leaders.

This paper focuses on older adults and the aging concerns of this population among groups of Asian American communities in a specific state in the southern region of the United States. A qualitative approach was used to gain a more in-depth understanding of issues related to aging from caregivers who are Asian American leaders from a community perspective. Areas of concern identified include intergenerational dynamics, physical and mental health concerns, and the need for a community center and living facility. The paper concludes with discussion on how to address the areas of concern.

Older Adults With Three Generations of Kin: Prevalence, Correlates, and Transfers.

OBJECTIVES: We document the prevalence and sociodemographic correlates of older adults with three generations of living kin and examine the patterns of transfers among this group compared with those with fewer generations of kin available. METHOD: We use the Health and Retirement Study (1998-2010) to estimate kin availability and intergenerational transfers among respondents in their 50s, 60s, and 70s. RESULTS: It is far more common for older adults to have aging parents, children, and grandchildren than to have just two generations of kin (parents and children). Forty percent of adults in their 50s, 30% of those in their 60s, and 7.5% of those in their 70s have three generations of kin available. Hispanics and the least educated are more likely to have this generational configuration. The vast majority provides financial or in-kind transfers to at least one generation, and a large minority provides support to both older and younger generations. DISCUSSION: Although there has been much concern about the strains among those sandwiched between parents and children, it is far more common among older adults to also have grandchildren, and many of these adults are transferring resources both upward and downward to multiple generations.

Student Debt Spans Generations: Characteristics of Parents Who Borrow to Pay for Their Children's College Education.

OBJECTIVES: Discussions of student debt often overlook the debt parents take on to pay for their children's education. We identify characteristics of parents with child-related educational debt among the late baby boom cohort. METHOD: Data come from the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth 1979, a nationally representative sample of individuals born between 1957 and 1964. We restrict our sample to parents who had any children aged ≥17 and answered questions on educational debt during midlife (n = 6,562). Craggit models estimated (a) having any child-related educational debt and (b) the amount of debt owed among debtors. RESULTS: Black parents and parents with more education, higher income, and higher net worth were more likely to report child-related educational debt than White parents and parents with no degree, low-income, or negative net worth. Among debtors, high-income parents had more debt than low-income parents. DISCUSSION: Our findings suggest concerns about the student debt crisis should extend to aging parents.

Intergenerational variation in sexual health attitudes and beliefs among Sudanese refugee communities in Australia.

The aim of this study was to develop intergenerational understanding of the factors perceived to be influencing the sexual health and wellbeing of young Sudanese refugees in Queensland, Australia. Data from 11 semi-structured, face-to-face interviews exploring sexual health knowledge, attitudes and behaviours with young people aged 16 to 24 years, and five focus groups with adults from the broader Queensland Sudanese community, were compared and contrasted. Findings indicate that sexual health-related knowledge, attitudes and beliefs, along with patterns of sexual behaviour, are changing post-resettlement and this creates considerable intergenerational discord and family conflict. Study findings provide an understanding of how the interplay between traditional cultural gender, parenting and relationship norms and perceived normative Australian beliefs and patterns of behaviour influence the construction of both young people's and their parents' attitudes to sexual health post-arrival. We suggest that sexuality education programmes adapted to the specific cultural- and age-related contexts need to be introduced early within the resettlement process for both young people and their families.

The Efficacy of an American Indian Culturally-Based Risk Prevention Program for Upper Elementary School Youth Residing on the Northern Plains Reservations.

Culturally-based risk behavior prevention programs for American Indian elementary school children are sparse. Thus a group of American Indian educators collaborated in the creation of a program that helps children make healthy decisions based on their cultural and traditional value system. In this paper the effectiveness of Lakota Circles of Hope (LCH), an elementary school culturally-based prevention program was studied and evaluated. Three cohorts of fourth and fifth graders participated in a mixed methods quasi-experimental evaluative research design that included focus groups and surveys prior to and following the intervention. Five research questions regarding the program's impact on students' self-esteem and self-efficacy, Lakota identity, communication, conflict resolution and risk behaviors were addressed in this study. Participants were compared to non-participants in three American Indian reservation school sites. Educators completed a survey to record their observations and feedback regarding the implementation of the program within their respective school sites. The study provides preliminary evidence that, when delivered with fidelity, LCH contributes to statistically significant changes in risk behaviors, Lakota identity, respect for others, and adult and parent communication. A two-way multivariate analysis of variance with post hoc analysis of data collected from the LCH participants (N = 1392) were used to substantiate a significant increase in respect for others and a decrease in risk behaviors which included alcohol, tobacco, and substance use at the 0.10 alpha level. Significant positive improvements in parent and adult communication and an increased Lakota identity at the 0.01 alpha level were obtained. There were no significant differences in self-esteem and conflict resolution from pre to post intervention and in comparison with non LCH participating students.

