Does co-residence with adult children associate with better psychological well-being among the oldest old in China?
Aging Ment Health
; 18(2): 232-9, 2014 Mar.
Article
in En
| MEDLINE
| ID: mdl-24053437
ABSTRACT
OBJECTIVES:
Embedded in a traditional culture where filial piety was honored, living with adult children once had been the most prevalent living arrangement and the best option for Chinese elderly people. This study examined whether co-residence with adult children would be still beneficial to the psychological well-being (PWB) among the oldest old (aged 80 and above) in China today.METHOD:
Using data from the fifth wave of the Chinese Longitudinal Healthy Longevity Survey conducted in 2008, the authors examined the living arrangements among the total sample (n = 12,213) and the association between living arrangement and PWB among a subsample (n = 7037) of respondents with normal cognition.RESULTS:
(1) More than half (67.1%) of the unmarried oldest old reported being co-resided with their children; while for the married oldest old, the majority of the respondents (62.4%) lived with a spouse only. (2) For the widowed, co-residence with adult children was associated with better PWB compared to living alone; but for the married, co-residence did not bring additional benefits to the PWB. (3) Co-residence of the widowed and children was associated with better life satisfaction compared to living with a spouse only, while it was associated with lower emotional well-being compared to living with a spouse (with or without a child).CONCLUSION:
These findings suggest that living arrangements of Chinese oldest old are partially getting westernized, and a majority of them adapt it well. Government programs need to be developed to assist the Chinese oldest old (especially widowed) to live independently.
Full text:
1
Collection:
01-internacional
Database:
MEDLINE
Main subject:
Aging
/
Residence Characteristics
/
Adult Children
Type of study:
Observational_studies
/
Qualitative_research
/
Risk_factors_studies
Limits:
Aged80
/
Female
/
Humans
/
Male
Country/Region as subject:
Asia
Language:
En
Journal:
Aging Ment Health
Journal subject:
GERIATRIA
/
PSICOLOGIA
Year:
2014
Document type:
Article
Affiliation country:
China