Are Filial Piety and Ethnic Community Engagement Associated With Psychological Wellbeing Among Older Chinese American Immigrants? A Cultural Resource Perspective

Abstract

This research examined whether perceived receipt of filial piety from adult children and ethnic community engagement—two major ethnocultural resources—were associated with psychological wellbeing of older Chinese American immigrants. Analyses used data from the PINE study, a sample of older Chinese adults in Chicago. Tobit regression revealed that elders who received more filial piety and visited community centers experienced less loneliness and depression than their counterparts did. Tests of interactions showed that community center visits moderated the negative relationship between perceived filial piety and depression. Results suggest the importance of community engagement for diminishing depressive symptoms in older Chinese American immigrants, particularly those with culturally weak intergenerational ties. Discussion centers on how visiting community centers in ethnically dense neighborhoods compensates for unfulfilled filial piety expectations by protecting the mental health of minority elders within a rapidly growing and acculturating immigrant population.

Recreating a sense of home in a foreign land among older Chinese immigrants in Australia

“…A growing literature (Guo & Stensland, 2018;Li et al, 2018;Wang & Zhan, 2019) shows that older Chinese immigrants prefer not to live with adult children, and independent living is the adaptive strategy to create a sense of home. Whereas other studies (Kim & Silverstein, 2020;Liu et al, 2017) argue that depressive symptoms and loneliness are largely associated with the absence of adult children, this research reveals that, although independent living is a possible option, some participants still maintain the traditional view of multigenerational living. In this research, living independently is a strategy to avoid conflicts with adult children, yet living arrangements among older Chinese immigrants may be affected by a variety of factors such as participants' personal characteristics, socio-economic characteristics, and the length of residence in the host country (Da & Garcia, 2015).…”

“…This study identifies three levels of adaptation actions to recreate a sense of home for older Chinese immigrants: personal, relational, and societal. Relational and societal environments influence available resources and adaptation strategies in the new environment (Kim & Silverstein, 2020;Lai et al, 2019). Future practice can pay more attention to strengthening the supportive relational and societal environ- High reliance on adult children indicates that older Chinese immigrants and their adult children may be unaware of their rights and services available to them in Australia (Drolet et al, 2018).…”

Grandparenting, filial piety, and well-being of Chinese-American older adults

“…Grandparenting is beneficial for working adult children, as Chinese-American older adults take on the majority of day care responsibilities for their grandchildren (Yoon, 2005). Nevertheless, Chinese-American older adults could still face internal conflicts arising from cultural value dissonance with their adult children due to gaps in acculturation and the endorsement of their Confucian values (Kim and Silverstein, 2021; Mui and Kang, 2006). Challenges arising from lower levels of acculturation, language issues, low income, and high dependency on the family may create complexity for older Chinese immigrant parents (Xu et al, 2017).…”

“…In older Chinese immigrants, loneliness is reportedly associated with intergenerational relationships, specifically filial piety receipt (Kim and Silverstein, 2021). Families provide the primary bonding social relationships for older immigrant adults who may otherwise lack social networks in the United States (Treas and Mazumdar, 2002).…”

Filial Piety and Mental Health Among Older Chinese Immigrants in the Netherlands

“…In the US, a lack of filial piety raises health concerns among the older Chinese immigrants, such as emotional distress and social isolation ( Dong et al, 2012a ). The absence of filial piety from children is detrimental to the older Chinese parent’s psychological and social wellbeing, loneliness and depression ( Kim & Silverstein, 2021 ; Li & Dong, 2018 ). Therefore, it is important to study the relationship between filial piety and mental health among older Chinese immigrants.…”