Digital stories as a tool for health promotion and youth engagement.

OBJECTIVES: To provide opportunities for intergenerational knowledge sharing for healthy lifestyles; to facilitate youth and Elder mentorship; and to increase the self-esteem of youth by celebrating identity, cultural practices and community connection through the creation and sharing of digital stories. PARTICIPANTS: A youth research team (8 youth) aged 13-25, youth participants (60 core participants and 170 workshop participants) and Elders (14) from First Nations communities. SETTING: The project was conducted with participants from several communities on Vancouver Island through on-site workshops and presentations. INTERVENTION: Youth and Elders were invited to a 3-day digital story workshop consisting of knowledge-sharing sessions by Elders and digital story training by the youth research team. Workshop attendees returned to their communities to develop stories. The group re-convened at the university to create digital stories focused on community connections, family histories and healthy lifestyles. During the following year the research team delivered instructional sessions in communities on the digital story process. OUTCOMES: The youth involved reported increased pride in community as well as new or enhanced relationships with Elders. CONCLUSIONS: The digital stories method facilitated intergenerational interactions and engaged community members in creating a digital representation of healthy lifestyles. The process itself is an intervention, as it affords critical reflection on historical, cultural and spiritual ideas of health and what it means to be healthy in an Aboriginal community. It is a particularly relevant health promotion tool in First Nations communities with strong oral history traditions.

Intergenerational education mobility and depressive symptoms in a population of Mexican origin.

PURPOSE: Low educational attainment has been associated with depression among Latinos. However, few studies have collected intergenerational data to assess mental health effects of educational mobility across generations. METHODS: Using data from the Niños Lifestyle and Diabetes Study, we assessed the influence of intergenerational education on depressive symptoms among 603 Mexican-origin individuals. Intergenerational educational mobility was classified: stable-low (low parent and/or low offspring education), upwardly mobile (low parent and/or high offspring education), stable-high (high parent and/or high offspring education), or downwardly mobile (high parent and/or low offspring education). High depressive symptoms were defined as scoring ≥10 on the Center for Epidemiological Studies Depression Scale-10 (CESD-10). We examined prevalence ratios (PRs) for depressive symptoms with levels of educational mobility. We used general estimating equations with log-binomial models to account for within-family clustering, adjusting for age, gender, and offspring and parent nativity. RESULTS: Compared with stable-low participants, the lowest prevalence of CESD-10 score ≥10 occurred in upwardly mobile (PR = 0.55; 95% confidence interval [CI] = 0.39-0.78) and stable-high (PR = 0.62; 95% CI = 0.44-0.87) participants. Downwardly mobile participants were also less likely to have a CESD-10 score ≥10 compared with stable-low participants (PR = 0.65; 95% CI = 0.38-1.11), although the estimate was not statistically significant. CONCLUSIONS: Sustained stress from low intergenerational education may adversely affect depression. Latinos with stable-low or downwardly mobile intergenerational educational attainment may need closer monitoring for depressive symptoms.

Exploring intergenerational changes in perceptions of gender roles and sexuality among Indigenous women in Oaxaca.

The south of Mexico has traditionally faced disproportionate social, health and economic disadvantage relative to the rest of the country, due in part to lower levels of economic and human development, and barriers faced by Indigenous populations. The state of Oaxaca, in particular, has one of the highest proportions of Indigenous people and consistently displays high rates of maternal mortality, sexually transmitted infections and teenage pregnancy. This study examines how social values and norms surrounding sexuality have changed between two generations of women living in Indigenous communities in Oaxaca. We conducted semi-structured in-depth interviews with 19 women from two generational cohorts in 12 communities. Comparison views of these two cohorts suggest that cultural gender norms continue to govern how women express and experience their sexuality. In particular, feelings of shame and fear permeate the expression of sexuality, virginity continues be a determinant of a woman's worth and motherhood remains the key attribute to womanhood. Evidence points to a transformation of norms, and access to information and services related to sexual health is increasing. Nonetheless, there is still a need for culturally appropriate sex education programmes focused on female empowerment, increased access to sexual health services, and a reduction in the stigma surrounding women's expressions of sexuality.

Caregiving Practice Patterns of Asian, Hispanic, and Non-Hispanic White American Family Caregivers of Older Adults Across Generations.

This study is a cross-sectional investigation of caregiving practice patterns among Asian, Hispanic and non-Hispanic White American family caregivers of older adults across three immigrant generations. The 2009 California Health Interview Survey (CHIS) dataset was used, and 591 Asian, 989 Hispanic and 6537 non-Hispanic White American caregivers of older adults were selected. First, descriptive analyses of caregivers' characteristics, caregiving situations and practice patterns were examined by racial/ethnic groups and immigrant generations. Practice patterns measured were respite care use, hours and length of caregiving. Three hypotheses on caregiving patterns based on assimilation theory were tested and analyzed using logistic regression and generalized linear models by racial/ethnic groups and generations. Caregiving patterns of non-Hispanic White caregivers supported all three hypotheses regarding respite care use, caregiving hours and caregiving duration, showing less caregiving involvement in later generations. However, Asian and Hispanic counterparts showed mixed results. Third generation Asian and Hispanic caregivers used respite care the least and spent the most caregiving hours per week and had the longest caregiving duration compared to earlier generations. These caregiving patterns revealed underlying cultural values related to filial responsibility, even among later generations of caregivers of color. Findings suggest the importance of considering the cultural values of each racial/ethnic group regardless of generation when working with racially and ethnically diverse populations of family caregivers of older adults.

Modern Attitudes Toward Older Adults in the Aging World: A Cross-Cultural Meta-Analysis.

Prevailing beliefs suggest that Eastern cultures hold older adults in higher esteem than Western cultures do, due to stronger collectivist traditions of filial piety. However, in modern, industrialized societies, the strain presented by dramatic rises in population aging potentially threatens traditional cultural expectations. Addressing these competing hypotheses, a literature search located 37 eligible papers, comprising samples from 23 countries and 21,093 total participants, directly comparing Easterners and Westerners (as classified per U.N. conventions) in their attitudes toward aging and the aged. Contradicting conventional wisdom, a random-effects meta-analysis on these articles found such evaluations to be more negative in the East overall (standardized mean difference = -0.31). High heterogeneity in study comparisons suggested the presence of moderators; indeed, geographical region emerged as a significant moderating factor, with the strongest levels of senior derogation emerging in East Asia (compared with South and Southeast Asia) and non-Anglophone Europe (compared with North American and Anglophone Western regions). At the country level, multiple-moderator meta-regression analysis confirmed recent rises in population aging to significantly predict negative elder attitudes, controlling for industrialization per se over the same time period. Unexpectedly, these analyses also found that cultural individualism significantly predicted relative positivity-suggesting that, for generating elder respect within rapidly aging societies, collectivist traditions may backfire. The findings suggest the importance of demographic challenges in shaping modern attitudes toward elders-presenting considerations for future research in ageism, cross-cultural psychology, and even economic development, as societies across the globe accommodate unprecedented numbers of older citizens.

Inter-generational contact from a network perspective.

Pathways for resource--or other--exchanges within families have long been known to be dependent on the structure of relations between generations (Agree et al., 2005; Fuller-Thomson et al., 1997; Silverstein, 2011; Treas & Marcum, 2011). Much life course research has theorized models of inter-generational exchange--including, the 'sandwich generation' (Miller, 1981) and the 'skipped generation' pathways (Chalfie, 1994)--but there is little work relating these theories to relevant network mechanisms such as liaison brokerage (Gould & Fernandez, 1989) and other triadic configurations (Davis & Leinhardt, 1972; Wasserman & Faust, 1994). To address this, a survey of models of resource allocation between members of inter-generational households from a network perspective is introduced in this paper. Exemplary data come from health discussion networks among Mexican-origin multi-generational households.